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OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF THE NEW ENGLAND PEN SHOW
The 23rd Annual New England Pen Show
Sunday, May 16, 2010
10 am to 4 pm
Admission $6
EARLY BUYING
Saturday, May 15, 2010
9 am to 5 pm
Admission $15
Somerville Holiday Inn, 30 Washington Street,
Somerville, Massachusetts 02143
directions
and hotel information
617-628-1000
show info
and exhibitor info
Rob Morrison robmorrison@charter.net,
828-298-0331
Free bottle of
Noodler's ink
to the first 200 attendees for Sunday's show
1-ounce bottle of Special Edition 'Boston Brahmin Black'
Created especially for the New England Pen Show
SCHEDULE
Pre-Show:
Friday, May 14, 2010 (Exhibitors and Weekend Traders only---registration
available at the door)
12:00-5 pm
Trading area open (small meeting room). Meeting room TBA
5:00 pm
Welcome beer and snacks.
Rob's
suite
Early Buying: Saturday,
May 15, 2010
9:00 am-5 pm
Trading area open. Exhibitors may use ½ table for every
table they have for the show. Ballroom
The Public Show, Sunday, May 16, 2010
8:00 am-10 am Dealer setup.
Exhibitors and Weekend Traders only. Ballroom
10:00 am-4 pm
New
England Pen Show
open to
the public $6 admission.
Ballroom
See Rob Morrison in Stylus
magazine
     
New $15 Saturday Informal Preview
for Early Buying---Join the dealers where they do
their shopping!
The show has always been open to the public on Sunday for the normal admission price, but it has also always had an informal preview day
on Saturday, where the only people allowed were exhibitors, and collectors who'd paid a whopping $50 to be weekend traders.
Why was it worth so much? Because Saturday was when you might find a rare item
or a bargain, and it's the day when the dealers troll the tables for items that
they can buy at a good price and sell to the public. Last year we reduced the
admission for the Saturday preview to $15---and we'll be doing it again this
year. So if you're serious enough to pay a little more for an earlier shot at the
bargains, or if you can't make it on Sunday, you might consider coming to the preview. Things to keep in mind: on Saturday, dealers
can come and go as they please; there are no assigned seats, and they don't have to remain set up all day. So you may not see your
favorite dealer at any particular time. Their displays may be smaller, since the show has less square footage for Saturday.
Exhibitor profiles
GoPens.com "go"-ing to the New England Pen Show
Gary and Myrna Lehrer were among the first wave of collectors to discover the world of vintage fountain pens, and since becoming full fledged
dealers they've continued to lead. First with a print catalogue, then moving to the web with their quarterly www.gopens.com sales, their offerings
have always been of excellent quality and startling breadth. To visit their table is to take a short course in pen history: every major maker
is represented, most major models, and some exotic items you may only have heard about but never seen. Except where a pen's rarity warrants the
presence of a lesser example, they're all pristine, and they're all working and ready to write. I personally have been amazed at the variety of
rare vintage Montblancs, Pelikans and Soenneckens the Lehrers have managed to find in the last few years. But it's the completeness of their
stock that's remarkable. If you're looking for something in particular---if you've decided to finally spring for a mandarin Duofold, or if you've
been bitten by the Sheaffer Carmine Red bug---check the Lehrers' table.
Nathan Tardif and more
ink than you've ever seen!
We're happy to report that Nathan Tardif, the mad
scientist of ink and owner of Noodler's Ink will be back again this year. In
addition to providing the charming little one-ounce bottles of the new Boston
Brahmin Black ink that will be given away free to the first 200 paying
attendees at Sunday's show, he'll have plenty more fun stuff that you
can find only at the New England Pen Show. This year's special treat: inks in
quantities never before sold by Noodler's---the shipping cost is just too much
to justify it. What do we mean? How about a gallon bottle of
genuine Noodler's Ink? That's right---a gallon jug of fountain pen ink. Several
intermediate large sizes will be offered too, so don't miss it. Nathan will also
have a whacky black-light testing area, so you can see test some of his
glow-in-the-dark inks. Sunday only, and he won't be taking pen repairs (other
repair people will be there, so don't worry).
 What IS
in those boxes? Isaacson and Erano selling a collection
Paul Erano---author, publisher,
newslettrist, and purveyor of fine vintage fountain pens (and some nice watches too)---has teamed up with
Vacumatician and occasional physician David Isaacson to acquire a substantial collection of pens, which they'll be selling at the show. They're
playing a bit against type here, as most of these appear to be modern or semi-modern, but Paul and David are nothing if not well rounded. Some
highlights: a Parker Snake limited edition, Parker Mandarin Duofold limited edition, a Parker Centennial Blue "100 year" limited edition,
several Duofold Mosaics, some conventional modern Duofolds, some Parker 100s, Parker 51 Special Editions, Parker Sonnets, a Bicentennial Parker
75, Watermans including an Edson in sterling, other Edsons, a Letalon, some out-of-production Rotrings, and some Sensa ballpoints in exotic,
out-of-production colors. This is in addition, of course, to the excellent
selection of vintage items that both bring to a pen show.
 Dealer Spotlight: Andy Beliveau
Andy Beliveau, Milton resident and long-time pen collector, has been displaying at the show practically from the beginning, and
many will recognize him. What you may not know is that Andy's career has been largely as a research chemist, specializing in
polymer engineering and polymer chemistry. I don't know what that means exactly, but it reminds me of a word I do know---plastic.
And it's true, Andy is something of an expert in those materials that are near and dear to the hearts of vintage pen collectors,
celluloid and hard rubber. And in recent years Andy has branched out into another important pen
area---silversmithing. He has done everything from repairing vintage sterling overlays to creating complete
accommodation pen clips to be added to vintage clipless pens. Andy will be offering his inventory of delightful vintage writing instruments, some sporting additions and modifications in his own distinctive
silver work.
 Atelier Gargoyle coming to New England
Atelier Gargoyle proprietors Ward Dunham and Linnea Lundquist teach calligraphy in San Francisco and sell the implements of their trade:
pens, inks and materials, and also more exotic items like sealing wax---which, used with one of their beautifully-wrought vintage or modern
seals, makes personal correspondence even more personal. Their lettering style eschews the frilliness of copperplate for the solidity of
Black Letter: very elegant, and very medieval. We're happy to announce that for
a couple of days in April, the atelier will have a pied-à-terre
at the New England Pen Show, and east-coast fans will be able to see their delightful work first-hand, and purchase some of their gothic items.
Photos from
the 2005 show, courtesy Jim Liggett
   
   
 
Photos from the 2004 show, courtesy of Neville Bedford
    
    
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