Collecting fountain pens is a fascinating hobby for many people. Some people enjoy collecting most any type of fountain pen. Others prefer vintage or antique pens for their collection. Collecting fountain pens is just like any other hobby and it really doesn’t matter if the item is old or new, expensive or cheap, just so long as the fountain pen appeals to you, the collector.
It is easy to collect brand new pens. You can go into most any retail or stationery store and find a wide variety of impressive looking fountain pens and you will also be likely to find modern designs and colors. If you just enjoy the concept of collecting fountain pens, this is the easiest way to start. It’s fairly inexpensive to rapidly build up a collection of pens that appeal to you.
If you are more interested in antique fountain pens or are looking for a specific vintage brand, then your search is a little more difficult. There are several options you can use to find vintage fountain pens.
1. Go to go to a pen show. This is probably one of the best ways to get a quick education about the hobby. There will be a large number of collectors and dealers were very knowledgeable and who will be happy to talk to you about your hobby. You will also be able to see thousands of vintage fountain pens and select the ones that you would like to add to your collection.
Unfortunately, most of the major fountain pen shows are in big markets like Philadelphia, Boston, New York, and Dallas. One of the first pen shows ever was held in Chicago. However, if you have access to these markets, this is probably the best way to get a quick, hands on, education in pen collecting.
2. Go to estate sales or flea markets. Sometimes you are able to find vintage pens that have been past down from a family member to family member. It’s not unheard of to be able to buy entire boxes of fountain pens for just a few dollars.
3. One of the easiest ways to buy collectible fountain pens is over the Internet. EBay has thousands of auctions going on at any one time with collectible vintage fountain pens from just about every manufacturer known. Of course, you need to be careful when buying collectible antique pens from an online auction.
No matter whether you are just starting out as a pen collector, just thinking about getting into the hobby, or are a seasoned hobbyist, you can get a good idea of the wide variety of vintage fountain pens available from eBay, by choosing from the menu on the left.
