London Pen Show October 2024

There is an awful lot of good content online already about the show, so my comments are going to be pretty short.

When UK Pen Shows announced this was to be a 2 day event in October 2025, I raised my metaphorical eyebrows a little. I don’t think there has ever been a 2 day event in the UK. They regularly hold multi day events in the US, and the big pen show in Madrid in November is a 3 days event (although I usually arrive on the Thursday and leave on the Saturday, tired, happy but had enough).

However, I think a 2 day show could work, because the show vibe felt a little different for me this year.

First, I attended pre-show drinks with Write Here on Saturday night. The hospitality was generous and it was good to talk to many other dealers and show goers who had arrived on Saturday. It was also good to have a preview of the Lamy 2000 pine, which I wanted to add to my collection. John, Owen and the team were keen to show it off, as well as the 2 new very limited edition SCRIBOs that are produced only for Write Here. It was good fun, but I was feeling a little “dusty” when the alarm went off early Sunday morning!

Second, I spent far more time talking to people I had got to know online. It was fantastic to meet other fountain pen enthusiasts and discuss our mutual interests. That left me short on time to properly go around the show itself and I felt a little rushed.

These 2 points combined mean, I think at least, that the show is moving to a much more social event, and I could easily spend 2 days there. it does mean a higher cost but I think it will be worth it, and I am looking forward to seeing how things turn out in 2025. My one big regret of this show was not having enough time to properly talk to Sarj (the one man pen show!), Ray at Vintage and Modern Pens, take a proper look at the amazing Toyookacraft products and spend more time with CY and his Kyuseido pens - why oh why did I not buy one and get a grind!

The show venue itself is fantastic. It accommodated the vendors and show attendees with ease and is well laid out and lit. It maybe a little souless but it works very well. I was able to move around tables, look at pens, and find places to speak to people without being jostled or feeling claustrophobic. It was good to see a number of US and European pen makers and vendors attending the show. They bring a different dimension and a good assortment of pens! This year, there was again a couple of vendors supplying parts, including one with a fantastic selection of vintage nibs!

One such attendee was Glenn Craig from Canda. Amongst other things, I managed to pick up a couple of Chris Thompson Duofold custom replicas from Glenn, and he and Mrs C are always a pleasure to deal with.

I always get a warm welcome from Mike Selway, and have been a customer of his for a while. Reasonably priced vintage pens, well restored and described are a hit with me, and I added a 1950’s Platinum eyedropper filler, in silver as well as a user grade Waterman no.6 ED with a fabulous nib, to my haul at his table. I have included some pictures of his table.

I also picked up a few other pens from friends, including a green (this colour seems to be a theme this year for me!) OMAS Milord using their Advanced Cartridge System, which is a nice feature if not so advanced, a Stipula Panarea made especially for the Writing Equipment Society, and a spectacular, rare with price band, mint Parker Vacumatic set.

I always take time to admire the wide and varied selection of pens on the table of Graham Jasper. There is always something rare to be found, and I have included pictures not just of his table but a specific selection of oversize and important Waterman and Montblanc that were on display.

Finally, a word about Aurora. This has been a brand I have been interested in for awhile, because the Uk representative introduced me to Auora inks, which I think are great colours and easy to clean, but also because I have long been a fan of the Aurora Internazionale model, a modern variant of a vintage pen. A great design IMHO! I have collected the various colours over the years, and the Aurora table this year did not disappoint, but had the added bonus of the Aurora factory nib expert attending the show - a real statement of recognition for the UK brand representative.

Photos to accompany the above, below - thanks for reading.