My Pen collection started as most did with an Esterbrook. I remember picking it up silver and black, thinking five dollars is a lot for a pen but it sure is neat. Took home and found that it worked, which was great, then the search for ink. Found some Quink blue-black and began writing letters with that fountain pen. Occasionally over the next few years visited flea markets and saw some pens but never as nice, did find another nib and the address of the company in a box (didn’t know they had stopped producing). Too much school and too much work pushed the pen to the back of the drawer. Then my father in law passed, I was given a Parker 51 box full of old pens found a red Balance that was given to him before the war. Thought it might be repaired so I went to the net to find a repairer. Found so much more, saw pens that were still being produced that became objects of desire, I wanted more pens. Pelikan, Parker, OMAS, Dupont and Rotring, Bexley , Stipula , Krone. I lurked and I listened to several net boards to what people were using and what they preferred, found eBay and really started to buy. Looked for pen stores in cities I was visiting. And I bought more until two score pens I owned and admired. I went through a downsizing of my collection and have ended up with 12 pens that might be inked up at any time and another 3 that are sentimental. My preference for nibs has been fine but slowly I have tried to get more variation in my writing. I live outside of New Orleans and am a officer of one of the Mardi Gras Carnival Krewes. To pay for my pens I work for an engineering consulting firm to refineries and chemical plants.
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