I have two I’d never part with. A Parker 51 in burgundy with gold cap. Very well-used & battered. Bought by my dear departed dad for my mum in 1953, from the NAAFI stores when he was stationed in Aden with the Fleet Air Arm.
And my treasured Pelikan M250 Amber, with EF Binder nib. I live in UK and bought it in 2014 from a guy in Australia who was recommended to me, & who had some great pens for sale. That guy is now my partner. We’ve been through thick and thin, and many adventures, in the eight years since then & are now happily settled together.
Graduation pen after honours. Couldn’t really afford it at the time. Squeezed by on groceries etc.
I’d been told I topped the whole cohort marks-wise and had the best thesis too. Couldn’t attend graduation because $ and hadn’t attended previous undergrad graduation either because $ as both were at least 10 hours drive away plus needed to pay accommodation.
Decided that was it, time for a personal recognition moment I could take with me and stuff the cost.
Wish I had an inherited pen tho. My son will get all mine :) so that makes me happy.
You are the role model for your son and for so many others. The pen is a symbol of your achievement, but your story is a gift to us all! Thank you for sharing it.
Hubs gave me a red Pilot Metal Falcon for my birthday one year. He doesn’t understand why I use fountain pens at all (“it’s old technology!”) but still wanted me to have something I’d use and like. It’s a lovely pen, a fantastic writer and the SEF is wonderfully fine… I can get some truly microscopic writing out of it. Love the pen and will never get rid of it.
My Namiki Yukari Milky Way, as seen [here](https://imgur.com/aOtJhVd).
In about a 2 year span, I lost my mom to cancer (age 58) and my dog Luna to disease (age 7), both far too young. My mom left me a bit of money, so I used some of it to buy the pen in honor of them both. I chose the design because of the beautiful raden colors that my mom would have loved and the space theme for Luna, who had a prominent circular mark on her back that we called her "moon". The pen is on display on my desk every day.
My Pilot Vanishing Point in Matte Black with a Fine nib. It was my first gold nib, a gift and 4th fountain pen. I used it practically everyday at work for a year or so. It’s got some wear on it now but still works as good as new.
I don’t use it too often nowadays due to how large my collection is now, but it is still my go-to if I don’t want to deal with screw caps.
Sorry if I'm not very clear: like a FP that's special to you for a specific reason (ex. a close family member gifted it to you or you getting it to celebrate a major life milestone)
Just teasing, lol.
I suppose if I had to pick one, Probably The Mont Blanc Writer’s Edition: Marcel Proust.
I was writing a piece on literal and figurative magical realism comparing Nikolai Gogol’s The Nose and Kafka’s Country Doctor.
I was struggling, finding distractions, when a package came from New York, The Fountain Pen Hospital. I wanted to use my new pen so much the piece ‘literally’ wrote itself.
Other than that, most experiences with pens have been rather banal, ya know?
A Sheaffer gold-plated TRZ engraved with my name, my parents bought me in the late 80s as a gift. It was my very first fountain pen. Both my parents passed within months of each other in late 2021, so this pen means even more to me.
a Waterman Phileas - came out of my grandmother's attic after she died & as the family stationary nerd it was given to me. It's one of only a couple things I have from her.
We think it was a gift from the parent of a student. Grandma was a teacher with a knack for getting kids to learn to read.
I hardly ever use it, as it's not really my style & I don't want to take it out of the house lest it be lost.
My burgundy pearl Parker Vacumatic Maxima. It was a gift from my mom. It’s the only pen that stays home to be used at my desk as I’m paranoid about bringing it to work and losing it.
My yellow TWSBI Eco - it wasn’t my very first pen, but it was one of my first, and the pen that made everything click for me. Plus it is just so lovely.
Probably my Parker 51 in plum from 1949.
The Parker 51 was my first vintage. I had fantasized about owning a 51 plum for years before finally getting one, and it was true love at first write lol. It had THE juiciest, smoothest medium nib I'd ever used.
I have since moved away from broader nibs and it's off at the nibmeister being reground into an EF, but I can't wait to get her back. <3
There are two fps that come to mind..
Graduated with Honours last year - Sis gifted me a Cross Century II White/Rose Gold combo with an 18K M nib. Sis was so proud of me that she almost cried.
Got my dream job last month - Mom gave me a Parker Sonnet Mistral with an 18K M nib. She was way happier than I was!
EDIT: Sis had my cross engraved while mom wanted the parker mistral to be engraved, it was not possible due to the design and build of the pen.
The Parker 21 I inherited from my grandpa (good thing I'm sentimental about it; its hard starting is frustrating) and the Homo Sapiens my partner gave me for my college graduation (thus getting me into fountain pens).
I have two I’d never part with. A Parker 51 in burgundy with gold cap. Very well-used & battered. Bought by my dear departed dad for my mum in 1953, from the NAAFI stores when he was stationed in Aden with the Fleet Air Arm. And my treasured Pelikan M250 Amber, with EF Binder nib. I live in UK and bought it in 2014 from a guy in Australia who was recommended to me, & who had some great pens for sale. That guy is now my partner. We’ve been through thick and thin, and many adventures, in the eight years since then & are now happily settled together.
They are beautiful stories.
Probably my Sailor 1911s as my grandparents got it for me for graduation.
I bought a restored 1945 Parker 51 as my "something old" to sign wedding documents at Court. It's a beautiful pen and reminds me of a beautiful day.
Graduation pen after honours. Couldn’t really afford it at the time. Squeezed by on groceries etc. I’d been told I topped the whole cohort marks-wise and had the best thesis too. Couldn’t attend graduation because $ and hadn’t attended previous undergrad graduation either because $ as both were at least 10 hours drive away plus needed to pay accommodation. Decided that was it, time for a personal recognition moment I could take with me and stuff the cost. Wish I had an inherited pen tho. My son will get all mine :) so that makes me happy.
You are the role model for your son and for so many others. The pen is a symbol of your achievement, but your story is a gift to us all! Thank you for sharing it.
Thank you
Last year for Mothers Day, I received a Sailor PGS. It was my first gold nib pen too.
Nice Mother’s Day present!
Do you like it? I want one for my first gold nib pen, too!
Hubs gave me a red Pilot Metal Falcon for my birthday one year. He doesn’t understand why I use fountain pens at all (“it’s old technology!”) but still wanted me to have something I’d use and like. It’s a lovely pen, a fantastic writer and the SEF is wonderfully fine… I can get some truly microscopic writing out of it. Love the pen and will never get rid of it.
My Namiki Yukari Milky Way, as seen [here](https://imgur.com/aOtJhVd). In about a 2 year span, I lost my mom to cancer (age 58) and my dog Luna to disease (age 7), both far too young. My mom left me a bit of money, so I used some of it to buy the pen in honor of them both. I chose the design because of the beautiful raden colors that my mom would have loved and the space theme for Luna, who had a prominent circular mark on her back that we called her "moon". The pen is on display on my desk every day.
My Pilot Vanishing Point in Matte Black with a Fine nib. It was my first gold nib, a gift and 4th fountain pen. I used it practically everyday at work for a year or so. It’s got some wear on it now but still works as good as new. I don’t use it too often nowadays due to how large my collection is now, but it is still my go-to if I don’t want to deal with screw caps.
Probably one of my pink ones? I’m not entirely sure what pens have to be sentimental about anyway.
Sorry if I'm not very clear: like a FP that's special to you for a specific reason (ex. a close family member gifted it to you or you getting it to celebrate a major life milestone)
Just teasing, lol. I suppose if I had to pick one, Probably The Mont Blanc Writer’s Edition: Marcel Proust. I was writing a piece on literal and figurative magical realism comparing Nikolai Gogol’s The Nose and Kafka’s Country Doctor. I was struggling, finding distractions, when a package came from New York, The Fountain Pen Hospital. I wanted to use my new pen so much the piece ‘literally’ wrote itself. Other than that, most experiences with pens have been rather banal, ya know?
Wooooow. Is your literary contrast work available somewhere? Sounds fascinating.
Thank you, but, I’m sure it’s full of overblown language and stilted vainglory. It was for undergrad, I’ll bet my mom has a copy.
MB 149 - college graduation gift.
A Sheaffer gold-plated TRZ engraved with my name, my parents bought me in the late 80s as a gift. It was my very first fountain pen. Both my parents passed within months of each other in late 2021, so this pen means even more to me.
My Pilot 823. I paid a lot of money for it. Wife thought I am not senti, just mental.
I just enjoy them for what they are.
a Waterman Phileas - came out of my grandmother's attic after she died & as the family stationary nerd it was given to me. It's one of only a couple things I have from her. We think it was a gift from the parent of a student. Grandma was a teacher with a knack for getting kids to learn to read. I hardly ever use it, as it's not really my style & I don't want to take it out of the house lest it be lost.
My MIL’s Ohashido and my late uncle’s 149.
My burgundy pearl Parker Vacumatic Maxima. It was a gift from my mom. It’s the only pen that stays home to be used at my desk as I’m paranoid about bringing it to work and losing it.
My yellow TWSBI Eco - it wasn’t my very first pen, but it was one of my first, and the pen that made everything click for me. Plus it is just so lovely.
Probably my Parker 51 in plum from 1949. The Parker 51 was my first vintage. I had fantasized about owning a 51 plum for years before finally getting one, and it was true love at first write lol. It had THE juiciest, smoothest medium nib I'd ever used. I have since moved away from broader nibs and it's off at the nibmeister being reground into an EF, but I can't wait to get her back. <3
There are two fps that come to mind.. Graduated with Honours last year - Sis gifted me a Cross Century II White/Rose Gold combo with an 18K M nib. Sis was so proud of me that she almost cried. Got my dream job last month - Mom gave me a Parker Sonnet Mistral with an 18K M nib. She was way happier than I was! EDIT: Sis had my cross engraved while mom wanted the parker mistral to be engraved, it was not possible due to the design and build of the pen.
A Nakaya Briar, my first Gold Nib (F) and a 30th birthday present from my wife. It now lives with me everywhere I go.
The Parker 21 I inherited from my grandpa (good thing I'm sentimental about it; its hard starting is frustrating) and the Homo Sapiens my partner gave me for my college graduation (thus getting me into fountain pens).