Pen Collecting as I Remember It
By Abe Schwartz
All rights reserved by author
 Following my service as one of the first radar navigators in the eighth
Air Force division in England during World War II, I was discharged
in the fall of 1945. My father-in-law gave me a small, maroon-colored
Parker 51 fountain pen, which I still have to this day. I used this
pen for a while until the advent of ball point pens. Most people discarded
their fountain pens in favor of the new ball-point pens, as was in vogue
at the time. I too stopped using my maroon Parker, and placed it in
a desk drawer, where it remained for several years.
Some time later, in the 1960's, my wife kept after me to clean out
my desk drawers. Finally, after much persuasion, I took the time to
clean out the desk in my upstairs office. I started opening drawers,
with a wastebasket ready for me to throw away anything I no longer wanted.
I came across the maroon Parker fountain pen, picked it up, and started
to throw it into the wastebasket. Then I said to myself, 'Everyone throws
these away.' My right hand was in motion to toss it out, when I thought,
'I'll start a collection of fountain pens.' I had no knowledge of the
subject. My wife's good friend was a librarian in the Cincinnati library
system, and although she searched for information for me, she could
only locate material relating to engineering drawings, etc., in technical
journals.
I began going to flea markets around the Cincinnati area. I was able
to find all kinds of pens that dealers practically gave away, since
there was no market for such items. I brought home cigar boxes full
of pens every time I went looking. My only criterion in obtaining the
pens was that they were large with interesting colors and patterns.
I was able to find hundreds of all of the famous brands, such as Parker,
Sheaffer, Conklin, Wahl, Wahl Eversharp, John Holland (a Cincinnati
brand), Waterman, Diamond Point, Gold Seal, and an assortment of other
brands.
I did not know of anyone else who collected pens until I read an article
in The New York Times about a collector by the name of Leonard Ackerman
who, the article reported, had over 5,000 vintage fountain pens. Leonard
worked at Barney's department store in New York City. My business often
took me to New York, so I struck up an acquaintanceship with Leonard.
On my trips by pullman train to New York in the 1960's, I would take
all of my pens (several hundred of them) with me. In the evening, Leonard
would come to visit me at my hotel. We would sit up until all hours
of the night, talking about our pens. He was the only human being I
could converse with about them. I had a desire to own a Mont Blanc #149
pen. He had a very large black one, which I think was the only color
available. I asked my friend if he would consider trading his #149 for
one of my pens. He agreed, and picked out an oversize Wahl Gold Seal
black & pearl plastic pen with a roller clip cap ñ a very
pretty pen. We made the trade. I felt more than satisfied. Much later,
the Wahl pen turned out to be worth four or five times as much as the
#149 Mont Blanc, but no one knew the difference at the time of the trade.
The first reference book to appear in the United States was a publication
by Cliff Lawrence. It was a small paperback with about 50 pages of photographs
of pens with so-called 'market prices'. This was the first book published
with such data; apparently, Cliff Lawrence was the one who first established
pen values in this country. In looking through it, I found that I owned
almost every pen in the book. I still have a copy of the book.
I then began to meet people who were collectors. I would meet them
on street corners in New York City, in hotel lobbies, etc. From Ackerman,
I heard about Bob Edison, who at the time wrote Billboard publications
for Broadway plays ñ which he still does ó and who is
now a contributing writer for Pen World. He, in turn, introduced me
to John Quevas, a dealer and trader of various collectibles. One thing
lead to another until I was invited to a get-together of pen collectors
from the Washington/Baltimore area. This meeting took place in the late
1970's on a Sunday afternoon at the downtown YMCA in Washington, DC.
Paul Sameth, currently on the board of the Pen Collectors of America,
was one person that I remember being there. You could not call this
get-together a pen show, but rather a group of eight or ten men who
brought most of their pens to the meeting. It was not organized, nor
did it have an agenda. As I recall, the meeting room had a number of
round tables upon which everyone just literally dumped their loose pens.
It was an ego event as in Look What I Have. There was no buying, trading,
or selling. There was no price guide information available at the time.
This so-called show was the first meeting of pen collectors that I can
remember. I began meeting collectors in Chicago in private homes. Some
of the people included Harry Boras, Glen Bowen, Michael Fultz, Don Lavin,
Judd Perlson, Dan Zazove, among others. I did not keep a written diary
of names, places, and events, so you must forgive me if I have left
anyone out.
I remember one of the first invitations to a meeting of pen collectors.
It was held in 1985 at the home of Michael Fultz, who resided at that
time on the west side of Chicago, in a beautifully restored Civil War
era home furnished in the style of that period. As I remember, the visitors
displayed pens, but I do not remember that there was any selling or
buying. After this occasion, the meetings and shows became more organized.
Believe it or not, the first show was in the grandstands of the Maywood
Race Track in Chicago. This show attracted collectors from all over
the Eastern part of the US Things continued to develop with the help
of many loyal volunteers who conducted pen shows. They were gradually
held in more cities such as New Jersey (Stuart Schneider/George Fischler),
Boston, Morristown, Cincinnati (Bob Johnson), Houston (Glen Bowen, Boris
Rice, Stan Pfieffer), Miami (Steve Mandell), Los Angeles (Bob Tefft),
Washington, DC (Bob Johnson), and now in a dozen or more other cities.
The shows have become quite large, attracting hundreds of collectors
from virtually all over the world.
I remember Harry Boras, a good friend, professor, radio show host,
and major collector of Sheaffer pens, tapping me on the shoulder at
one of the Chicago shows, and telling me he wanted a check from me.
When I asked why, he said it was to help Glen Bowen start up a publication
for pen collectors. Harry continued soliciting funds from others at
that show, and as you all know, the publication became Pen World. Under
Glen's leadership, it is a magnificent success story.
I recall many expeditions looking for pens in all kinds of places.
In my business travels, I stopped in out-of-the-way towns and cities,
taking time to visit antique stores, where I found many interesting
and wonderful pens.
One cold, subzero winter night, I drove in terrible weather about 50
miles outside Cincinnati to visit a man who had approximately 1,300
pens that he was willing to sell as one lot. Upon inspecting them for
at least two hours, I finally made a deal for all of them. I remember
driving home in a dreadful snowstorm, with temperatures of about 15
degrees below zero ñ but I was so stimulated by the purchase
that I did not mind. I found numerous nice pens in that lot, and believed
that the effort in getting them was worth the risk of driving in brutal
conditions.
Another time I remember well were the circumstances surrounding my
purchase of a sterling silver Parker Snake Pen. It happened about eight
years ago. I received a phone call from John Quevas in New York. He
told me he had a snake pen for sale and offered it to me. I was most
curious as to why he was calling me. He said that he had a buyer for
it in Tokyo, but had first called Don Lavin in Chicago and asked him
if he knew someone in the US who would be interested before he sent
it to Japan. Don told him to call me. You might wonder why Don suggested
a call to me. A short time prior to this, at an auction at the New Jersey
Pen Show, I was the last bidder on a gold Snake pen that I did not get,
and Don remembered that. So, John called me and sent the pen through
the mail to me with no security or deposit of any kind. The pen worked
fine and we made the deal on the phone. That is how I obtained a beautiful
and perfect Parker sterling silver Snake Pen.
I also remember an exhibition at the Cooper Hewitt (Smithsonian Institute)
museum on Fifth Avenue in New York, of the history of writing and printing.
It was wonderful, the most complete collection of the history of writing
and printing that I have ever seen. The exhibit contained numerous vintage
fountain pens and Victorian writing instruments. The museum curator,
whose name I cannot recall, was also a pen collector and loaned some
of her pens to the exhibit. I believe that Bob Edison and Leonard Ackerman
also loaned them pens. The exhibit was on display for several months.
I enjoyed seeing the entire panorama of writing beginning with the ancient
hieroglyphics, the early printing presses, and examples of equipment.
I remember meeting Peter Siddall at a pen auction in Geneva, Switzerland.
Later that evening he introduced me to the anchorman for the French
evening television news. I was interviewed on the nationally broadcast
program. This was a nice experience. Mr. Siddall was the representative
for the Parker Pen Company in England. His territory covered the Middle
East. Later, he procured one of the Parker reproduction Snake pens for
me to buy.
I have met and talked with most of the well-known pen collectors for
the past 30 or 35 years. I have hundreds of business cards, some of
which are organized in notebook style, but have hundreds more yet to
be arranged.
I have an outstanding collection of many classic and recognized brand
name pens. My pens have been exhibited two times on the main floor of
the downtown public library of Cincinnati. I have beautiful display
cases of the period to show off my best pens.
I have met many wonderful new friends and acquaintances through this
hobby. I never, in my wildest dreams, thought the hobby would become
important to my life. It has been fun and interesting.
I continue to attend and participate in several major pen shows each
year.
The author recently celebrated his eightieth birthday as the 'second
oldest pen collector.'
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