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You've clicked in to our News and Updates section of our online shop
where we let you know about new items, upcoming events and other
newsworthy things we hope you'll find of interest as a pen aficionado.
Join us on Twitter! We share a little bit of all things Pendemonium. We are pendemonium on Twitter. Don't miss special offers! Sign up today for Pendemonium's e-newsletters, Inky Greetings and Midnight Madness. Our e-newsletters are sent to subscribers only. These include special offers, pen-worthy news, and advance notice of new items amongst other things. Click above to learn more and sign up to receive the next issues. |
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September 2, 2010 - Sanford's was once one of the big names to be reckoned with in the world of writing ink and actually other types of ink as well. Our vintage inks department always has a few Sanford bottles and today we've included a few more including some rare Sanford Counter Testers. |
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September 1,
2010 - Pencil leads can be sooooo confusing! If it isn't enough that
wood pencils are graded by number (yellow no. 2 pencil), mechanical
pencil leads are graded by letter (No. 2 in wood equates to HB in refill
leads). The Victorians also assigned letter designations to diameter of
leads. Did you follow that??? Not to worry, we have all of this
information plus other tidbits to help you select the correct size and
degree of pencil lead refills in our Pencil Lead department. Updated
today with these recently compiled Victorian letter designations.
 Click for details |
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August 31,
2010 - Use your vintage fountain pen to write on these vintage giftenclosure cards, a perfect combination!
 Click for details |
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August 30, 2010 - Pen shows are the best place to not only see gazillions of fountain pens all in one place, but to meet and network with your fellow pen collectors. We've updated our pen show listings and hope you'll find a show near you. Next up for us is the Dallas Pen Show in September. We look forward to seeing you there! |
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August 27,
2010 - New writing instruments in our Waterman aisle today. Waterman
Hemisphere and Expert II fountain pens along with a hard to find blue
and green ripple hard rubber pencil from the 1920s.
 Click for details |
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August 26, 2010 - Mordan, Eagle, Hoge, Staedtler, Emgee, Rexel and yet more vintage pencil lead containers and leads listed today. |
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August 24, 2010 - We'll have our second shipment of the newly revised Pen RepairBook by Jim Marshall and Laurence Oldfield soon. Taking advance orders. These books sell out quicker than we can keep them in stock! |
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August 22, 2010 - Our Washington DC Pen Show shipping backlog is coming to an end. While we have already shipped out most of the orders that came in while we were at the pen show, we now know that all orders in house for stock items will be going out on Monday. We're back on our regular next business day shipping cycle again. We're glad. We know you are, too. Thanks again for your patience while we attended the DC Pen Show! |
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August 20, 2010 - The stunning Pelikan Edelstein Inks will be arriving shortly. The colors are: Sapphire Blue, Onyx, Mandarin Orange, Ruby Red, Aventurine (a deep green), Jade (a lighter green) and Topaz (blue-violet). If you want to be the first on your block to try these new inks, you can place an advance order now and we will ship the inks just as soon as they arrive here.  |
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August 18, 2010 - More Esterbrook Renew Points just listed! Remember that Esterbrook's advertising catch phrase was, "Choose the right point for the way you write". We're aiming to please just like Esterbrook did! |
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August 17,
2010 - Three historic vintage advertising blotters added to this
section of our website today. Wilson Jones columnar pads, Columbia
Writing and Carbon and Eagle-A Papers. Click the hippo to see our
complete selection!
 Click for details |
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August 17, 2010 - Today is our last day on the road and the end of our Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow adventure! We'll reopen our retail shop in Fort Madison at 10am tomorrow morning. We'll start unpacking when we get back this evening and will start shipping your orders out. But, today, we're traveling through the great Midwest enjoying the scenery, doing a little sightseeing and shopping and yes, we are eternally on the lookout for vintage pens, inks and other strange writing things. We have a long trip ahead of us today, so without further ado, I wish each of you a great day! |
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August 16,
2010 - Not everyone else on the block will have one of these!
Sheaffer pens with prototype finishes. Check them out!
 Click for details |
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August 16,
2010 - I'm still running on pen show adrenalin, almost as
good as my morning java! Thanks to all of you who stopped by to
brave the pen show crowds and visit us at the DC Pen Show over the
weekend. We're hitting the road early this morning to start our trek
back to Fort Madison. Fingers crossed for blue skies and more pen
finds along the byways. |
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August 14,
2010 - Greetings from the Washington DC Fountain Pen Show!
I always say I'm going to try and Twitter the pen show, but
inevitably it is just too busy to be taking pics and trying to tweet
them. However, if you don't already follow us on
Twitter, today might
be the day because honest, I remembered to charge my phone and and I
have told myself over and over that I must try to share pics with
people who are unable to come to the show today. That said, do be
aware that if it gets super, super busy, I may fall off the picture
wagon! Plus, I'm not one to be sitting around on my phone while there
are people to talk to in person at a show, that would be rude and I
might miss something! Anyhoo .... fly on over to Twitter and follow
us for some Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow photos.
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August 13,
2010 - Grab 'em fast! Limited supplies of Sheaffer blue SLIM ink cartridges just listed. These are out of production and hard to find.
 Click for details |
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August 13,
2010 - Hooray! We're at the Washington DC Fountain Pen
SuperShow at the Sheraton Premiere Hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia.
Aside from being at the pen show, it's always good to be in our old
stomping grounds. Reston was our first home when Frank and I got
married over 30 years ago, just a few miles down the road. Frank
alternated between Fairfax, Reston and Europe growing up as a Defense
Department Brat, he can remember riding his bike to Tysons Corner
Shopping Center, something I would not even consider today! Too many
cars, too much construction. And in spite of that, still nice to be
"home".  We're unpacking a huge shipment from Exaclair today with Rhodia, G Lalo, J Herbin Inks & Clairefontaine |
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August 12,
2010 - Nostalgic print of the Sheaffer factory in Fort Madison by
artist Jim Knapp is certain to please not only Sheaffer aficionados,
but those appreciative of fine illustration, too.
 Click for details Historic drawings named The "O" and the "N" from Onoto  Click for details |
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August 12,
2010 - We've attended the Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow since the days
before it was known as the SuperShow, it was just a Show then! It
really has grown and taken on a life of its own over the years! If
there was only one pen show to pick in the US, the DC Show would most
likely be the one if only because of the sheer amount of pens and
people from around the world. Whether you've been collecting pens and
writing things for just a short while or for decades, it's a great
experience. Collecting online is fun, but it isn't until you get to a
pen show that you realize the full impact of our hobby. People are
what make the difference and while the online pen forums are fun,
nothing beats a good conversation face to face with a fellow pen
collector.  Washington DC Pen Show 2007 |
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August 11,
2010 - Time to feed your antique mechanical pencils? We have lots of
antique leads in hard to find sizes and have updated this section of
the website today with some additional Eberhard Faber and Sheaffer
pencil leads.
 Click for details |
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August 11,
2010 - We invite you to stop and visit us at the
Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow this weekend! We'll have lots
of old fountain pens and pencils, but unlike many of the other
exhibitors at the pens show, we take a little further step back in
time so everyone can dip into a little early writing history - be sure
to check out our vintage dip pens. If you can't make it to the show,
it will only take you once click to view our dip pens in our online
shop.
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August 10,
2010 - By the time you read this, we should be totally packed and on the
road. I love taking Pendemonium on the road. We hunt for pens, inks
and any other cool old writing collectibles we can turn up along the
way. Sometimes we'll go a day or two without finding and vintage
writing equipment, but I don't believe we've ever been on a pen show
journey where we haven't turned up something cool. Some of it even
turns up at the pen show we're headed to and in this case that would
be the Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow being held at the Sheraton
Premiere hotel in Tysons Corner, Virginia. We hope to see you there.
Be sure to stop by and check out this tray of Sheaffer prototype
finish pens! About 20 of each finish was made and chances are you
won't see very many in your lifetime. The finishes are wild, the
pens fully functional. Don't worry, if you don't like wild looking
pens, we have plenty of the classics with us, too.
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August 9,
2010 - We're back at work sorting through our antique dip pen nibs. Will we
ever finish? Maybe! All of these old nibs require some time, we
check to make sure there is no rust, we make sure they are clean and
un-inked. We eyeball the imprints on the nib. Did you know some dip
pens nibs over the years had at least 5 different imprints? Sorting
dip pen nibs is a rather long and involved process, but worth it! |
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August 9,
2010 - BIG Inks are difficult to ship around the world
because they almost always leak. Drives me crazy. We're hauling at
least two big boxes of BIG inks to the Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow.
These are vintage quart master bottles of old fountain
pen inks. Some are full of ink, some not so full, some don't have
much ink in them at all, all of them have really cool old vintage
labels and some of them have neat boxes, too. In a nutshell, a
little bit of everything! The best part about these BIG old inks is
that none of them will be priced at more than $10. Truly a steal - a
quart of ink for $10? Wow! You might even snag a half quart of ink
for $5! So stop on by our exhibit at the DC Pen Show starting on
Friday, August 13th for the best selection because it's first come,
first serve on the BIG inks!
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August 7,
2010 - Join us at the DC Pen Show!
We're getting ready for the Washington DC Fountain Pen SuperShow and
will begin packing in earnest any moment now! We've starting packing,
but that just means I have piles of things stacked up on available
horizontal office space! This is LAST CALL for any special orders
you would to have delivered to you at the pen show next weekend. If
we have it in stock, we're happy to bring it to you at Washington DC
Fountain Pen SuperShow - drop us an email today with your wish list!
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August 6, 2010 - Today, we have put over 50 different vintage Parker Penadvertisements up on the website ranging from the early Lucky Curve era through Duofolds, Vacumatics, Parker 51s, Parker 61s, Parker 45s and a few odds and ends like VPs and Quink Ink. Click on over and take a little visual tour of Parker history and don't forget to grab a couple of these reasonably priced adverts for yourself. |
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August 4, 2010 - Esterbrook DipLess inkwell sets are not only the epitome of Art Deco, but useful and practical still today, over a half century after their invention! |
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August 3,
2010 - We're pleased to offer up some darned nice Parkers today. Be
sure to take a look at the items in our Parker Pen aisle, a little
something for everyone. Of course they carry our No QuibbleSatisfaction Guarantee as do all of our writing instruments.
 Click for details |
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August 2, 2010 - One of my favorite places is our Pen Paraphernalia section of the website, it's where we put the really unusual things that just don't quite fit in a specific category. Some things that fit that category were listed today. I guarantee you, they don't turn up often and you probably won't find them in your average pen shop! |
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July 30,
2010 - We're offering great savings on the Waterman Expert II Fountain
Pen in metallic ice blue finish. Limited supplies!
 Click for details |
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July 28, 2010 - The Dizzy Pen has blogged a review of our exclusive Legal Lapis Ink. See for yourself what an independent ink lover has to say about Pendemonium's Legal Lapis.  Buy it today! Legal Lapis is our #1 Best Selling Ink! |
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July 26,
2010 - It's Cursive Italic Day at Pendemonium! Waterman, Parker & Bexley.
 Click for details |
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July 25, 2010 - Our listings of individual antique dip pen nibs for calligraphers, writers, artists and collectors has been updated. Nibs made by Baer's, Brause, Esterbrook, Hughes, Hunt, Leonardt, MacNiven & Cameron, Sloan, Spencerian, Tuxedo and others. Hope you'll stop by and see our large selection. 
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July 22,
2010 - Faux marble double desk set just listed - it's a cool piece
from the 1960s.
 Click for details Desk Set? Inkwell? Inkwell? Desk Set? Decisions! Decisions! This Morrisette is a Desk Set AND an Inkwell! You can read all about it in our Desk Set aisle.  Click for details |
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July 21,
2010 - Heads Up Everyone! |
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July 20, 2010 - Many newly listed Esterbrook Renew Points along with some AlloyTipped points that also fit Esterbrooks. As Esterbrook always said in their advertising "Choose the Right Point For the Way You Write" 
Linton screw in nib units fit Esterbrook J series and other Esterbrooks using renew points perfectly. We have a bunch and they're a much less expensive, but equal quality to Esterbrook renew points. Fine or medium point available. Limited supplies. 
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July 19, 2010 - Take a look to see what types of writing equipment were popular in 1890 and 1919. We've added three old advertisements from The Companion and The Ladies Home Journal filled with old fountain pens, pencils and writing accessories. Take a step back in time. |
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July 17,
2010 - Looking for a fountain pen with something other than the run of
the mill fine-medium-broad point? Look no further, 3 unusual nibbed
pens went up on the site today in our "Other Pens" department.
 Click for details We also have drafting pencils for you today. From the pre-CAD days, although I know that some people still use these sturdy, thick lead auto pencils made by Faber Castell, Koh-i-Noor and Eagle.  Click for details |
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July 15,
2010 - It's time to Rock 'n Blot!  Click for details |
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July 13,
2010 - A nice new array of vintage and collectible Sheaffer pens added today includes fountain pens from
1918 forward including Triumph, Balance, Snorkel and Flat-top models, as well as Lady Sheaffer Skripsert, Flat Top,
Snorkel and Fineline models. Look for the new notations and make your selection.
 Click for details |
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July 12,
2010 - Keep your pen safely on your desk with a vintage pen holder.
Several listed today along with a Carter's Pearltex easel style pen
case in need of pens!
 Click for details |
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July 11, 2010 - Vintage Parker 51 Ink bottles, Waterman and several unusual older ink bottles are new to our Vintage Inks department today. Be sure to check out the gorgeous Signet Peacock Blue ink bottle tin shown to the right. |
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July 7, 2010 - We have one of the largest selections of antique inkwells and 16 more from a recent collection we acquired have just been listed. Wide variety of styles, from the late 1800s - early 1900s and a price point for everyone's budget. We hope you'll take a little stroll down our inkwell aisle today! |
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June 30, 2010 - We wish all of our friends and customers in the USA a
Happy Independence Day! May you have perfect weather in your
neighborhood, a delicious BBQ and the most fabulous fireworks ever.
Be sure to take a moment to reflect on your freedom, because after
all, this is what the Fourth of July is really all about. |
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July 1,
2010 - Big Esterbrook update today! Everything from J series fountain
pens to desk sets, inkwell sets, stick pins plus an English
Demonstrator fountain pen. Be sure to take a look.
 Click for details |
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We are honored to have been named Fort Madison Small Business of the
Year for 2009 by the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce.  |
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June 28,
2010 - We've been sorting our antique dip pen nibs and many new ones are now
listed. Dip pen nibs are one of the more fascinating things we sell.
Long, long history going back to the steel mills of Birmingham England
in the 1840s. Many of our customers who engage in the art of
beautiful writing prefer the older nibs since much more attention was
paid to their manufacture in days gone by. We also have customers who
collect dip pen nibs, just because of their artistry. Thanks for
taking a peek! 
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June 24, 2010 - All of your favorite Pelikan inks are in stock. Pelikan is the last company standing that still sells 250ml and litre bottles of fountain pen ink for those of you who use LOTS of ink and love Pelikan's utterly reliable Brilliant Black and Royal Blue. Pelikan has been making ink since 1863, they've had a little practice! 
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June 23, 2010 - Sheaffer, Sanford, Parker, Carters and for good measure a bottle of Freund vintage ink all newly listed in our Vintage Inks aisle today. Great bottles and some usable ink, too. |
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June 23, 2010 - Big shipment of Private Reserve rolled off the UPS Truck and into Pendemonium today. All colors in bottles and standard international cartridges available, plus Ink Mixing Kits, too! 
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June 22, 2010 - Super Soft Flannel Pen Wraps now available! |
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June 21, 2010 - We've added 20 different vintage Parker Duofold advertisements to our already extensive selection of Parker advertisements. These feature the famous "Big Red", other Duofold colors and a wide range of Duofold desk sets. It's like taking a little walk down historic Duofold Lane! |
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June 18,
2010 - It's a BIG Cursive Italic Day today!
 Click for details |
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June 17, 2010 - One of my all time favorite Parker adverts is not for a fountain pen, although I love a lot of them, too, but for Superchrome Ink! |
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June 15, 2010 - A bunch of old Waterman fountain pen adverts are up on the site today, great for framing, excellent research material, too. |
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June 14,
2010 - Looking for lots of flex for a little bit of money? Check out
the two antique Waterman fountain pens we just put up on the website!
 Click for details A few more pens have been added to our "Other" pens section today, not the Big Four makers Wahl-Eversharp, Waterman, Parker or Sheaffer, not even super well known other vintage pen makers, but still very well made and a bit unusual.  Click for details |
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June 10,
2010 - We have a lovely little flock of 1950s vintage Pelikan fountain
pens for you today. All with a minimum of responsive nibs, most with
full flex for expressive writing.
 Click for details |
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June 7,
2010 - If you're looking for a dip pen, we have many to select from
including two new additions to the website today. Dip pens are fun to
write with, you slow down when using them and really give some thought
to your penmanship and what you're writing, too!
 Click for details |
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June 4, 2010 - Antique Ink Bottle Collectors take note! Several labeled old inks have been listed today. |
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June 2,
2010 - PLEASE NOTE: This week Inky Greetings will be emailed on FRIDAY, JUNE 4! |
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June 1,
2010 - It's Cursive Italic Day!
 Click for details | |
| Esterbrook fans take note! Lotsa' new Estie ads and photos up on the site today from the 1940s-1950s - most priced at just $5 each. |  |
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May 27,
2010 - It is definitely a pencil day here today at Pendemonium! We've
added some nice old bullet pencils, a cool Mr. Peanut pencil and 3
vintage German ring top mechanical pencils.
 Click for details |
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May 25, 2010 - Aronson ca. 1920s rocker blotter and stamp box set has just arrived. Nice! |
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May 24,
2010 - For a sleek, contemporary look, check out the English Parker 25
and US Parker Frontier with 1.4mm italic nib just listed today. Both
great writing fountain pens!
 Click for details |
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May 21,
2010 - We have a new small batch of Sheaffer pens up on the site
today. Be sure to check out the No Nonsense and Viewpoint fountain
pens, some with unusual italic nibs. There are other fountain pens
and a couple of classic design reminder clip ballpoints, too.
 Click for details |
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May 19,
2010 - We're restocked on a number of pen repair items. We have a
different design of Pen Pick which I find much more efficient and our
Pen Lights, which I personally refer to as "The World's Best Pen
Light" now come in a nice case when you need to store it away.  Click for details |
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May 18, 2010 - We have a great selection of antique inkwells including several new additions listed today. Every fountain pen lover deserves a stunning inkwell on their desk. Even the new US $100 bill has an inkwell on it! |
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May 14,
2010 - We've added two very nice pieces of Esterbrook ephemera to our
Ephemera section today. Far more difficult to find than the pens
themselves!  Click for details |
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May 11, 2010 - For those of you interested in blotters, we have a neat little piece of history made by the Albemarle Paper Company. These rarely turn up. Check it out today! |
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May 6, 2010 - We wanted to share our excitement! Pendemonium has been named one of the nominees for The Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce 2010 Small Business of the Year. We're honored by the nomination and proud to be a member of the Chamber of Commerce and a part of the Fort Madison business community. The Small Business of the Year winner will be announced at the annual Small Business Appreciation Breakfast on May 21st. |
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May 6, 2010 - Three wonderful Esterbrook desk sets just listed today. Includes the early solid porcelain set with raised art deco trim highlighted in silver shown in the photo below along with a more common Eight-Ball set in black and a less common Eight-Ball set in Mint Green. |
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May 4, 2010 - Post-Chicago Pen Show Update! We got in from Chicago Monday night after traveling a few Illinois byways where we did some pen and inkwell hunting. The show was much fun and thanks to all of you who stopped by our exhibit. Just in case you're wondering - yes, Frank did get a good dose of Chicago pizza while we were there!Today, Tuesday, we will finish unpacking from the show, got most of it done Monday night. We are shipping out a few orders that came in late Thursday and early Friday today. Looks like we should be caught up with most orders that came in over the weekend going out on Wednesday. You'll receive an email with invoice and shipping details when your order is ready to go, so keep an eye on your emailbox for that information. I have some un-answered emails and I should reply to those today - these are for folks who needed info that I just didn't have on hand while on the road. We take a lot of stuff with us and are pretty good at accessing info, but not everything quite so easy on the road as at home. Thanks for your patience and understanding. All for now, back to playing the catch up game! |
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May 4, 2010 - For those of you looking for a truly unique desk set, today is your day because five have just been listed in our Sheaffer department! There are other new pens there, too. Please note the "new" notations for the latest additions here and throughout the website. |
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Join us at the We're attending the Chicago Pen Show this weekend and will be away from the shop Friday, April 30 through Monday, May 3. Shipping resumes Tuesday, May 4th. Retail shop re-opens Tuesday, May 4 at 10am. Email and order inquiries will be acknowledged over the weekend as time allows during the pen show. Thanks for your patience while we visit customers, perhaps even you, this weekend! |
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May 1,
2010 - You can always count on us for having writing things just a
little outside the norm! Today, we've listed a teeny-tiny Zebra
pencil along with a 1950s Zaner Bloser pencil that uses 3.1 monster
diameter marking leads!  Click for details |
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April 29, 2010 - Conway Stewart has discontinued their line of fine English fountain pen inks. While they last, we have bottled inks on sale for $5 per bottle and cartridges for $2.50 per pack. Great savings! Zip on over to our Conway Stewart inks department quick, get some great ink for a low price while supplies last!  Click for details |
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April 28,
2010 - A lovely Pelikan 355 vintage ballpoint from the 1960s has just arrived!  Click for details |
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April 26,
2010 - Stunning French champleve inkstand just listed!  Click for details |
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April 22, 2010 - Musings on Earth Day. I'm old enough and somehow still have retained enough memory cells to remember the first Earth Day 40 years ago! I didn't realize it, but my family observed good earth practices even then and long beofre Easrth Day was ever dreamed about. Both of my parents grew up during the Depression and trust me, NOTHING went to waste! There were little envelopes of string to use again that came off of packages that had been mailed to us. I always thought this a little odd since we could afford new string, but that was the way it was done, so be it. One of my oddest memories is that when my Grandmother made noodles she would keep them in a an old shoe box lined with wax paper in her pantry. We still had one car which went with my Dad to work everyday, leaving Mom and me to walk or ride the bus. Since I didn't know any other way, it was fine. We did acquire a second car a few years later which I must admit made getting places during winter in Iowa much more pleasant! But there was still a lot of walking - no, it wasn't 10 miles to school through ten feet of snow, but it was uphill. When I went off to college, my bicycle went with me. Sometime though after I got married and moved to east coast suburbia, my good old fashioned habits got less green. There was no local bus, only buses into the big city. So we had two cars. No shops close enough to walk to for errands, lots of commuting and just lots of road time in general. After about 25 years of east coast suburbia we decided we wanted to live somewhere where we could walk to dinner, walk to the grocery store and neighbors that hopefully lived in the same town for more than two years at a stretch. We also wanted more moderate weather, but decided to by pass that for everything else on our wish list. So here we are in small town Iowa now. Downtown where I can walk to just about everything I need. String is a no-no with the post office now known as USPS, but I save wrapping paper and boxes for re-using. I never could learn to make noodles like Grandma, but I do buy lots of bulk food and make good use of re-usable containers, just no shoe boxes - I have my limits! I adhere by the 3 R's - reduce, reuse and recycle, enough so that I get raised eyebrows from the family at times, but they learn and tolerate. Be it good, bad or indifferent (somewhat depending on my frame of mind), I find that I AM my mother and grandmother, all of their habits imprinted on me and no matter how silly I thought some of them were when I was young, they make sense now. The circle is complete. All of this fits in quite well with Pendemonium. We sell old writing stuff that we hope people will keep using forever and then hand down to the next generation. It just doesn't get much greener than using a fountain pen or other refillable pen. Keeps all those disposo ballpoints from piling up in the landfills. Remember to recycle the paper you write on - use both sides, ok?Happy Earth Day! |
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April 18,
2010 - It's Cursive Italic Day!  Click for details |
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April 12,
2010 - Waterman Kultur fountain pens were made in France for European
distribution. We have a few available for you in bright colors, plus
the all clear demo style. Great writers and a cool look, too.  Click for details |
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April 7, 2010 - Need a little Sheaffer nostalgia in your life? These should do the trick! |
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April 6, 2010 - Keep six pens right at your fingertips! |
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April 5, 2010 - Wow! Lots of Sheaffer writing instruments have been added to the website today! Whether it's something for everyday writing or a rare collectible, we've got a little bit of everything! Check it out:
Agios Targas Preludes Crests Legacy-Hertiage Javelin and others!  Click for details |
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April 3,
2010 - Happy Easter Weekend to All! |
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April 2, 2010 - Several vintage Esterbrook advertisements are new to the website today. These range from the 1920s - 1960s. Also, virtually, all of Esterbrook advertisements are photographed now. Please take a look, an illustrated history of Esterbrook starting in the 1920s with dip pen nibs and going well through the 1940s, 1950s and into the 1960s covering the Esterbrook fountain pens. |
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April 1, 2010 - From 1902, a fabulous AA Waterman original advertisement has just been put up for sale on the site. |
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March 31, 2010 - ATTN: All June Brides! We have two elegant bridal wedding desk sets that are perfect for a guest registration table. Both are brand new in original boxes and priced at far less than retail. |
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March 30,
2010 - FYI (in the truest sense of the word!) we have added some basic
Sheaffer PFM information to the website so you can tell if you really
have a Sheaffer Pen for Men or if it's a Sheaffer Imperial in
disguise! Flashback to the 1950s with Vivian Vance and the "new" Sheaffer Snorkel Fountain Pen! Just posted a link on the site to a great old television commercial. We've started a new page with some additional information to help you find the correct size eraser for your vintage mechanical pencils. If you can help with additional eraser measurements in millimeters for any mechanical pencils you may have, we'd love to hear from you and include this info in the list as well. |
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March 30, 2010 - We're patiently waiting for Geo-Trust to pop their little "safe site" symbol up on our secure order form. The order form is fine to use, it's safe and the same as usual. We apologize for the little yellow warning box you may see when you click on the order form to place your order. Hurry Geo-Trust, Hurry! |
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March 29,
2010 - We have a few vintage ballpens up on the website today
including some 1950s Zaner Bloser double ender pens, a Fisher Bullet
Pen and a lovely US made AT Cross ballpoint and pencil set. Hope
you'll take a look!  Click for details |
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March 29, 2010 - We've updated our Pen Show listings again today by adding information on the London Writing Equipment Show 2010. This is the largest pen show in England. Click on over for details. |
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March 26,
2010
- Need Ink? Don't let your pen run dry!Parker Quink |
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March 26, 2010 - Presidents have used special pens for signing official bills and legislation through many administrations. We thought you might enjoy viewing this short video produced by The White House about the Presidents' Pens. |
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March 24, 2010 - Sheaffer touted it's ink as "Skrip, The Successor to Ink". Indeed it was and still is excellent fountain pen ink ... errr... Skrip! We've updated our vintage ink listings with a couple of old style bottles of Skrip complete with the SkripWell for easy filling and a few unusual and older packs of Skrip ink cartridges. |
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March 22, 2010 - Read all about it! We have just learned that the Raleigh Pen Show has set the dates for 2010. Details on our Pen Show section of the website. |
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March 22, 2010 - Grab your popcorn, extra butter if you please! We just added a link to a short movie about Parker Vacumatic production in 1931. |
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March 19,
2010 - We have some adorable short vest pocket and ringtop style 1930s
fountain pens up on the website today. Hope you'll like them!  Click for details |
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March 18,
2010 -Don't miss this stunning Art Deco bakelite rocker blotter!  Click for details |
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March 17, 2010 - Think Spring! Think Baseball! Additions have been made to our vintage Eversharp advertisements including the baseball advertisement to the right, from 1946. |
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May the luck 'o the Irish
be with you!  |
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March 15,
2010 - Don't Miss It! Today is Cursive Italic Day!  Click for details |
March 13, 2010 - It's that time again, to change the clocks one hour ahead tonight in most of the United States for Daylight Saving Time. 
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March 11, 2010 - Travel back in time to the late 1880s-1890s with this select group of vintage advertisements for fountain pens, inks and other related items like ink erasers, stationery, amazing typewriters, elaborate pencil sharpeners and desks that were made for writing. You'll find well known early fountain pen makers such as Paul Wirt, Watermans, Shipmans and other less known companies as well. Beautiful framed on your office or pen room walls. |
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March 11, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 13th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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March 8, 2010 - On Sunday, March 7, the Burlington Hawkeye newspaper ran an article about Pendemonium. It's always exciting to be in the news! Even Chessie and Maddy, our resident cats, approved since they, too, got a mention! You can read the article online. Click Here! |
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March 4,
2010 - Wahl-Oxford used some gorgeous celluloids on their writing
instruments, even though they were sold at a more economical price
point in the 1930s. This stunning mechanical pencil costs far less
than it's big brother Wahl-Eversharp mates.  Click for details |
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Please Note: - So sorry to disappoint! There will be no issue of Inky Greetings today, Thursday, March 4, 2010. Not to worry, Inky Greetings will be back next week. |
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March 4, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 13th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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March 3, 2010 - Step back into the World War II era with a look through some nostalgic Sheaffer advertisements. |
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March 2, 2010 - There are 7 newly listed Parker 51 advertisements on the website today from 1947 - 1952. My favorite is Parker's Spring Gift Showing, but I think that is because Spring just can't come soon enough and if a Parker 51 Springtime ad encourages warm weather, then yes, it is my fave! Click the ad to see the Parker 51 adverts and everyone Think Spring! |
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March 2, 2010 - We've changed the mix of dip pen nibs on our Spencerian Dip PenNib assortment. This assortment now includes the No. 28 Congressional and the No. 34 Falcon Stub. Plus 3 other vintage, new old stock nibs. Inexpensive way to try out some great writing Spencerian dip pen nibs. |
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We're Back from the
We have started to sort through huge accumulations of orders, mail, emails and all the other things that pile up when you're on the road for almost two weeks. We started shipping orders out on Monday, February 22 and we'll continue shipping orders in the order they were received. Our goal is to get everything out this week and be back on our regular next day shipping schedule next week. You've all been so patient and we thank you so much, we really appreciate it. We are trying to finish up our LA Pen Show Route 66 Travelogue. Internet connections were not all so wonderful on this trip and to be quite honest, some nights after we pulled into our home away from home on the road, my eyes just weren't up to lots of computer gazing. Several people politely pointed out to me that McDonald's has free wifi in their restaurants, but you have to remember that we tend to be a little off the beaten path at times and the nearest McDonald's might not be very near. Aside from the fact that we really do try to patronize the local spots on our travel adventures. If we don't do that, our local places may not be there the next time we go through and that would be catastrophic! One of the many stops we made on Route 66 was at Pops in Arcadia, Oklahoma. Pops is even more niche market than we are - they sell soda pop from all around the world. OK, they have some other souvenir t-shirts and the like, but pretty much they just sell pop. Over 500 brands of pop! They're approaching selling their one millionth bottle. So of course we helped them along toward that million bottle mark by bringing pack some soda pop that we had never had before. With 500 plus different ones to choose from that wasn't hard to do! Most nights for dinner, we'll be popping off the bottle cap of one of the bottles of soda pop and giving it a test taste. Tonight we had The Soprano's Amaretto Soda, delicious and not like any other soda I've ever tasted! If you follow us along on Twitter, we'll be tweeting and trying for a photo of each of the different soda pops. I think this is my sub-conscious way of extending our fun journey along Route 66! |
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February 25,
2010 - It's a doozy of a Cursive Italic Day today!  Click for details |
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February 25, 2010 - We're cruising eastbound on Route 66 on our latest travelogue update.
Land of school spirit, Root 66 (yes!) and green dinos.  |
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February 25, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 6th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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February 24, 2010 - We've added another installment to our travelogue today.
Kingman Arizona to the Pacific Ocean. It's not that far from point A
to Point B on day five of our 2010 LA Pen Show Adventure, but it's
some of the most picturesque country we travel. High cute factor -
check out the baby burros in Oatman.  We've also updated the travelogue with our Route 66 adventures from Victorville to Amboy and points beyond in the Mojave. Plus a couple of nice shots of sunset over Lake Havasu.  |
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February 24,
2010 -We haven't been from Tucson to Tucumcari (sing along now), but we did
go from Grants, New Mexico to Seligman, Arizona on Route 66. New
update to our travelogue has been posted.  |
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February 23, 2010 -Join us as we travel Route 66 westbound from Santa Rosa through Albuquerque and a little bit beyond. Yes, a new entry on our 2010 LA Pen Show Route 66 Adventure. |
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February 23,
2010 - As we process and pack the orders that arrived while we were away on
our 2010 LA Pen Show Adventure, we're trying to include a little
souvenir of our trip in each package. As we traveled Route 66 and a
few other roads we gathered some nifty old fashioned roadside
brochures to share with you. Perhaps it will inspire trips across
America via Route 66. We can't take credit for this idea, our friends
at www.vintageroadside.com do this on their trips across the country
and we snitched the idea from them!  |
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February 22, 2010 - We've been working on a long overdue update to our EsterbrookAdvertisements section of the website. It's not quite completed, but there are many, many new photos added. If you like Esterbrooks, be sure to take a look for a stroll down memory lane in the 1940s and 1950s. Just click the photo and you'll be swept away to Estie-Land! |
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February 19, 2010 - Greetings from the Mother Road! We're motoring our way back to Fort Madison from the LA Pen Show via Route 66. We've had some late nights on the road, not to mention an aggravating case of the sniffles (one of the not so wonderful things brought back from LA Pen Show!) and had to weigh the pros and cons of getting the travelogue updated and trying for sleep when we pull in for the night. We'll get back on the travelogue updates on our 2010 LA Pen Show Adventure on Route 66 soon. Thanks for all of your patience. |
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February 18, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 6th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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February 18, 2010 - They're back!! But... not for long. We have both the 40 pen and 12 pen ballistic nylon pen cases back in stock, however they have been discontinued by the manufacturer. Get them before they disappear, when they are gone, they are gone! |
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February 15,
2010 - Before we hit the road again, we put some photos from
the LA Pen Show on our travelogue. So good to see so many people at the
show over the weekend. Thanks for stopping by to see us, we hope everyone
enjoyed the show as much as we did.  |
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February 14, 2010 - We posted lots of photos and a little commentary to our 2010 LA Pen Show Adventure on Route 66 today. Lots of motels and cars from days gone by. |
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February 12, 2010 - Today is day one of the Los Angeles International Pen Show. Casual trading, wheeling and dealing as is typical of Friday at this show. We look forward to seeing you. If you need details on the show schedule, hours, times etc, please visit the show website. We're going to try and get some good photos for those of you unable to attend the show this weekend, so stay tuned to Penemonium! |
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February 11, 2010 - We're slowly but surely making our way down Route 66 toward the LA Pen Show. We found sunshine in Arizona this morning. Of course we also found lots of snow in Arizona yesterday, too! We've updated our 2010 LA Pen Show Adventure with some photos and commentary from Oklahoma and Texas. Come join us for the ride! |
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February 11, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 6th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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February 8,
2010 - The first day of our LA Pen Show is on our travelogue. Not only did
we make it to Route 66, but we found Sheaffer Persian Rose Skrip, too!
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February 4, 2010 - Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa will be closed Saturdays through March 6th to attend our granddaughter's show choir competitions. Thanks for your understanding. It’s Show Choir Season! |
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February 2, 2010 - We filed two books today on our cyber-library shelves. An autographed copy of The Incredible Ball Point Pen and a very limited supply of the Pen and Pencil Gallery's reprint of the Sampson Mordan1898 catalogue. Perfect for winter reading and learning. |
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| January 28, 2010 - We just got in a big shipment of Private Reserveink, most colors restocked and waiting to be loaded into your favorite fountain pen! Private Reserve ink is made right here in the USA in Zionsville, Indiana. |
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January 27,
2010 - Our friend, and the friend of many of you who visit
here, L. Michael Fultz passed away this afternoon. Fultz has always
been a pen collector! He was a walking encyclopedia of obscure patent
dates and pen history and chances were if you needed an answer or some
information, Fultz would know. He was one of the organizers of the
Chicago Pen Show and owner of Chicago Gold. My heart aches for his
wife, Martha. Rest in peace Michael.
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January 26, 2010 - We'll be traveling to the Los Angeles Pen Show via Route 66, The Mother Road again this year. One of our traditions in keeping the spirit of writing alive is to send postcards from the road and we'd love to send one to you. Send us an email and include your name and postal mailing address. We'll mail you a postcard while on our 2010 L.A. Pen Show Adventure. Remember to wear warm clothes when you walk out to the mailbox! |
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January 25, 2010 - January 23rd was National Handwriting Day, it's on January 23rd because that was John Hancock's birthday. But we've discussed all of that on recent issues of Inky Greetings. I decided that this year I would randomly select 23 different people from our customer list and mail them a hand written note in observance of National Handwriting Day. Got a little behind as seems to be the norm for me these days, but my 23 handwritten notes are going in the mail box today. I used my ca. 1980s Platinum Urushi fountain pen with an extra fine nib and some sepia colored ink from a Guatemalan ink company that we've been testing out. I had a very enjoyable time writing the 23 notes. In each one, I explained why I was writing and mentioned that I hoped they would take a few moments to write a note card to someone to remind them of the power of the pen. Now it's your turn. |
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January 22, 2010 - Thanks to all of the good people in Fort Madison and the surrounding area who stopped by for It's Everybody's Business Thursday evening. Great turnout and nice to have a little time to chat with people while they're not at work. We're proud to be members of the Fort Madison Chamber of Commerce. |
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January 21, 2010 - Not many desk sets are being made these days and this is rather sad because it is so convenient to have a pen ready to use on your desk and always in the same place. We've listed a Parker desk set today, and have many other brands as well. |
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January 20, 2010 - Thinking about ice skating today? Come on over - Fort Madison is glazed this morning. Shiny and very slick! I'm hoping for no interference on phone and cable lines today, all of which are above ground. If you email and don't hear back in a timely manner, please be patient, Frank may be out back chipping the ice off the lines. Just might be a good day for a little bit of letter writing! |
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January 19,
2010 - This ca. 1930s Pilot eyedropper filled fountain pen has three
great things going for it - collectibility, large ink capacity and
it's a lovely writer.  Click for details |
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January 18,
2010 - MacNiven & Cameron had the most interesting names for their dip
pen nibs! This one is the Hindoo nib, very desirable, a great writer
for ornamental penmanship and we're including a holder, too.  Click for details |
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January 15, 2010 - Like most of you reading this, we've been following the crisis in Haiti. The devastation to this already struggling nation is almost beyond my comprehension. The outpouring of monetary and emotional support for the Haitians warms my soul. I remind myself to live each day as if it were my last because we really don't know what tomorrow may bring. Keep the Haitians and the people in Haiti for rescue and aid work in your thoughts. |
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January 14, 2010 - An early invitation to join us at the Los Angeles International Pen Show February 12-14 in Manhattan Beach, California. This is one of the biggest pen shows in the USA and a great place to look at new fountain pens, vintage fountain pens and meet and talk to fellow pen aficionados from around the world. We hope you'll mark Saturday, February 13 at 3PM for the Think Ink seminar presented by yours truly. Visit the LA Pen Show's official website for details: www.lapenshow.com . For many years now, we've been traveling Route 66, taking lots of pictures and doing quirky things on our way to and from the Los Angeles Pen Show. Yes, we're going to do it again this year. The photos and commentary for both the road trip and the LA Pen Show will be at http://pendemonium.blogspot.com. We have a few preliminary comments there and will be updating it more often as we get closer to the 2010 LA Adventure! |
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January 14,
2010 - Yes indeedy, it is Cursive Italic Day at Pendemonium!  Click for details |
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January 5, 2010 - Mark your calendars today! January 21, 2010 - Pendemonium will host the Fort Madison Chamber of
Commerce monthly Business after Hours event. Join us for beer, wine,
appetizers and socializing with local business people from 5-7 PM.
This is not a pen event, but if you stop by, we'd be pleased to give
you a tour of Pendemonium. |
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January 4, 2010 Many of you reading this are in a cold zone like we are and are experiencing some rather frigid temps. Just a reminder to you that ink & pens and cold are NOT a good mix. Keep your pens inside folks, don't leave them in your car, if you must take them outside, keep them warm in an inner pocket and give them time to adjust to room temperature before using. If your ink should become frozen, just let it thaw at room temperature, it will be fine. We ship ink and pens all winter long with a little extra insulation. It is best at this time of year to have ink and pens shipped to an office address or PO Box. Not a good idea to leave them sitting out on your front porch at home all day. Cracked pens are not a pretty sight and this kind of arctic cold can do that in a heartbeat. And for those of you reading this in warm zone, PLEEEEZE send some of that warmth our way!! |
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SPECIAL OFFERS! |
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We periodically post special offers on several different internet pen forums. Look for unusual items, new stuff, extra special specials and just some plain old good deals!
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PEN COLLECTORS of AMERICA |
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The PCA is the only organization in America devoted entirely to collectors of vintage pens and related items. Members of the PCA receive the Pennant newsletter. The Pennant is filled with informative and authoritative articles. Membership also gives you access to the PCA's Reference Library. The Reference Library keeps an archive of hundreds of old catalogs, brochures and other ephemera. For complete information, visit the PCA website at http://www.pencollectors.com |
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SOCIETY of INKWELL COLLECTORS |
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The SOIC is an international organization dedicated to the establishment and enhancement of collecting inkwells and writing accessories as a hobby, the study of inkwell design and manufacture across periods and materials, and the scholarly study of the role of inkwells and writing accessories in history. Visit the SOIC website at http://www.soic.com |
Pendemonium's retail shop in Fort Madison, Iowa April 2003 |
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