MAIN SPONSORS OF LWES 2008

Proud to encourage interest in handwriting amongst young people

This hobby of ours is so diverse in it's collecting interests that it can be quite daunting for a beginner. With this in mind we thought that it may be helpful - and fun if we asked various 'veteran' collectors what they would collect if they were just starting out.

GARY LEHRER - Go Pens (www.gopens.com)
"Something about writing and related items must be motivating me." If I was starting to collect writing items today, the first thing I would do would be to try to understand why I want to collect them. Something about writing and related items must be motivating me. Making a short list, writing down my responses to the question, 'why?' would be a good way to start. If my list included, 'Because I am tired of emails and electronic gimmicks,' and, 'I love the way old fashioned fountain pens look and write,' then the selection of what writing items I collect might be far different than if I began it with, 'I am a writer and the history of the written word and all the writing tools of the past fascinate me.' Just having to write down answers would help me to focus on the types of writing instruments and related items I want to collect. New or vintage? Historical, or trendy and exotic? What if I also wrote, 'I've always liked fountain pens better than ball point pens.' or, 'I want to learn calligraphy' or 'I enjoy writing and refurbishing old fountain pens so that they are useful again.' Again, each different response would point me, as a new collector, in a different direction. After I have developed an understanding (which I know may change over time), I would read all I could on the subject of pens and pen collecting, paying special attention to my areas of interest. I would try to avoid common pitfalls, like buying everything in sight and not examining items closely enough. I'm sure it would help if I went to a few pen shows and if I joined a pen club to make contacts with other collectors with similar interests, all to develop relationships with people I trust, and with similar interests. If I did these things first, everything else would certainly fall into place. Gary Lehrer
JEREMY COLLINGRIDGE - LWES Organising Manager
"I saw a pen like the one I last used at school but I actually left the shop with three." There is something that is a trigger to starting to collect. In my case, I saw a pen like the one I lost at school but I actually left the shop with three. The first thing I want is good basic information on who made what and when. I am an engineer by training so I can appreciate quality and how items can be made, what is easy and what is expensive. If you don't have this skill then you need to build it quickly by handling and using your eyes. You need to learn quickly how to examine and evaluate. What is right and wrong? What is missing ang how easy to replace and at what cost? take every opportunity to handle and look and understand. I am fortunate with having learnt manual skills in an apprentice training school I wanted information on how to strip, restore and rebuild - to make the pen live again. And the added value that comes with it. (CR) With basic skills in place and knowing and understanding the common pens, I started spending more than £15 a pen and understanding which were rarer and more valuable. I started to understand he ones that were difficult or less successful in repair and I started to break a few. Each breakage is a lesson learnt, know what I can do and what I can't, what will be difficult to find replacements for. At this point, my knowledge was greater than the non-specialist people who I was buying from. A junction point in being able to buy and repair. I then started to exclude items that I did not like and to enjoy some items - that made me feel wobbly when I handled them. So in doing it again, it would be much the same process but quicker (life is short!), buying more selectively earlier and with quality in mind and understanding more, more quickly. All of which would give me the collector excitement earlier and at a greater rate. Jeremy Collingridge

The London Writing Equipment Show is organised by
THE WRITING EQUIPMENT SOCIETY

THE NORTHERN PEN SHOW
Sunday 26th. April 2009
Clifton Arms Hotel
Lytham, Lancashire