This year we have gathered a number of reports and snippets together from a number of attendees - photography by Terry Clark, Donal Higgins, Don Lavin and Len Provisor.

Miles Q Turner

Pens, pens, everywhere, and not enough cash in my wallet!

You stroll casually into the huge ballroom. You are a veteran of pen shows. You have arrived with “shopping list” and game plan in firmly hand. Then the size, scope, the sheer number and variety of pens assail your senses. Fountain pen overload! Suddenly you find yourself standing stock still with the traditional “deer-caught-in-headlights” look on your face.

Susan Wirth (photo: Terry Clark)

That is the reaction that most experience when attending an event like the 2002 Chicago Pen Show. It is such a grand pen outing that it almost defies description. Imagine tray after tray, stretching as far as the eye can see, with thousands of pens in every color, shape, size and vintage.

Chris Thompson (photo:Terry Clark)

Over on the left is Len Provisor with his models of famous Parker planes. Right next to him are the Parker brothers with their display of family heirlooms and two computer slide shows going with pictures of the Parker pen and family history. Through the door between them is none other than Pendemonium. Back in the ballroom, right in the middle is AnnMare otherwise known as the “Ink Goddess” ready to fulfill your wildest ink color fantasy. On the right, down the Fountain Pen Hospital isle, is the world famous “Nibmiester” John Mottishaw, taking orders for “tweaking” and displaying his selection of pens already “Mottishawed!” And in between these ballroom landmarks are 200 tables of dealers in modern and vintage pens!

Michael Fultz (photo: Terry Clark)

But a pen show is more than just pens. Its the people too. There was Herb Schulz who got to sneak away with Donal for a coffee this year instead of me! Frank Dubiel, who told me everything I ever wanted to know about Wearevers. David Isaacson, who gave me my first lesson in vacumatics before I bought one from him. Tom Zoss of The Zoss List fame handing out (of all things!) yellowball points!

Fun, friends, and pens – The 2002 Chicago Pen Show. See you there next year!

Maryann Zucker.

The Chicago Show is so centrally located that many of the dealers and hobbists from north to west attend. It is always great to see friends and to make new ones. The highlight of this show was meeting and spending time with Donal and the Parker brothers, Geoffrey and Steven, they are all wonderful to talk with and so full of valuable information. As expected there were some unusual pens that surfaced. We always have a great time at this show.

Herb Schulz

While there were tons of vintage pens around the rooms many Modern Pen Dealers (I'm afraid of missing the many there so I won't mention names) and Manufacturers Representatives (ditto) were present also.

The Parker Accession display (photo: Donal Higgins)

One of the highlights of the Manufacturers, for me, was the presence of Sailor Pen. The presence of Nagahara-san, a nib master from Sailor, was wonderful as he watched a person write and then customized the person's nib while they waited; a little change, test, a little change, test. Sailor also had pens out with some of their specialty nibs: Nagahara-san's custom Cross Feed Nib designed to give a strong, continuous ink flow in spite of being very broad; a Zoom Nib that changed width dramatically and continuously as the pen's angle to the paper was changed; and, a favorite of mine, what they called a Music Nib (in spite of having a single feed channel) that was one of the smoothest stub/italic nibs I've ever used. I've got a Sailor Pen on order with that Music Nib and can't wait for delivery.

David Ushkow (photo: Donal Higgins)

Let's see... I snagged a vintage Waterman 55 in used but perfect condition, a great medium italic nib and feed assembly for an old Parker Premier (same nib/feed as for the 75) of mine and finally that modern Sailor on order. I think I covered all the bases. Now, what will I look for at next year's Chicago Show?

Continued...