======================================================================== Nib Noise Volume 6 Number 9 ======================================================================== Welcome to Nib Noise. This newsletter is a joint effort of Richard Binder and Don Fluckinger. We hope you'll enjoy reading this month's issue. PLEASE DO NOT REPLY TO THIS NEWSLETTER! For comments or questions, send email to: richard@richardspens.com To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on my site: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=nibnoise.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** It's Holiday Gift Giving Season -- Slip One In for Yourself, Too *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the Christmas season officially here -- I know it's official, I saw Santa arriving at the Macy's parade -- we are taking this opportunity to offer some of our pens at special clearance prices to help you fill the stockings and pockets of your friends and family (and yourself, too?). Check out the selection of Bexley, Taccia, and Signum pens we have on our Bargains, Specials, and Consigned Pens page: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/newp_oth.htm (Oh, and don't miss the NIB Filcao Nobile and the pre-owned Namiki Falcon that are also there!) It might be hard to choose, among all the pens and pen accessories, just the perfect gift for another pen lover. If you find yourself in this quandary, we invite you to consider a Richard's Pens gift certificate. Available in any amount and redeemable for any products or services we offer, a gift certificate will tell the recipient that you know he or she loves pens but just couldn't choose the right one. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=accessories/giftcert.htm Just a quick note: You can also use a gift certificate as a way to set a little pen money aside for later. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The Classic Pens Inc. LM1 Legend Has Arrived *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Andreas Lambrou and Keith Brown formed Classic Pens Inc. in 1987, and they went into it with a passion for high-quality writing instruments, the kind of passion that endures. Now Classic Pens takes off in a new direction, with a gorgeous new pen, the LM1 Legend in an incredible Flame Red diffusion-bonded resin. When Andy asked us if we'd be interested in joining the select circle of dealers for Classic Pens, we were only too happy to accept. And we now have the Flame Red, as it's already come to be known, in stock and ready to deliver: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/newp_cla.htm As with all pens we sell, I fill-test every Flame Red and adjust it -- if necessary -- before shipping it. Haven't needed to adjust one yet, though... We will soon be adding the incredible LB3 Jupiter, a limited edition in collaboration with Paul Rossi. You have to see the Jupiter to believe the hand work that goes into it! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Wonders of Nature: the Sahara *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Early this year Pelikan introduced its new M640 Wonders of Nature pens. Following up on the dramatic yet calm blue and silver of the Niagara Falls, the newest M640 is the Sahara, with the subtle hues of warm sand. Breaking the sweep of the desert are engraved golden waves that bring to mind the sinuous curves of wind-blown dunes. The Sahara features the same lovely two-tone 18K nib that Pelikan used on the M620 series. We no longer stock the Niagara Falls — but we can order one for you if you missed out. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/newp_pel.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Ornament Your Pen Chest with the Ornamenta from Signum *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ if you like superb Italian design and craftsmanship but aren't sure you want to take the step up from lesser pens, now's your chance to spend less money and get more pen! Signum discontinued the Ornamenta collection back in January, and we've snagged the entire remaining stock from Empire Pens, the U.S. importer. We're offering this excellent pen, which was selling for about $270.00, for the unbelievable price of $135.00. Fitted with Signum's excellent 18K nib and solid sterling silver furniture (rhodinated to prevent tarnish), this could be the deal of the year -- or the decade. Check out the Ornamenta, and check out with one in your shopping basket while you still can. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/newp_sig.htm Yes, we know the color choice is limited. We had one red Ornamenta, but I couldn't keep that one out of Barbara's mitts, and now it's part of her stable. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Come to the Richard's Pens Pen Show *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Another month has gone by, and another month's pens have gone "buy." We are finding that the response to our vintage "pen show tray" is growing stronger as the months come and go. The pens, however, don't necessarily come again, so do choose yours before they go: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=sales/vint_txt.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Don's Cigar Boxes Spread Holiday Cheer *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ This month's cigar box pen chest assortment features a great variety of shapes, sizes, and finishes, just right for Papa bear's large Churchill- sized pens, Baby bear's 51s and Targas, and Mama bear's Dinkies, Tuck- aways, and ring tops. Doesn't the pen collector you love (even if it's little ole you) deserve a nice little present this time of year? Don't be caught empty-handed at your holiday gathering, be it to celebrate Thanksgiving, Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, Christmas, the BCS Championship Game, or whatever: These pen chests make a one-of-a-kind gift that the recip- ient won't soon forget, and they sell fast -- so grab yours while the grabbing's good. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=accessories/dons_boxes.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** The 2008 Richard's Pens Calendar Is Available! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ If you're looking around wondering where's that great 2008 wall calendar you didn't buy yet, this is it. This year, just as in 2007 and 2007, you get a professionally printed calendar instead of an inkjet one -- which means it's twice the size of the old ones, and prettier besides. It has twelve unique wallpaper-type pictures featuring a mix of vintage and modern pens. Here's a link to my calendar page, with more information and a direct one-click link to purchase your own copy. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=accessories/calendar.htm No new wallpapers this month, but more will be along as the year passes. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Visit the Reader's Corner *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ With the Christmas season upon us, I've picked up and reread J.R.R. Tolkien's wonderful letters to his children, written in the persona of Santa Claus. This is a must-read book, and the author's illustrations would be worth the price of admission even without the text. http://www.richardspens.com/?page=books.htm#potm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Pens That Write Right! *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Unless otherwise requested at the time of sale, I fill-test each new pen at no extra charge before shipment, aligning and smoothing the nib and ensuring that it has good flow. If you order a new pen with a customized nib, I will modify the nib and ship the pen immediately instead of putting it into my regular queue. Remember, we are authorized retailers for Bexley, Conway Stewart, Namiki and Pilot, Pelikan, Signum, and Taccia. We don't always have a complete line up on the site, but we can get anything our manufacturers offer -- if you don't see it, just ask! ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Broad Strokes" by Richard Binder ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Sooner or later, every fountain pen user uncaps a favorite writer, takes a look at the nib ... and grimaces... http://www.richardspens.com/?ttp=ick ------------------------------------------------------------------------ "Extra Fine Points" by Don Fluckinger ------------------------------------------------------------------------ In this holiday season, Don takes another stab at quantifying the unquantifiable: How, again, is it that we are attracted to fountain pens in a world where they are increasingly anachronistic? http://www.richardspens.com/?page=extrafine/xf0712.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *** Subscribe to our RSS Feed *** ------------------------------------------------------------------------ RSS means Really Simple Syndication. You can subscribe to our RSS feed by clicking the orange RSS button at the top of any page on our site or by plugging the following URI into your browser or RSS reader: http://www.richardspens.com/richardspens.rss If you're not already hooked up to RSS and what it can do for you, take a peek at our introductory page: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=rsshelp.htm ======================================================================== If you received this newsletter from Richard Binder, you are a Nib Noise subscriber. If it came from someone else, I invite you to subscribe. To subscribe or unsubscribe, please visit the Free Email Newsletter page on my site: http://www.richardspens.com/?page=nibnoise.htm Note: We will never sell your name or email address. Your privacy is as important to us as it is to you.