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The Really Big Shew - Page 2

Inside The Grand Ballroom

There are dozens and dozens of tables full of pens inside the ballroom. There is everything in every age group and price range. A cornucopia of pens without end, amen. Any and all specialties seem to be represented here. Dip pens, inlaid pens, eyedropper pens, glass nib pens, pens from the golden age, pens from the early modern era, and of course, modern pens. Every make and model. Colors of the rainbow. Bright and shiny next to dull rich patina. Not to mention ballpoints, rollerball pens, and even felt tips. Wandering the room or meticulously visiting each table, either way would lead to pen overload.

At the corner of the entrance between the two ballrooms stood this always smiling gentleman, Len Provisor of Pentrace.com fame. Did he have any pens? Well, I did see some in his pocket, but the man had planes! If you look closely, you'll see "PARKER 51" written on the front of the model in his hand. Len has been working with Geoff Parker on these first class models of planes related to the Parker Pen Company. Len asked me if I had met Geoff Parker, and finding out I hadn't, sent me back out front to see him.

Mr. Parker's Planes

Geoff Parker had a table outside the ballroom near the entrance to the show. His table showed each of the exceptionally detailed scale model planes he has produced annually as limited issue collector pieces. Each model represents a plane significant to Parker's history either as company planes or repetitive planes in their advertising, such as the P51 Mustang during World War II. He showed me one of the models and told me, as a child, he had flown in the plane it represented. Geoff has focused on this aspect of Parker history and had detailed information at his table.

Friendly Faces On The Floor

One of the best things about the show was being able to meet new and familiar faces on the show floor. Terry Mawhorter runs the new Raleigh Pen Show and the Ohio Pen Show. He did a great job with the Raleigh show and is already planning the next one. I hope to make it to the Ohio show this year.

Gary Lehrer runs the GoPens.com website, which features a quarterly list of excellent restored vintage pens. He was recently featured in Connecticut Lifestyles magazine, in and article for which I did the pen photos. Gary had some really nice pens!

David Isaacson was at the show with his extraordinary collection of Parker Vacumatics. He is always enthusiastic an upbeat, and he recently did the photography for Paul Erano's 2nd Edition of Fountain Pens Past and Present, one of the really good pen books.

Sam Fiorella of Pendemonium, in Fort Madison, Iowa, the home of Sheaffer, is always gracious and helpful. Her tables were constantly busy and I had to beg her for this photo!

Another one of my favorite pen people is Norman Haas, HisNibs.com himself. Norman was at the show with his wife and had many cool pens to sell. I bought a Monteverde Diva ballpoint from him at the last show, which my wife uses all the time. It's a neat pen.

It is fun to meet new people, or at least put a face with a familiar name. This is Tom, one of our PenTracers with a load of really neat pens. You can get a perspective of how big and busy the show floor was in this shot.

Another shot of the show floor shows Bill Weakley presiding over his great selection of new pens.

A show highlight is the Fountain Pen Hospital table, which was always packed with people. It was really hard to get a decent shot with all the milling around. Everyone was so busy I couldn't get any time for a mug shot!

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Cheers,

Jim Mamoulides

August 31, 2004