The blog since 2013
262 posts since September 2013 by Nathaniel Cerf: how to start collecting, what happens at the repair bench, inks under the sun, fake Montblancs, and the pens of presidents and writers. "It is a space dedicated to pen lovers old and new."
June 29, 2022 · Ink Reviews
No one should be surprised by the meteoric rise of Iroshizuku inks on the fountain pen scene. Japan’s finest ink makers have created dozens of colors and hues that offer vibrancy and shadowing while never clogging a vintage or modern fountain pen. We picked up 24 bottles of this amazing ink and have submitted them…
May 30, 2022 · Original Stories
Norwich’s largest Civil War memorial can be found on the Chelsea Parade of the “Millionaires’ Triangle.” Here in the United States it is Memorial Day. For many, it is the unofficial start of summer and a day off work and school to gather with family and friends for picnics and barbecues. The true intent of…
May 4, 2022 · Ink Reviews
French inks haven’t previously undergone our rigorous testing, and we were excited to give them a UV light-fast test and pH test. We purchased a small collection of a dozen different colors of J. Herbin. We started this test on March 7, 2021, by placing a sample of 13 inks in our sunniest window. We…
April 25, 2022 · Original Stories
The sequel to my story in Pen World Magazine is now on news stands. Click each photo to read each page of the story. We have permission to reprint it here from Pen World editor Nicky Pessaroff. Be sure to subscribe to Pen World to read this and many other great stories about pens. Click…
April 20, 2022 · Pen News
News about ThePenMarket.com is spreading. I was lucky enough to be honored by a front-page feature in The Norwich Times! We’ve been featured before in “Pen World” magazine. However, I think this is our first time in a newspaper. Check it out: https://www.theday.com/local-news/20220406/norwich-resident-specializes-in-modern-vintage-pens ThePenMarket.com makes good front page news in The Norwich Times. It is such…
April 2, 2022 · How Do I Start Collecting Pens?
Crocuses. Our first flowers of spring. Spring is here, and, traditionally, this is a time many people start looking for a car. The Covid pandemic has limited the number of new cars on the market, and many people are turning to used cars to replace their set of wheels. Buying a used car can be…
March 12, 2022 · Ink Reviews
As we have been conducting our ink tests, we ran into a grouping of mostly orphaned bottles that wouldn’t make for a very big story individually. So we tested them together and got them all on one page. The ink proof sheet is on the left and the UV tested inks are on the right.…
February 22, 2022 · Original Stories
Just what is it that makes a pen vintage? Many people are asking that question these days. As time advances, are the old definitions of “vintage” and “modern” really holding up? My article in Pen World Magazine is the first of a two part series. In Part 1, I put the question to 4 legendary…
January 22, 2022 · Original Stories
EDITOR’S NOTE: I wrote this story in 1995, at the age of 19, for my creative writing class in college. At the time, the term ‘fan fiction’ hadn’t been coined. And, you couldn’t turn on the TV or go to the movies without a serial killer somewhere in the story. I’ve been downsizing my life…
January 11, 2022 · Ink Reviews
Happy New Year, everybody! Sorry for the long absence. December and early 2022 have been quite the rollercoaster. Happily, all is well now, and we hope to be back to rockin’ and rollin’ the ink-o-sphere. Wow! Three months in the sun fades the pigment right out of modern Montblanc inks. Mont Blanc ink burns worse…
December 2, 2021 · Pen News
Due to forces outside our control, we will not be able to ship any packages from orders made between December 2 and December 12. There is a family emergency that is forcing this situation. The good news is that everyone will be okay, but we aren’t going to be able ship during this period. You…
November 12, 2021 · Ink Reviews
Mathematical and computer genius Alan Turing famously said, “Sometimes it is the people who no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.” In addition to being one of my all-time favorite quotes about people, it seems to apply to the world of fountain pen inks, too. Here is a side-by-side…
