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Vintage venue: Area collector organizes annual pen show
Photo Courtesy of Pauline Russell - David Oscarson-designed pens like these are sometimes valued at as much as $20,000. These and thousands of other pens will be on display at the 18th Annual Dallas Pen Show, Sept. 23-24 at the Doubletree Hotel in Dallas. Pete Kirby, a McKinney resident and Dallas Pen Club member, is part of a three-person crew organizing the show, which attracts pen vendors from all over the world.
By Chris Beattie, cbeattie@acnpapers.com
Pete Kirby's collection can come in chrome, silver, acrylic, gold, titanium and celluloid. It features an entire century of work and warrants labels like Art Nouveau.
The McKinney resident doesn't collect cars or paintings. He collects pens.
"My grandmother gave me a Parker '51 fountain pen when I graduated high school," he said, "and I've held onto it ever since."
The Dallas Pen Club, which meets bi-monthly at the Holiday Inn in Richardson, will again host the two-day pen extravaganza. Kirby said exhibitors will sprawl their pens out across more than 100 tables, where the dealing, trading and storytelling will commence.
"You always recognize faces of people you sold to or bought pens from last year," said Mike Walker, president of the Dallas Pen Club. "There are stories about what someone's found, pens people haven't seen in 40 years. It's a wide-eyed discovery for a lot of people."
At least 1,000 guests, pen collectors or not, meander around the tables at every show, browsing pens from vintage eras such as the 1920s or 1930s. Some collect for color, others for the way they write, the time period they were made or their rarity.
Kirby didn't start collecting pens until 20 years after his grandmother's graduation gift. He moved to McKinney eight years ago, already a member of the Dallas Pen Club. His frequent pen show appearances and extensive collection of Conklin pens, vintage from the early 1900s, caught the attention of fellow club members.
"People knew he was very active, and he's a well-known collector," Walker said. "It was natural to let him help organize the show."
Walker also collects Conklin pens -- just the Nozac models from the 1930s -- along with Wahl-Eversharp fountain pens and modern Italian pens. He's been collecting fountain pens for 25 years, and says the "addiction" is about more than just the collection's size or value.
"There's a lot of fun in finding what's lost, something that's been in a drawer for 20 years that you think is worth nothing," Walker said. "It's like taking an old house, restoring it and living in it like it's brand new. There is a lot of satisfaction in that."
Pen shows like the Dallas one later this month provide a hunting ground for collectors and a place of discovery for people curious to know just how much their great grandfather's Mount Blanc is worth. Some pens, such as those designed and manufactured by David Oscarson, come in 14-karat gold and sterling silver and can be worth as much as $20,000.
Some gather at the shows to repair or restore pens they've collected or recently obtained. Surprisingly, even high-value pens aren't always just for looks.
"Most pen collectors do use their pens," Kirby said. "I go through different ones. If I find one I like, I'll use it for several months."
Kirby said two of the biggest brand names in pen collectors' circles are Parker and Waterman, two manufacturers that used to be in the U.S. but are now operated in France. Retro 51 Pen Company in Richardson is one of only two pen manufacturers left in America and, thus, is another attraction to the area for collectors.
On-site repairs, free giveaways and fellowship will highlight this month's show. The Dallas Pen Club is sponsoring a "Pens for Kids" seminar that teaches younger guests the history and nuances of pens.
A silent auction will allow participants to gain pens and pen items for half their normal selling price, Kirby said. But the most enticing attraction for some is discovering just how profitable collecting pens can be.
"People come in off the street and want their pens appraised," Kirby said. "Some are worth thousands, and they had no idea."
The Dallas Pen Show will run from10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 23, and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24. Admission costs $5. For more information, visit www.dallaspenshow.com.
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