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to Pensations -- dealing in modern and vintage writing instruments, ink, refills, and related items.

Moleskine Celebrates National Handwriting Day

Moleskine is celebrating National Handwriting Day with a giveaway. The Moleskine Creativity Challenge is a fairly simple contest: To enter, handwrite your social media posts and submit the images to myMoleskine with the hashtag #MHday. The winner gets a box full of Moleskine writing and drawing tools. Visit the web site for more information.

Color of the Year for 2015: Marsala

Pantone has announced that the 2015 Color of the Year is Marsala,
a red brown named for a wine which typifies the color.
You can read about the color and why it was chosen on Pantone's web site.
If you want to be fashionable, you can get the color formulas
or download wallpaper for you computer or phone.
Marsala is a nice, neutral, earthy color and will work well with many other colors in a design.
It is much more versatile than the 2014 Color of the Year Radiant Orchid.

National Handwriting Day

23 January is National Handwriting Day. It is celebrated each year on John Hancock's birthday. Hancock was the first to sign the Declaration of Independence and is famous for his large, bold signature. The Writing Instrument Manufacturers Association established the commemoration in 1977 to offer “a chance for all of us to re-explore the purity and power of handwriting." Most celebrations of this day are private -- one writes a letter or makes a journal entry. Sometimes, however, organizations or businesses have public events. The Clarkson Historical Society (Rochester, New York) is sponsoring a Handwriting Contest. Some pen businesses have sales on the day (check your local pen store or favorite online retailer.) Whatever else you do on 23 January, do your bit to keep handwriting alive and well. Write a letter to a friend or a love note to your partner. Make that journal entry. Or just practive your signature with a flourish.

Fountain Pen Boards on Pinterest

There are several boards on Pinterest devoted to fountain pens. Here are some which I enjoy viewing.
Fountain pen :* a Pinterest board by Temuulen Enkhbaatar
Fountain Pens a Pinterest board by Janice Garite
Fountain Pens a Pinterest board by Allison Ward Martin
Fountain Pens a Pinterest board by David Ragsdale
Fountain pens & ink a Pinterest board by Missive Maven
Fountain Pens & Inkwells a Pinterest board by Donna Picard
Fountain Pen Inks a Pinterest board by Dottie Demarest
Mechanical pencil + fountain pen a Pinterest board by Angular Taller
Email us any interesting boards you discover on Pinterest.

How to Spot a Fake Montblanc Fountain Pen

Counterfeit pens are a serious problem. Montblanc is an well-known and desirable brand which makes them a prime target for counterfeiters. Leo Esposito made a video with tips on how to spot a fake Montblanc. This is useful information for anyone who is shopping for a Montblanc.

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 Seeks to Recreate Fountain Pen Experience

Let's Go Mobile reviews the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 phablet (i.e. phone-tablet) and includes the following information concerning the S pen included with the tablet:

The Galaxy Note 4's S Pen has been enhanced to serve as the primary tool for everyday mobile use. This new S Pen offers a much more authentic pen experience, with a more natural brush effect that perfectly emulates writing on paper with a fountain or calligraphy pen.

It's interesting that the tech company chose the fountain pen writing experience as the one to emulate. Fountain pen users know that this is fitting, for a good fountain pen on quality paper is the ultimate writing experience. Glad that tech developers know it as well. You can read the full review here.

Recommended Books for Beginning Pen Collectors

New collectors often ask for recommendations on which books to buy. Here are the three which are recommended by collectors on the Zoss Pen List.
Fountain Pens: A Collector's Guide by Peter Twydle
Fountain Pens: Past & Present by Paul Erano
The RichardsPens Guide to Fountain Pens, Volume 1: Glossopedia by Richard Binder
Contributors to the Zoss list found these books to have information which is especially helpful to new collectors, and all three are reasonably priced.

Two other books are often recommended to collectors, and they have become something of "standard references" for pen collectors. The first is Fountain Pens and Pencils: The Golden Age of Writing Instruments by George Fischler and Stuart Schneider. This is often referred to as "the blue book". The second is by the same authors -- The Book of Fountain Pens and Pencils by Stuart Schneider and George Fischler. This one is often referred to as "the brown book". Combined the two Fischler and Schneider books make a fairly comprehensive reference set.

Two Pen-related Auction Sites

I'm sure everyone is familiar with eBay, which is a good source for writing instruments. There are other auction sites on the Internet which are not as well known, and here are two which specialize in pens and related items.

First is Martini Auctions, which is hosted and run by Regina Martini, a well-known German collector. The descriptions on the site tend to be minimal and often you need to search the Internet to get specifics on the pens. However, Regina has a high-quality inventory and often has hard-to-find pens.

Another site is PMAuction, a more recent addition to the Internet, which is also run by a fountain pen enthusiast. The ads have lots of photos and good descriptions.

Pensations is not affiliated with either of the sites, but I have used both and had positive expereinces. Check out the sites: you may find some nice additions for your collection.

Games & Puzzle Section Added

There is a new page in the Resources section with links to some favorite games. Most are word games or logic puzzles. Two of my favorites are the daily crossword puzzle and the Bloxorz logic game. Others may prefer Jumble, word search puzzles or Freecell. We welcome suggestions for additions to this page. Spend a few minutes with games which exercise your brain as well as entertain.

Pen Event Calendar Added

We have added a pen event calendar to the Pensations web site. The calendar lists pen shows, pen club meetings and other events of interest to pen enthusiasts. Please email us any item which you would like to have displayed on the calendar.

Many Books on Pens and Other Topics are in the Amazon Associates Store

Customer Comments

I'm delighted to hear from cutomers -- email me with your comments or suggestions; let me know what you think of the web site, the products, the prices or your experience with Pensations. Thank you for your business, and enjoy the pens!

Customer Testimonials

I often receive feedback from customers and I enjoy reading these messages very much. I try to provide the best customer service combined with low prices, and customer feedback helps me know whether I'm reaching my goals. I have decided to share some of the messages I receive, and I've printed portions below. These are unsolicited comments, and no one received any type of compensation for the remarks or for the publication of the remarks.

"I am so impressed with the excellent and quick manner in which I received the pens I ordered. Your service is GREAT!" [D.H.]

"I just bought a pen Pensations.com. It's a fabulous pen (my current favorite) and their prices are great. The proprietor was very gracious and helpful."

"M.B. told me about you and even sent me one of your pens. I love it so much, I had to buy more. I'm so excited. Thanks for everything" [B.R.]

"Many thanks for your quick shipment and notification. Looking forward to our doing business again." [J.M.]

"Pensations is a WONDERFUL seller. I'm telling my friends, 'This is the place to buy your pens'" [P.T.]

"You are much more than a correct and agreeable seller -- you are A TRUE GENTLEMAN" [S.N.]

"... very friendly and you delivered as promised" [T.J.]

"I'm a repeat customer and I commend you as a conscientious seller" [C.S.]

"I will be back again -- you are 100% the best" [G.T.]

"Dealing with you is very nice, you provide quality products always" [P.B.]

Pensations is located in beautiful and historic Danville, Kentucky. Danville offers a wealth of historical, educational and cultural institutions and activities. Danville is home to Centre College (site of the 2000 and 2012 Vice Presidential debates), Pioneer Playhouse (more than 50 years of outdoor drama) and the Great American Brass Band Festival. For more information on Pensations and Danville, click here or on the "About Us" menu item in the left column.

We list resources for those interested in writing instruments, including books, contact information for pen companies, and a list of pen-related web sites, and information about pen shows. The books page features selected books on writing instruments, penmanship, turning pens and other books of interest.

Many people with an interest in fine writing instruments also have a desire to improve their handwriting. A resource which has been used successfully by many is Barbara Getty's Write Now: A Complete Self-Teaching Program for Better Handwriting (click on the title for additional information). Other useful books include Calligraphy Made Easy by Margaret Shepherd, and Italic Calligraphy and Handwriting: Exercises and Text by Lloyd Reynolds. Click on any of these book titles to see more information, or click here to visit our web page of books, including these and other titles brought to you in association with Amazon.com.

If you have an interest in vintage or modern writing instruments, you should join the Pen Collectors of America. Click here (or on the logo in the left column) for more information.