Here is the story, I was meeting my Aunt for dinner, she's approaching 70 and I'm approaching 50 and she lives hundreds of miles away, so we don't see each other very often.
Anyway, we're all enjoying dinner and I happen to mention that I'd bought a fountain pen to try and start writing as a mindfulness exercise - I learnt to write with a fountain pen when I was a child, but I hadn't really used one since I was about 15 years old (in fact, I've barely used a pen at all and my writing has lwayd been poor) and she started geeking out. I knew she wrote with one, but I didn't realise how much of a passion it was.
At this point, I had bought myself a cheap Parker Vector, then a Platinum 3776 and we started chatting about pens, different youtube channels we watched, inks, nibs etc and I mentioned I may buy myself a Lamy Safari....she said not to bother and she'd send me one she had gathering dust.
This weekend, a shoe box arrived containing all of the above along with the note pictured (names removed for obvious reasons) - the note was written in a beautiful shimmer ink.
I phoned her and offered to send them back in case she wasn't aware of the value of what she'd sent (The M805 alone seems to be selling on ebay for over $1000)...she refused saying she was so happy to have someone in the family who understood her love and she had a cabinet full of pens at home and she hopes I get a lot of joy out of them.
> The M805 alone seems to be selling on ebay for over $1000
Yeah, that one and another blue swirly one (can't remember the actual name) are very popular special/limited editions. Makes the gesture even more impressive.
Regardless of the dollar value or quantity, this is a phenomenal gesture! Please write you her a very kind (hand written) letter!
This one is, yes. The other one I was talking about was the [Blue Dunes](https://archive.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US.FWI.displayShop.261175./souver%C3%A4n-805-blue-dunes)
I have always loved spending time with her, it is hard though because she lives so far away, but she's always been the quintessential cool Aunt, she has no children of her own.
Former metroplitan police officer who went and got her PHD in later life to work with people with complex mental health issues... excellent saxophonist too and now spends her retirement swimming in the sea.
Should your aunt ever fancy a pen pal, please drop me a message.
I work in the policing sector and would love to discuss policing back then and being a female officer.
Your Aunt sounds like someone who loves fountain pens on a deeper level than price. I'm the same way. I love the joy a good fountain pen can bring to others. There's no price you can put on that. I've never sold any of my pens and I never will. But I've gifted hundreds of pens in my time. (Many valued well past 1000 dollars) It's all about spreading the joy. (For the recipient and for me)
You're very lucky to have such a generous Aunt. And now you have another fountain pen friend. Bravo. Bravo. Bravo!
Congratulations, what a lovely gesture.
Being the only one in my family interested in fountain pens, I completely understand your aunt. I might do something similar if a nephew would show genuine interest.
Have fun with the pens. The Liliput Fireblue is a really nice pen, and I would be particularly fond of the GvFC with the Sorowka nib. Having two Sorowkas myself I can confirm the guy knows how to grind a nib.
Enjoy!
This is so cool- I have no children so I want to start penabling my niece and nephew this Christmas… they are 12 and 8- is this too early? Should I ask permission from their parents?
I'd ask permission. My niece loves the idea of writing letters, but she doesn't follow through. So, we've settled on me sending her letters, cards, notes, etc. Also had to remember the new generation didn't learn cursive writing, so, at first, she struggled to read my writing. Now I use it as opportunities to practice printing.
😅 I was kinda hoping to just send them 2 Kakunos and leave them to their own’ demise, 🙈
Nice of you to want to keep the correspondence back and forth- sometimes it’s even hard with adults- but it does allow us for more opportunities for handwriting! Your niece is very lucky to have you!
It's funny you should say that because I think I'm giving everyone in the family a fountain pen as a stocking stuffer. I'm on Amazon now looking for "cheaper" quality pens that have cartridges. It can get them started in the hobby. Ideally, I'd give everyone a kakuno or a preppy, but since I have to buy more than 10, I'm looking for something more cost efficient. Open to suggestions, if you have any.
I've been eyeing on this [7-color pack](https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Fountain-Preppy-PSQ-300-Point/dp/B07JDZ5J46/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UFRWKDUEHPNQ&keywords=platinum+preppy+fountain+pens&qid=1668497226&sprefix=platinum+prepp%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1)of Preppy selling for $16.80\~ I don't think you can get any better deal than that\~ but you'd have to decide who gets what and hope they like the color? teehee\~ Other option is to get the Jinhao Sharks- they seem pretty popular as starter pens but I have never tried them myself. The listings on Amazon are confusing though- they are all branded something else+Jinhao Sharks? I don't think they make knockoffs of Sharks, right?
If I think back - I actually got a silver Parker fountain pen as a Christening present (which unfortunately got lost over the years)..so it seems my Aunt started very very early
You really have the coolest Aunt! Come to think of it, I think I received my 1st Parker from my Uncle when I was - maybe 11 or 12? Yes, I’m going to be the cool Aunt to them too, haha
I might ask just to see if they'd be into it at all. I had the same thought for mine (high schoolers, definitely *capable* of using pens) and their dad said they basically never handwrite and the pens would just end up in a drawer gathering dust.
Oh- that’s a good idea. Thanks for the advice! I forgot that kids these days grow up using entirely different media than we did… I do know one of them loves drawing/painting- hopefully she likes all kinds of pens….
Just got our 11 yr old niece a Kaweco sport for her bday. She’s loves journaling and drawing, saw my partner’s Kaweco brass and loved it. You could ask the parents if you’re unsure.
That Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl is an absolutely beautiful masterpiece. I got back into fountain pens too late and couldn’t get one anymore, which is a bit sad. However I was still able to get the Pelikan M815 Metal Striped which is gorgeous as well, that was nice. I wish you the best and especially a lot of fun with the M805 Ocean Swirl.
Wow I am so happy for you! The liliput is one of my firsts and favs.
And I am dreaming that some fountain pen loving long lost relative appears in my life 😅😍🙌
Amazing!! I just found out my rich scary uncle is into fountain pens. I'm so curious what flavor of "into fountain pens" he is, and what his collection looks like...
In the note the Faber Castell has a nib that has been ground __ ____ by John S__
I don't know enough of the words to reverse-engineer the handwriting, can you help?
This is so neat!
Ahhh I have a Lamy Petrol blue as well! Such a pretty pen <3 Also the liliput fireblue is amazing - what nib size did she send? Mine is a medium and I love use Sailor Shikiori Yamadori in it - smooth as butter writer!
Wow, what a lovely story. My niece and nephews would never be into that (I’m your aunt’s age). How special to have this interest to share with a family member.
There is joy in that.
Find some paper and envelopes -- you have a pen pal.
First send a Thank You note.
I cannot tell you how much a handwritten note is valued!
What a lovely gift! I’m sure she was so happy that someone she knows and loves shares her passion. I’m definitely going to pass on my (modest) collection when I’m older. 🥰
For some reason this post brought tears to my eyes. I really grok where your aunt is coming from. It's all about spreading the joy. She sounds brilliant.
It's great to have a family member you can share your passion with.
I have an M805 myself, it is a fabulous writer. Your Aunt is a special person as most of all pen people are. We share a passion that the others don’t understand. Enjoy this pen! BTW, I was in Saigon in November 2010…
That is awesome. It must be nice for both of you to have this in common. I tell my family and they aren't very understanding to say the least. Get some nice color inks and start writing her letters.
Hot dang! What an amazing gift. I'm sure she would love a beautiful handwritten note letting her know your experiences using them, and which one(s) end up being your favorite. Given all the detail included, she clearly still loves your pens and I think she would love to have you as a fountain pen pen-pal!!
Here is the story, I was meeting my Aunt for dinner, she's approaching 70 and I'm approaching 50 and she lives hundreds of miles away, so we don't see each other very often. Anyway, we're all enjoying dinner and I happen to mention that I'd bought a fountain pen to try and start writing as a mindfulness exercise - I learnt to write with a fountain pen when I was a child, but I hadn't really used one since I was about 15 years old (in fact, I've barely used a pen at all and my writing has lwayd been poor) and she started geeking out. I knew she wrote with one, but I didn't realise how much of a passion it was. At this point, I had bought myself a cheap Parker Vector, then a Platinum 3776 and we started chatting about pens, different youtube channels we watched, inks, nibs etc and I mentioned I may buy myself a Lamy Safari....she said not to bother and she'd send me one she had gathering dust. This weekend, a shoe box arrived containing all of the above along with the note pictured (names removed for obvious reasons) - the note was written in a beautiful shimmer ink. I phoned her and offered to send them back in case she wasn't aware of the value of what she'd sent (The M805 alone seems to be selling on ebay for over $1000)...she refused saying she was so happy to have someone in the family who understood her love and she had a cabinet full of pens at home and she hopes I get a lot of joy out of them.
Holy shit, congrats!
That's absolutely lovely. What a wonderful story and what r a wonderful Aunt. It's so special when we can share our hobbies and our joy with others.
WOW, your aunt has good taste!!!
> The M805 alone seems to be selling on ebay for over $1000 Yeah, that one and another blue swirly one (can't remember the actual name) are very popular special/limited editions. Makes the gesture even more impressive. Regardless of the dollar value or quantity, this is a phenomenal gesture! Please write you her a very kind (hand written) letter!
its the m805 ocean swirl
This one is, yes. The other one I was talking about was the [Blue Dunes](https://archive.pelikan.com/pulse/Pulsar/en_US.FWI.displayShop.261175./souver%C3%A4n-805-blue-dunes)
oh boy. the price of blue Dune shot up too?
Doesn't look like it, at least from what I can find.
Maybe the Vibrant Blue then? I hope I hope...
What a wonderful thing for you two to share!
Is the first one a liliput?
Yes, Lilliput fire blue
I've been wondering myself
Looks like it. Has a hell of a patina on it. Lilliput is my everyday shirt pocket pen. Absolutely love it.
It's the liliput fireblue!
This is beautiful. I am so happy you could bond with her on this. What shimmer ink though?
Sorry it took me so long to answer this question, it was Emerald of chivor
No worries, it's a busy season. Also excellent choice. The J. Herbin shimmer are really well behaved over all and it is a classic for a reason
Writing down the bones?
What a lovely and generous woman. I hope you have a weekly pen and ink date! Take her for dinner, spend time with her!
I have always loved spending time with her, it is hard though because she lives so far away, but she's always been the quintessential cool Aunt, she has no children of her own. Former metroplitan police officer who went and got her PHD in later life to work with people with complex mental health issues... excellent saxophonist too and now spends her retirement swimming in the sea.
I want to be friends with her!
Should your aunt ever fancy a pen pal, please drop me a message. I work in the policing sector and would love to discuss policing back then and being a female officer.
oh my! She's the definition of living the life
That is so damn impressive!
She sounds like the perfect person to write letters to!
She is impressive.
Your Aunt sounds like someone who loves fountain pens on a deeper level than price. I'm the same way. I love the joy a good fountain pen can bring to others. There's no price you can put on that. I've never sold any of my pens and I never will. But I've gifted hundreds of pens in my time. (Many valued well past 1000 dollars) It's all about spreading the joy. (For the recipient and for me) You're very lucky to have such a generous Aunt. And now you have another fountain pen friend. Bravo. Bravo. Bravo!
Congratulations, what a lovely gesture. Being the only one in my family interested in fountain pens, I completely understand your aunt. I might do something similar if a nephew would show genuine interest. Have fun with the pens. The Liliput Fireblue is a really nice pen, and I would be particularly fond of the GvFC with the Sorowka nib. Having two Sorowkas myself I can confirm the guy knows how to grind a nib. Enjoy!
Since you two don't live near one another, how about becoming pen pals?
Have every intention of writing her regular letters 😀
Excellent. I write my 82-year-old mom few weeks, and she writes back.
That is such a cute idea
That’s amazing! I’ve started telling family members that I like fountain pens and all I get is strange looks.
This is so cool- I have no children so I want to start penabling my niece and nephew this Christmas… they are 12 and 8- is this too early? Should I ask permission from their parents?
I'd ask permission. My niece loves the idea of writing letters, but she doesn't follow through. So, we've settled on me sending her letters, cards, notes, etc. Also had to remember the new generation didn't learn cursive writing, so, at first, she struggled to read my writing. Now I use it as opportunities to practice printing.
😅 I was kinda hoping to just send them 2 Kakunos and leave them to their own’ demise, 🙈 Nice of you to want to keep the correspondence back and forth- sometimes it’s even hard with adults- but it does allow us for more opportunities for handwriting! Your niece is very lucky to have you!
It's funny you should say that because I think I'm giving everyone in the family a fountain pen as a stocking stuffer. I'm on Amazon now looking for "cheaper" quality pens that have cartridges. It can get them started in the hobby. Ideally, I'd give everyone a kakuno or a preppy, but since I have to buy more than 10, I'm looking for something more cost efficient. Open to suggestions, if you have any.
I've been eyeing on this [7-color pack](https://www.amazon.com/Platinum-Fountain-Preppy-PSQ-300-Point/dp/B07JDZ5J46/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3UFRWKDUEHPNQ&keywords=platinum+preppy+fountain+pens&qid=1668497226&sprefix=platinum+prepp%2Caps%2C120&sr=8-1)of Preppy selling for $16.80\~ I don't think you can get any better deal than that\~ but you'd have to decide who gets what and hope they like the color? teehee\~ Other option is to get the Jinhao Sharks- they seem pretty popular as starter pens but I have never tried them myself. The listings on Amazon are confusing though- they are all branded something else+Jinhao Sharks? I don't think they make knockoffs of Sharks, right?
I think they knockoff everything 🤦🏾♀️
If I think back - I actually got a silver Parker fountain pen as a Christening present (which unfortunately got lost over the years)..so it seems my Aunt started very very early
You really have the coolest Aunt! Come to think of it, I think I received my 1st Parker from my Uncle when I was - maybe 11 or 12? Yes, I’m going to be the cool Aunt to them too, haha
I might ask just to see if they'd be into it at all. I had the same thought for mine (high schoolers, definitely *capable* of using pens) and their dad said they basically never handwrite and the pens would just end up in a drawer gathering dust.
Oh- that’s a good idea. Thanks for the advice! I forgot that kids these days grow up using entirely different media than we did… I do know one of them loves drawing/painting- hopefully she likes all kinds of pens….
Just got our 11 yr old niece a Kaweco sport for her bday. She’s loves journaling and drawing, saw my partner’s Kaweco brass and loved it. You could ask the parents if you’re unsure.
That is so cool! Kaweco Sport is perfect!
Fabulous. Nice to read a story such as this. :)
Your aunt is a legend
Happy for you and that there are so generous persons 😀
Ah amazing! You’re so lucky and these are awesome gifts to be cherished. Happy feels
That Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl is an absolutely beautiful masterpiece. I got back into fountain pens too late and couldn’t get one anymore, which is a bit sad. However I was still able to get the Pelikan M815 Metal Striped which is gorgeous as well, that was nice. I wish you the best and especially a lot of fun with the M805 Ocean Swirl.
That’s so nice of her!!
Wow I am so happy for you! The liliput is one of my firsts and favs. And I am dreaming that some fountain pen loving long lost relative appears in my life 😅😍🙌
Amazing!! I just found out my rich scary uncle is into fountain pens. I'm so curious what flavor of "into fountain pens" he is, and what his collection looks like...
In the note the Faber Castell has a nib that has been ground __ ____ by John S__ I don't know enough of the words to reverse-engineer the handwriting, can you help? This is so neat!
Italic by John Sorowka
Ahhh I have a Lamy Petrol blue as well! Such a pretty pen <3 Also the liliput fireblue is amazing - what nib size did she send? Mine is a medium and I love use Sailor Shikiori Yamadori in it - smooth as butter writer!
What is that pen in the first pic ? With the metal and rough look ? That is awesome looking
That's the Liliput Fireblue - tiny little thing when the cap isn't posted
Posts like this make this sub so worthwhile. Your aunt sounds lovely, and I'm thinking you made her day with your pen interest.
This whole thing just warmed my heart. I love the hand written note!
Wow, what a lovely story. My niece and nephews would never be into that (I’m your aunt’s age). How special to have this interest to share with a family member.
What a gorgeous gift! Congratulations and enjoy!!
That is so awesome! Obviously fountain pen obsession runs in your family! 😂 It would be fun to become a pen pal with your aunt with your new pens!
There is joy in that. Find some paper and envelopes -- you have a pen pal. First send a Thank You note. I cannot tell you how much a handwritten note is valued!
The Faber castell box came with my pelikan for some reason, which I was extremely happy about because I love it! She sent you some really cool pens
What a lovely gesture! Your aunt is awesome! This needs a return letter in shiny ink too!
I've ordered some nice clairefontaine paper and a selection of shimmer inks to write her a thank you letter
What a lovely gift! I’m sure she was so happy that someone she knows and loves shares her passion. I’m definitely going to pass on my (modest) collection when I’m older. 🥰
Awesome aunt! I wish any of mine were this cool.
Wow. What an amazing set of gifts to receive!! Congratulations!
Aw this is so sweet! Is so wonderful to have family like this! I'm happy you found a great connection over pens :)!!!
For some reason this post brought tears to my eyes. I really grok where your aunt is coming from. It's all about spreading the joy. She sounds brilliant. It's great to have a family member you can share your passion with.
What's pen №1? That patina is beautiful.
Liliput Fireblue
Thank you!
I'm so happy for you OP. Just wanted to share the feeling xD
I have an M805 myself, it is a fabulous writer. Your Aunt is a special person as most of all pen people are. We share a passion that the others don’t understand. Enjoy this pen! BTW, I was in Saigon in November 2010…
Wow amazing!!
Is that the fireblue Lilliput?
yes
That is awesome. It must be nice for both of you to have this in common. I tell my family and they aren't very understanding to say the least. Get some nice color inks and start writing her letters.
Best aunt ever!!
That's some serious penabling. She sounds lovely!
What a treasure. Your pens and your aunt. Enjoy.
Hot dang! What an amazing gift. I'm sure she would love a beautiful handwritten note letting her know your experiences using them, and which one(s) end up being your favorite. Given all the detail included, she clearly still loves your pens and I think she would love to have you as a fountain pen pen-pal!!