Magpie Syndrome: My Favorite Pens of 2016

Believe it or not, I don't have that many pens anymore... here are a few pens that I would rank as (at least most of) my favorites for 2016. Some are newer pens (to me), and others have been around awhile. I have different reasons for selecting these, and I'll do my best to include a short snippet about each, and why I love that particular pen. Don't forget, these are MY favorite pens. Not the best pens on a budget, or pens with great value. I enjoy writing, I love practicing my handwriting, and I like shiny things. Here is my selection for this year:

Left to right: 

Pilot Parallel + 6.0 mm calligraphy plate nib
Classic Pens LB5 Kouseki + Nagahara King Eagle nib
Classic Pens LB5 Midorigi + Nagahara Cross Point nib
Ken Cavers Cigar Green Swirl + Fude nib
Pelikan Souverän M1005 Clear + Triple broad nib
Montblanc Meisterstück Moon Pearl LeGrand + Bespoke music nib
Omas Paragon Arco Celluloid (Vintage) + Extra-fine nib
Montblanc Meisterstück 146 90th Anniversary + Double broad oblique nib
Namiki Yukari Nightline Skyline + Medium nib
Namiki Yukari Nightline Moonlight + Pilot Custom Heritage 912 FA nib
Waterman 94 Steel Quartz + Ideal #5 music nib
Pelikan Souverän M400 White Tortoise + Double broad Mottishaw stub nib

Pilot Parallel + 6.0 mm Calligraphy Plates

An affordable calligraphy nib that is super, super easy to clean. It can be taken apart, used as an eyedropper, and the ink capacity is pretty large. It's sharp enough to give crisp, clean lines, but can be turned on an angle to give varying sizes of lines, in addition to using the corners for fine lines. I always have at least one of these inked.

Classic Pens LB5 Kouseki + Nagahara King Eagle

I'm not really sure what it is about this pen and the next one. It's large and silly expensive. I wouldn't enjoy it as much without such a unique nib, which is great for hand lettering and making ink look really great. 

Classic Pens LB5 Midorigi + Nagahara Cross Point

Like the previous pen, this one is large and silly expensive, but I thoroughly enjoy the unique nib. It can be used for hand lettering and the line variation is outstanding!

Ken Cavers Cigar Green Swirl + Fude

This is the first custom pen I ever purchased, from a pen maker in the city I grew up in - Winnipeg, Manitoba. Ken Cavers made this gorgeous pen with a matching pen rest (not pictured). It's simple but solid, comfortable, and it takes #6 nibs so I usually eyedropper it with a wet writing nib like this fude. It's a lot of fun!

Pelikan Souverän M1005 Clear + Triple Broad

One of the first pens my dad gave to me - of course, I picked it and he paid for it, but still. It was also one of the first expensive pens I ever got, and I love how it feels, writes, and how ink looks in it. The triple broad nib makes it even more outstanding!

Montblanc Meisterstück Moon Pearl LeGrand + Bespoke Music

Shiny strips of abalone and a music nib? Don't mind if I do. Expensive, of course, but it is smooth, pretty (in my opinion), and the nib is excellent for calligraphy practice. 

Omas Paragon Arco Celluloid + Extra-fine

A new addition to my pen case! Yes, I picked an extra-fine nib because it is slightly springy so the line variation is obvious going from extra-fine to about medium. The material is beautiful, this one being a particularly stunning specimen, and I love the shape and size. 

Montblanc Meisterstück 146 90th Anniversary + Double Broad Oblique

This was a gift from Stephen. It's not about the status or anything of the sort - I love the classic shape and the rose gold trim is perfect for me. The double broad oblique nib is stubby and it's so comfortable. I just love it for daily use. 

Namiki Yukari Nightline Skyline + Medium

At this point, I discovered I love pens with raden. It's a solid pen because of a brass liner, it's easy to clean, and it feels great in hand. The medium nib is springy and wet, and I like the shape of the pen a lot. I also spend a lot of time rolling it around, enjoying the glitter. 

Namiki Yukari Nightline Moonlight + FA 

I acquired this one after the previous, and I was taken in by the deep black and glowing raden. It came with a medium nib, but my Pilot Custom Heritage 912 FA nib fit, and I love it even more - flex and a gorgeous pen all in one.

Waterman 94 Steel Quartz + Ideal #5 Music nib

This was a gift from a kindred spirit! My first music nib and the one that started it all. The pen isn't all that outstanding, but the music nib is wet, smooth, and flexible. It has wild line variation!

Pelikan Souverän M400 White Tortoise + Double Broad Stub

A pen I bought years ago because I loved the tortoise barrel with the creamy white, and I had the nib ground to a stub by John Mottishaw (nibs.com). Great line variation! It's small and comfortable, the nib is interchangeable, and the pen is easy to maintain. It will always be a keeper.

That's it for this year. I'm trying to only keep pens I'm madly in love with for whatever reason. They may be sentimental reasons, or Magpie Syndrome reasons. 

What are your favorites?

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year! Thank you for a fine year of your support and readership - here's to many more!

Wordless Wednesday

Madrid Pen Show 2016: Close Ups! @Iguana_Sell

The Madrid Pen Show took place from November 18 - 20, 2016 at the NH Collection Madrid Eurobuilding Hotel. Stephen and I were very lucky to be sponsored to attend the show by one of my own sponsors, Iguana Sell! We also had an opportunity to visit their amazing boutique (post to come on that). A big thank you to the team over at Iguana Sell for being such warm, welcoming hosts, and for making this happen! Stephen's recap can be seen here, and my own here! Please do visit Iguana Sell as well - lots of goodies to be had there, including Nakaya, Aurora, and much more!

I didn't want to overload you with pictures from the show in the last recap, but here are some close ups of neat, pretty, unique, or just downright amazing pens! This is part of the fun of a pen show - you see pens you've been looking for, pens you didn't even know existed, and others that you can't stop thinking about - enjoy!