Pen collecting as with stamp collecting may seem like an out dated hobby that has no relation to modern day life or working practice as digital communication takes over more and more. Conversely though the number of pen collectors might actually be on the up.
A report by the BBC last year highlighted the rise in sales of fountain pens. In the report Parker Pens claimed a rise of 5% in sales of their famous fountain pens between 2006 and 2011 while Amazon’s sales were even more impressive; increasing by four times in just one year. The BBC theorised that the rise was in fact because of the amount of high tech equipment in our lives in a sort of reactionary move that celebrates handwriting over computer generated text. The L.A. International Pen Show celebrated its 25th annual show in February, drawing a crowd of over 1000 happy collectors and exhibitors and proving the popularity of pen collecting remains strong.
The rise in sales of fountain pens and collectable pens compares with reports that overall pen sales are plummeting. Pens will never be fully dispensed with though. Both the necessity of pens and the affection for them will keep them on the desks of most offices and in the homes around the globe. Many of us might not identify ourselves as pen collectors but would much more readily recognise a penchant for stationary in general. Pen enthusiasts are made up of a mixture of people who appreciate either the aesthetic or the practical values of pens or both. The great thing about pen collecting is that it is one of the few forms of collecting that allows you to use the items in your collection. Using the pens doesn’t devalue them at all so you can get more out of your hobby than simply displaying it.
What’s interesting for us here at Jott Pens are the groups of collectors acquiring quirky modern pens like the ones on our Smart Pens page or the very high quality but also highly practical ballpoint Parker pens which reflect the modern output by the brand. Subsets of collectors are focused solely on collecting engraved company pens and promotional pens like the kind we supply. The most collectable modern pens are well designed, well made and offer the collector something unusual. Why give collectors a reason to treasure your promotional pens by teaming up with Jott Pens?