Seeking warmth and personality in the world of high-priced pens

When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone by hand? As people entrust their laptops and mobile phones with more and more of their lives, the once-ubiquitous art of handwriting is seemingly in danger of going extinct.

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But at a London hotel on a recent Sunday morning, thousands of people turned up to demonstrate that the humble pen may be far from meeting the fate of the dinosaurs.

At the London Autumn Pen Show, which is one of six planned events from UK Pen Shows in 2024, you could find yourself face to face with some of the most elegant and expensive pens on the planet – and people happy to pay through the nose for them.

Among the pen sellers was Mr John Sanderson, 72, who sells his handmade creations under the name Silverburl Pens. A retired engineer, Mr Sanderson made his first pen almost 50 years ago as a means of dealing with dyslexia.

“I can’t write and spell,” he said, “and it’s something that’s always fascinated me. So, I made a pen, thinking, ‘I’ll learn to read and write.’ Now, he makes pens for people all over the world.

The attendees of the show were united by their love of pens.

In July, Ms Michaela Staton, 52, got a bonus at work and splurged on a new pen – a Laban 325 Sakura for about US$125 (S$165). This was her first pen show and she had her sights set on a specific model: an Esterbrook Estie Botanical Gardens fountain pen.

Ms Mareen Goebel, 49, on the other hand, was a veteran of three pen shows and she took along a case brimming with pens, including her favourite, a teal-coloured Pelikan M805 Ocean Swirl, for which she paid about US$485.