An Update on What I Saw at the Goldspot Trunk Show
I am in a bad spot this week because I lost my camera and SD card on a plane in Texas somewhere, so I am going to try to post some stuff that doesn’t require my personal photography until my new camera shows up. Hopefully the new camera will show up by Tuesday or Wednesday though, so I should be back to the regular reviews shortly. Regardless of the camera issues though, I was planning on giving everyone an update on the good stuff that I got to see at the Goldspot Pens Trunk Show that I attended a few weeks ago, so today seems like the perfect day to do that.
Image courtesy of kenroindustries.com
I was not sure what to expect heading to the Goldspot Pens Trunk show, but I was very pleasantly surprised at the nice people and the great pens I got to see that day. The staff from Goldspot, as well as the representatives from Kenro Industries and Lamy/Filofax were very friendly and very knowledgeable. One of the first pens I saw was the brand new Muhammad Ali Limited Edition fountain pen, as pictured above. I was amazed at the level of detail that goes into this pen as explained to me by Dick, the National Sales Manager from Kenro. For those of you who don’t know Kenro, they are the US distributor for many of your favorite pens such as Libelle, Aurora, Omas, Tibaldi, and of course, Montegrappa. Just about every design feature you see on the Muhammad Ali pen has a direct correlation with Ali’s wardrobe or significant milestone in his career. In the photo above you can see the dotted design on the clip which look exactly like the wrist-side of a pair of boxing gloves where they lace up. Additionally, the overall black and white design represent the signature look of Ali’s boxing trunks and matching boots. I think my absolute favorite part of the pen though is the nib, with its gold inlaid silhouette of the classic Ali pose with his hands raised in the air. If you have about $2,500 kicking around that you don’t know what to do with, you certainly won’t be disappointed in this pen.
Now Picture the Chrome Grip Section Extending up the Entire Lenght of the Pen Body and Cap
The other really cool and yet unreleased pen that I saw was a new version of the Lamy Studio with a mirror finish. Imagine if the pictured Studio above had the same mirrored chrome finish as the section, but just extended all the way up the body and the cap as well. The pen looked really cool in person, and I am kicking myself for not getting a picture. The only problem I can see with the pen though is that it might be a bit hard to keep free of smudges and finger prints if that kind of thing bothers you. No idea when it will become available, but if you like the design of the Lamy Studio, this is definitely something that you will want to keep your eyes open for once it is officially released because it is just an absolutely fabulous looking pen.
Omas Chateau Lafite Rothschild Fountain Pen
One last pen that I wanted to share with you that I saw at the trunk show was this Omas Chateau Lafite Rothschild Special Edition. I’ve been on the hunt for a really nice large wooden fountain pen, and when I saw this laying on the display case, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. At almost 6 inches long and with almost a 1 inch diameter, this pen looks like a large cigar at first glance. The combination of the deep wood grain body, the metal bands that wrap around it, and the barrel-like shape, might already have you guessing that this pen is modeled after an actual barrel of wine. If you guessed that, you would be correct. The wood used for this pen is actually taken from the oak barrels used to age the wine at the vineyards. The really nice thing about this limited edition pen is that unlike some other wood pens that can become stained by ink that might leak and absorb into the grain, it has a finish on it to protect your $1500 investment. This is one of those pens that you just have to see in person, because although the picture above looks great, it just doesn’t do the real pen justice. I was actually happy to see that one website has this pen on sale, but $1200 still is not really in my budget even for a pen that I would consider my ideal in terms of design and size.
The Goldspot Trunk Show really was a fantastic opportunity to get to see some amazing pens, and to get to talk with some very friendly and knowledgeable folks. Definitely keep an eye out for their next one, and if you didn’t read their recap of it, definitely check it out. Also, if you aren’t in NJ, I am sure there are other similar opportunities out there with some of your own local fine pen dealers, so seek them out if you have the time because this was an experience that you just cant duplicate by browsing around online to a few sites.
©2016, Brian Greene. All rights reserved.
