When Writing Gets Dull, Try Pen Spinning

Penz Gear Display

And here we thought pens were just for writing. Turns out, there’s another use.

Pen spinning is the art, or at least hobby, of “contact juggling” with either a normal ink pen or one that’s been specially modified to make it easier to manipulate. Spinners do exactly what the name implies – rotate pens as fast as possible around, between and across their fingers and hands.

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Are Fountain Pens on the Decline?

Declining Fountain Pen Sales

There’s an interesting line about fountain pens in the movie Duplicity. Conniving CEO Dick Garsik (played by Paul Giamatti) is reading a handwritten draft of a memo by a rival company head. The memo bears bad news and the flustered Garsik stops at one point, turns aside to his employees, and says:

“I mean, who the hell writes with a fountain pen anymore? How fricking pretentious is that?”

He’s being a little harsh, for sure, but the line raises some good questions. Do people still use fountain pens regularly, as they did several years ago when the pens were enjoying a resurgence in popularity? Or, has that time passed? And, if so, has there been a resulting slowing of sales?

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What is the Most Expensive Pen in the World?

Aurora Diamante

Apparently, it’s a necessity every few years for a pen maker to come out with a design that exceeds the extravagance of any pen produced before it. As each progressively jewel-encrusted piece is unveiled, the price tags for these pens climbs higher and higher.

At the start of the millennium, Swiss luxury pen makers Caran d’Ache laid claim to the world’s most expensive pen with a diamond-encrusted version of its Modernist-inspired fountain pen range. La Modernista Diamonds were set with 5,072 diamonds, 96 rubies, and an 18 kt. gold tip. According to The Independent, the pen sold at Harrods for more than £144,000.

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