Baltimore/Washington International Pen Show 2024!
Hello everyone! The 2024 Baltimore Washington International Pen Show is over and it’s time to discuss it!
This would be my 3rd year in attendance at the Baltimore show, and I was already excited for it to return as soon as the 2023 show ended. As usual, I attended this year with my girlfriend Sarah (also my editor). We arrived on Thursday afternoon, and while it wasn’t yet bustling with crowds of pen-show-goers, we were met with a few familiar faces. By Friday morning there was already a nice line of attendees waiting for the show to open!
Friday isn’t nearly as busy a day at the pen show as Saturday, but it can still be an overwhelming experience to enter the showroom for the first time, even as a veteran attendee — there are so many tables to stop at, so many things to see, and so many old friends to greet. Generally, I prefer to buy things in person, and I’m always on the lookout for things that I don’t yet have and can’t easily find at my local pen store — something I’ll most likely only run into at a pen show. With that in mind, my hunt began with a short list of things that I was looking for: inks (of course), pens to use with inks that I don’t yet have a great match for, notebooks and notebook covers, chocolate from Jinji, my bi-annual Franklin-Christoph, and something made of soapstone or alabaster from DarailPenz.
We took our usual look across the Franklin-Christoph table. There wasn’t anything for me that day, but there were still plenty of beautiful pens to appreciate.
One of the first things I do at every pen show is stop by the Dromgoole’s table to take a look at their ink wall. The ink wall is exactly how it sounds: a tall corner shelf of ink featuring a wide variety of brands and colors. I’m especially drawn to their broad selection of Wearingeul and Ferris Wheel Press inks — two ink makers that I can’t get locally. Wearingeul in particular has become a personal favorite, so we splurged a little. I was over the moon to find the new Peter Pan set in full (reviews coming soon). There wasn’t a lot that I was looking for from Ferris Wheel Press this time, but I did find a bottle of Tumbling Time Blue! Of course, there’s also the Dromgoole’s table itself, offering an incredible selection of pens, notebooks, and accessories.
In a lot of ways, Friday is more of a “chores” day for us. While we bought a lot of inks early on, there’s not usually a lot of pen-buying the first day unless we see something that we just can’t let go (and sure, that happens). Most of Friday is spent roaming the aisles, exploring various tables, and picking up little trinkets and curios. I prioritize things like dropping off pens to be repaired (so I have plenty of time to test them over the weekend) and looking for supplies that I may need such as notebooks, nib units, and nib working tools.
Some of the fun things I picked up on Friday, including the 2 Franklin-Christophs I dropped off for minor adjustments.
Supply shopping led us directly to the Carolina Pen Company, as I wanted to get a larger nib size for a Charleston model that I’ve had for some time. I was originally going to go for one of the standard CPC logo nibs, but I was presented with a few custom-engraved options! One of them was a beautiful owl that I couldn’t say no to, so that’s what I went with. Of course, there were a ton of pens on display, and that’s where Sarah found her first pen purchase of the show: a Charleston in a gorgeous blue material called “The Sky at Night.” It was love at first sight, and it seemed too perfect not to have it fitted with an owl nib too, and so it was.
One of my favorite tables to visit at any pen show is the Penquisition table! Evan and Julian both make amazing 3D printed and wooden accessories to fit your many pen-holding needs (and more!). It’s always a pleasure to see what they’ve been working on.
This time, I bought a Betallic Blurple Pen Cup — it’s an awesome 3D-printed cup with a great outer texture and 7 slots for pens inside. I purchased one earlier this year and liked it so much, that I needed to have a second one for my other desk.
We were also treated to two little pink pen rests that were made for the 2023 DC Pelikan Hub! (Thanks again!)
Something that you’ll find at both the Baltimore and D.C. shows is the Share the Wealth table. It features an assortment of donated pens, papers, inks, and other stationery items. Everyone is welcome to donate their unwanted pen stuff and take home something new. As the name suggests, it’s a great way for attendees to pass on items that they’re no longer using for others who might enjoy them. This table is organized and curated entirely by volunteers.
I picked up a small penabling pen that I thought a friend of mine would like and a few inks to try.
I stopped at the Epitome Pens table to have a pen looked at for a small repair, as well as look at some of their other models and accessories (the large pen trays in particular caught my eye, but I decided that would be for another time).
At this point, I still hadn’t made any pen purchases, but that was no problem for intrepid Sarah who had made her way back Edison Pen Co. to retrieve something that she had found earlier: an Edison Beaumont in a material called “Hijinks” by Jennifer Earley. It’s a material that displays an incredible chatoyance in low light, almost appearing to glow pink. This was our first experience buying directly from Edison, and it couldn’t have been better. Brian Gray himself sat and worked with us to select and tune a nib for the pen.
Saturday is a noticeably busier day than Friday. But not so busy that it’s difficult to peruse tables or move through the aisles, nor are you pummeled by bags left and right (if you know, you know 😂). Saturday is the big pen-buying day for us.
I started off with a beeline to the DarailPenz table. I knew what I wanted and I was going to get it! It only took a few moments to spot my target on the top shelf: pens made from wood, alabaster, soapstone, you name it. All sorts of amazing materials, but the one that caught my eye immediately was a green Naomi made with a soapstone barrel.
Slightly cool to the touch, glimmering in the light. It had a matching soapstone inlay on the finial. It didn't take me more than a moment to decide that this was the one, and all that was left was to choose the nib size. I went with a broad because I keep buying fine nibs and I told myself I wasn’t allowed to do that anymore.
My next pen purchase came from Nahvalur. I had to have a second look at a pen that I couldn’t stop thinking about overnight: a Horizon in Glacier. It was still there, and this time, I couldn’t leave without it. I swiftly broke my no-more-fine-nibs rule and bought it in fine (although, I bought some extra medium and broad nib units to use for writing samples and things).
The rest of Saturday was spent wandering the aisles, socializing, and meeting with pen-friends. I met with my favorite Luxury Brands representative, Adam (Happy Hour Pens And Gifts), who was working hard to help make this the best show possible, but was also happy to help me with a blue Endless Recorder and Girologio 6-pen case that I’ve been eyeballing for some time. Thanks, Adam!
Sunday, unfortunately, is a short day at the Baltimore show for us since we have to check out and head back early, so there isn’t usually as much time to enjoy the show on the last day. That doesn’t make it any less fun though! There were still 2 big things to take care of.
Our first stop was once again, the Franklin-Christoph table!
It was too good to be true. My Franklin-Christoph was finally there — a model 20 in the Autumn Oak resin. This was a pen that I was previously sad about missing when it sold out on their website, but here it was right in front of me and I wasn’t going to let it go. I purchased it immediately and had it fitted with my favorite S.I.G. Medium nib. They even topped it off with a full converter of Blue 72 for me, which makes me very happy.
Our last stop of the show, a highlight for us, was the Relic Pens table. This was a new discovery for us this year, but it’s exactly the kind of pen that we were looking for, and Patrick at Relic Pens makes some absolutely gorgeous materials — seriously, I don’t think there was a single pen on his display that we didn’t like. We spent some time here the day before and had an eye on a few pens that we couldn’t decide between, but in the end, we chose a brown and white pen that we couldn’t stop looking at. It had a light sparkle in the center and reminded us of a macchiato. I regret not getting a second one I had my eye on, but there’s always D.C.!
If you’ve never been to a pen show before, this would be a wonderful first experience. It’s not quite as big as the other local Washington D.C. Fountain Pen Supershow that takes place in the summer, but it’s certainly not small, and I find it to be better organized overall. It has the wonderful balance of having everything I’m looking for, but it’s not so overcrowded that it becomes uncomfortable. I can look at things without feeling overwhelmed by the chaos, and everyone seems so happy to be there! It has something for everyone — lots of pens (both vintage and modern), stationery, notebooks, stickers, inks, and accessories. You will probably find something you’re looking for, and probably a few surprises, as well. There’s also a great variety of seminars and workshops to attend throughout the show. The venue is great in terms of location and quality, and perhaps the only downside I can think of is that parking can become crowded and the restaurant/bar in the lobby can get pretty busy in the evenings, but these are trifles. It’s a wonderful time nonetheless.
Between getting to walk the aisles of endless pens and stationery, seeing all of my friends, and snacking on a delicious chocolate date from the Jinji Chocolate stand (that I neglected to photograph before devouring), I can’t think of a more enjoyable time to be a pen person. As I mentioned earlier, this was my 3rd year at the Baltimore Pen Show, and my opinions have stayed largely the same: it’s my favorite pen show.
I can’t end this recap without mentioning Bert Oser, who is not only the organizer of the BWI Pen Show, but also the proprietor of Bertram’s Inkwell — a local pen store in Rockville, Maryland. Bert’s influence on the DC Metro pen community can’t be overstated, and the quality of the Baltimore Show reflects that. It wouldn’t be what it is without his oversight, but also the support of his staff, loyal customers, and the local pen crew, who come together each year to help make this the best experience that it can be for everyone. Bert’s shop means a lot to me and has played an equally influential role in the development of my passion for fine writing. So, thanks Bert (and everyone else) for everything you do to make the Baltimore Pen Show the great experience that it is!