Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Citytrip to The Hague: Fontoplumo


Yesterday I talked about my visit to P.W. Akkerman, one of the most famous pen stores in the Netherlands. But that wasn't the only pen retailer I visited while I was in The Hague. I also met this beardy man, Frank van Krieken, the owner of another famous Dutch pen store: Fontoplumo!

Fontoplumo isn't a physical store though, that's why we met at a local coffee bar to chat about pens. And, as you can see below, Frank also brought his pen pouch with him, filled with lots of pen-goodness! So there I was, for the second time in one day, drooling over pens that would require selling organs on the black market!
This Montegrappa Chaos is probably the most detailed pen I've ever seen! The price tag? A sloppy 4ooo Euros!

Frank clearly chooses quality over quantity, being focused on a few high quality brands and their limited editions. His main interests are Delta and Montegrappa, along with brands like Lamy and Kaweco and smaller brands, such as Wörther or Tibaldi.

The Montegrappa side of his pen pouch. From left to right: Extra 1930, Ducale, LE Modigliani, Espressione, and two Fortuna's.
The Delta side (again from L to R): The Journal, Fusion One, Horsepower, two Dolcevita's, Fusion 82.
-Drool- sooooo pretty!
Frank was kind enough to let me photograph and inspect all these wonderful pens, but for some reason I kept coming back to this one: A pearled red 'The Journal' with Fusion nib from Delta! I hope my pictures do it any justice, because this pen is BEAUTIFUL! The resin is vibrant, but at the same time the silver marbling gives it a more subtle character, combine that with Ruthenium plated trims and... ding ding ding, we have a winner! Unfortunately, he didn't have the box with him, but I can't wait to get my hands on one at the Tilburg pen show next month!



With a Fusion nib for added magic and unicorns!
I had a wonderful time talking and trying out pens, Frank is a great guy and he knows a LOT about pens! You can check out his webshop here, he also ships worldwide!

So there you have it, I hope you enjoyed all this pen p0rn as much as I did! I had a wonderful time visiting The Hague, it's a beautiful city with lots of amazing architecture, great food and great shops (especially pen shops!)

I'd like to thank Frank van Krieken and the people over at P.W. Akkerman for taking the time to chat with me, and for letting me take pictures of the amazing pens they sell!

PS: For those of you who are wondering what pen Frank is holding, it's a Montegrappa Kazan LE, one of his favourites!

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