The San Francisco International Pen Show held its annual convention over Labor Day weekend. The Pen Show has been bringing together traditional fountain pen experts and a new wave of journaling enthusiasts since the 1980s.
The show began as an opportunity for people to buy and sell vintage, golden-era fountain pens made in the 1920s to the 1940s, prized for their collectability. In 2014, the convention came under new leadership, who sought to rebrand with the nickname, “The Fun Pen Show.” Their goal was to embrace the multiplicity of interests surrounding pens—from collecting, buying, and selling to journaling, drawing, and expressive artistic writing.
Interest in the show is overwhelming—so much so that its beginning to outgrow its space, which includes a hotel ballroom and four smaller conference rooms at the Westin San Francisco Airport hotel. Tables covered in pens, ink cartridges, journals, stationery, and everything in between line the rivers of people searching for a new favorite find.
Syd Saperstein, one of the owners of the show, discovered his passion for pens through education. As he pursued a law degree and became the Senior Vice President of Comerica Bank, he was drawn to fountain pens as a symbol of intellect and academic achievement. “We wanted to write with important writing instruments, because we were dealing with important papers,” Saperstein said.
As people become tasteful collectors, they might seek out a flexible or firm nib (pen tip), a specific ink flow, a certain weight, or certain aesthetic characteristics, such as exterior design or shape. Saperstein underscored that fountain pen collecting, just like the accumulation of any other object, stems from a collector mentality. From there, some people are willing to spend small fortunes on their passions, which is how Pilot, a Japanese brand, can get away with selling their $18,000-per-pen Namiki collections.
The pen industry is lucrative, bringing vendors from all over the world. John Foye and his family traveled from their home in Northern Ireland to represent their business, St. John’s Pens. After 20 years of collecting, Foye’s obsession with fountain pens grew into his livelihood. He travels around the world curating eye-catching pens and now has collaborations with other brands, as well as a collection featuring pen bodies of acrylic resin, solid gold, silver, and titanium steel.
Steve Lesler, a participant at the show and Bay Area native, described his first connection with pens as a sort of serendipitous love at first sight. While on a business trip in 1990, he spotted a $450 Waterman Opera pen in a luggage store. He was shocked by the price, but even after traveling home, he couldn’t forget that pen. In a stroke of luck, he came across that same pen in San Francisco, and his passion for pen collecting has only grown over the past 35 years.
Each year, Lesler returns to the show to sell his personal collection. Lesler enjoys getting to know people of all ages from all over the world, a growing pattern as the industry adapts towards the interests of younger generations. “It’s not just the pens, it’s ink, it’s the paper, the notebooks, stickers. Things being made around the pen culture seem to be attracting a whole new generation,” Lesler said.
Saiko Stationery displays cute stickers, washi tape, and wax seal supplies. 
Saperstein represents Pensbury Manor. 
Paper Treats sells stamps, washi tapes, and postcards sourced from Japan. 
Hiren Kanakhara and friend Dhanji represent Mumbai-based family business, Magna Carta. 
Steve Lesler and his friend, Danny, sell down their multi-decade pen collection.
Finn Finnigan, a vendor for Saiko Stationery, identified this trend in terms of gender, too. The audience for pens is expanding beyond men in business to include women, ages 15 and up, who are spurring new color palettes and emphasis on aesthetically pleasing, affordable stationery. “It’s a shift towards inclusivity, and everyone’s welcome: all age groups, all genders, all nationalities,” Finn said. “It’s just a fun community to be in.”
Stationery and journaling are relatively cost-efficient for younger generations and appeal because of their crafty methods for collecting memories. Sophia Fabia, a 17-year-old who learned of the show through her mom’s friend, echoed this sentiment. “I like seeing all the pens. They’re really cool. But I think the stationery and all the stickers are what keep me going here,” she said.
Altogether, the SF Pen Show blends interests and excitement across a community as diverse as the pens themselves. The beauty of the fountain pen continues to be celebrated across all age groups, while business owners find strength in the supportive community.
