June 22nd, 2023
Yesterday my wife made a funny comment about me and my fountain pen hobby.
I was showing off my latest acquisition compulsively purchased off ebay: a(nother) vintage Parker Vector! A model I did not have, and a STEAL at $10.90 total (shipping was free / included). She verified with me that it was a Vector (I was like YEAH, of course! using my fingertip to underline the word “VECTOR” on the yellowed ~30 year old package). And that’s when she said it,
“You’re a real VECTOR COLLECTOR!”
My most recent vintage Parker Vector acquisition: new old stock over thirty years old, I believe – same size, shape, and approximate quality as my first Parker Vector / my very first fountain pen
In the world of fountain pens and “collectors”, I would not really characterize myself as a “collector”. I’m into fountain pens to get pleasure from actually USING them; I buy pens to write with them: not to store them, not to keep them in pristine condition, and not to show them off to impress fountain pen afficionados for approval or collectability cred.
Well, that’s all mostly true.
Hearing my wife attribute this title to me of The Vector Collector, I have to admit it is apt.
I *do* collect old Parker Vectors. I *do* want to have as many vintage Vectors as I can possibly lay my hands on. I *do* feel very protective of my classic Vectors. And I *am* compulsive about buying them, albeit within a fairly restrictive budget. I’m compulsive about snatching them up when they’re 1) as old as this liney retro beauty 2) in what appears to be untampered-with original unopened packaging and 3) priced very low (under eleven dollars for this one).
This pen barely cost more than a brand new Platinum Preppy, and is a design that hasn’t been made in DECADES. So yes, there is an element of collector’s-compulsivity in my ordering this pen almost the same second that I saw it listed; I do not want to miss out on what could be my only chance to add this pen to my collection given how rare they are becoming, and that Parker’s most affordable pens, including the Vector, have gotten a bad reputation for poor quality in the past decade or so. Since I’m buying my Vectors to write with on a daily basis I’m painfully aware it’s not possible to replace mine with a brand new Vector when, inevitably, I eventually drop and crack one of mine or just wear the decorative paint right off it. Even though I could buy a brand new “Parker Vector”, these new chintzy Vectors cannot replace one of my reliable vintage Vectors.
My “new” old striped fountain pen between a couple of my other favorite Parker Vectors on my beat up Big Blonde desk.
Even though the Vector is still being made, it is no longer the affordable BUT RELIABLE pen I fell in love with and was proud to own in the late 1980s. In those pre-internet days there was some caché and uniqueness just to having any fountain pen. I was for sure the only dorky nerd I knew who had one, so I didn’t feel like I was competing with fancier fountain pen enthusiasts for bragging rights or self-conscious about being judged for using a relatively-inexpensive pen by FP collector standards. I just really enjoyed my fountain pen.
To be honest, my Vector purchases are not strictly utilitarian. Even though I’ve now experienced a lot more and better fountain pens at similar price points (Diplomat Magnums, Lamy Al-Stars, etc.) and these new-to-me pens are much more easily acquired and even more enjoyable to me from tactile and aesthetic standpoints, there IS that “rarity” factor driving me the way a collector does because “supplies are *limited*”.
More importantly though, nostalgia is a significant factor focusing me on buying more of THIS particular pen than any other. I want more of THIS particular pen because IT WAS MY FIRST fountain pen. Looking at, owning, holding, and writing with a Parker Vector provides a nostalgic experience for me that goes beyond functionality. The Vector has become something personal to me that I associate with specific times and places in my life: my youth and maybe even with my individual identity.
I also admit I do have a bit of the collector’s desire to possess a full collection of all the different Vector designs ever made, otherwise I would just buy a bunch of easily-acquired NOS (new old stock) in boring solid colors that don’t really bring me joy. I wouldn’t go so far as to collect branded Vector fountain pens (the kinds labeled with promotional text for a casino’s grand opening or a sports event, for example) and I don’t currently feel compelled to buy designs I really don’t like (the Looney Tunes issues, for example) just to fill out “my collection”, but if I see them at a ridiculously low price … yeah, I’ll probably snatch them up.
Up close and personal with my much-loved vintage Parker Vector pens’ caps and clips.
While I have to accept that I *am* a (Vector) Collector, there is, however, a limit to how much I will pay to fill in gaps in my collection if I don’t really even like a design enough to want to look at and write with it on a daily basis. And I don’t think you can call me a serious collector if I am going to ink up every single one I buy and have no real intention of keeping any of my Vectors in their original packaging even when I procure them in such a collectible state (like this liney one I opened straight away yesterday).
I guess my goals as a “collector” are very modest and practical. I’m only interested in “collecting” pens that are within an accessible price range and don’t have any snob value*. I don’t want to feel badly about enjoying my pens or worry about my pens losing value through that enjoyment. Having said that, I have to look at what I’m *really* saying here, though: what I choose to collect and what I feel compelled to buy is not about modesty or practicality: it is about my IDENTITY. My values and who I believe myself to be. My style and how I want to present myself. What I prioritize and take into consideration first and foremost when making not just decisions about writing utensils, but everything I admire and hold close, and spend time and money on.
I’m a Vector Collector, but ENJOYING writing with my pens is probably always going to take precedence over “collecting”. Unless my finances improve and I’m able to collect Limited Edition Taccia Maki-e pens … but even then I know I would want to actually WRITE with those beauties far more than preserve them in pristine condition.
I believe in taking personal intimate pleasure in beautiful things: PENS ARE MADE TO WRITE WITH! I think it’s sort of diseased to collect beautiful machines and not use them, like fancy cars sitting in garages with engines that never get oily.
Toys are to play with, pens are to write with, and cars are for zooming around. And “collecting” is a system for representing and safeguarding more of who we are and what is important to us than some of us may want to admit.
What do your collections show about you?
*2025 update: since I wrote this years ago, I had the extreme unexpected pleasure of being gifted a very generous assortment of fountain pens in price ranges that hadn’t previously been accessible to me. I have even gotten brave enough to ink a few of them up and add them into my regular rotation. Experiencing these truly next-level fine writing instruments has been morphing my mind and making me question my identity. Now I am hoping to level myself up along with my more expensive collection of pens because WOW – pricier pens actually are an EXTRA pleasure to write with!
