The Pen Show

The launch of the Scriptus Pen Show in Toronto is what inspired me to start this website and blog and as such it coincides with the 3rd Toronto Scriptus Pen & Writing Show on Sunday October 30 2017. The team of Philip Akin and David Armstrong have started a great initiative with their team in bringing back a pen show back to Toronto.  Kudos to their whole team for such a successful management and promotion of the last two shows and I am confident that this show which was sold out by the beginning of August is going to be another great show and a new feather of success in their cap.

I can go back as far as the mid-eighties when I originally arrived in Toronto and became aware of some gatherings of pen enthusiasts under the guidance of one Stephen Overbury.  Those of us who go back that far will remember Stephen Overbury to be a passionate pen collector of his day and actually ran a successful business in fine and rare pens.  He was a writer in is own right and has written a few books business research techniques.  He then went on to write Namiki: The Art of Japanese Lacquer Pens with Julia Hutt.  Come the early nineties a gentleman by the name of Julian Papier appeared on the scene wanting to form a collector’s club/society of pen lovers.  I remember being invited to the ‘Library’ room at the Royal York Hotel one weekend;  for the first meeting to form a club.  A number of prominent collectors that Julian found and invited to initiate this club.  I happened to be the only retailer there.  This was the beginning of the Canadian Writing Instrument Collectors Club (CWICC) with the objective of organizing an annual pen show and producing and distributing a newsletter on a regular basis.  The name of the newsletter was ‘Write-On’ and I believe I may still have some old copies which I will post it here in the coming days. It was a project that took off in a great way.   We went on to invite other retailers to become members and come and exhibit and show at the pen show.  The first show was held at The Old Mill in the Queensway area of Toronto.  That was quite a show.  The organization continued to grow under the leadership of Julian Papier till one day he decided to leave the country.  This was after maybe 7 or 8 shows and by the last quarter the organization was defunct and no more shows.  A few years later, we all in the pen fraternity encouraged one pen collector and enthusiasts by the name of Bob Bridge.  Bob was a great guy and he took the bull by the horn and organized a show at the International Centre in a huge hall.  He managed to bring in quite a few exhibitors and was able to coax Richard Binder to come to the show for 2 years!  It was exciting times.  Unfortunately, after a few show poor Bob Bridge passed away ~ may he rest in peace.  His daughter, Shari Bridge took over and tried a few different venues in the city including the Casa Loma and the Hilton at the airport.  It really was not her passion or forte and she wanted to continue the legacy of her father but it did not work out and once again the show was no more till the team of Akin and Armstrong came along and re-started.  I wish them great success and that they are able to continue taking this show to new heights in the coming years.

I look forward to seeing you all at the show on Sunday October 30 2017