The event where everyone is obsessed, or a photo report on the II. Hungary Pen Show
On November 16, the largest domestic event for stationery collectors, the Hungary Pen Show, was held for the second time. The event's organizers, Máté Bikfalvi and Sándor Pethő, had been working for months to ensure that this year's meeting not only maintained the results and virtues of the first Pen Show but also surpassed them in many respects.
A month before the event, on the Pens&Watches Facebook page, the organizers published a call for volunteers from the group members. Since I am considered a veteran (I also participated in the first domestic pen show), I gladly signed up.
On the morning of the event, I arrived at the agreed time with my little girl. By then, there was already a great hustle and bustle: the exhibitors were cheerfully arranging their goods. I saw many familiar faces in the hall, but there were also some unknown ones.
At the opening, a huge line formed, and we were pleased to see that alongside the cat exhibition and the „How to Tame a Man” conference, the II. Hungary Pen Show also attracted a lot of interest.
Along with the entrance ticket, there was a gift from the Pens Shop: everyone received Maruman spiral notebooks upon entry. The organizers also prepared a small prize draw: anyone who rolled a six with the dice won one of the 100 branded gift bags. The Artists' shop, Pentel, and the Drawer Shop offered a package that included a Preppy 03 fountain pen, a Maxiflo whiteboard marker, a Point Stick Solid Highlighter, and a Leuchtturm A6 dotted softcover notebook.
More exhibitors, a more colorful crowd
A total of 36 exhibitors attended this year's event, significantly more than last year. In addition to Hungary, manufacturers and brand owners were represented from neighboring Romania, Slovenia, and the more distant Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Italy, and Turkey. Miss Kimchi's Korean Workshop does not exactly promote a neighboring country, yet K-Pop has become unavoidable in our country as well.
Béla Mudrák (Pens Shop) once again arrived with wonderful Japanese stationery, fountain pens, and inks. Béla naturally did not forget his legendary Japanese fountain pen collection at home, which anyone could admire during the event.
The Pens Shop has an incredible selection of inks that cannot be found elsewhere, as well as fantastic quality Maruman and Nakabayashi stationery and notebooks. They brought homemade sushi for lunch.
A The Shirokuma online store constantly has a large crowd at its table: I can hear Szabi's voice and laughter as he recommends a writing instrument or explains to the interested parties. Based on last year's experiences, Szabolcs and his team also brought retro Japanese fountain pens – much to the delight of the visitors. I try several times to get closer to the table, where at one point even Csaba Kiss, the event's master of ceremonies, helps out, but I am not successful.
Szabi tries to take a short exploratory walk at the other exhibitors' stands, stretching into the late afternoon, but the arrival of new customers calls him back.
„It starts at sixty thousand, but then negotiate my eye.”
- suggests to one of the interested parties. In the end, this does not happen, as he himself starts to lower the price and offers a „Godfather deal” that is even below half...
At the Shirokuma table, we finally acquire autumn-colored Zebra gel pens with my daughter, whose pen body is exactly the same color as the ink inside. The Japanese don't mess around... At my daughter's encouragement, our treasure list is further expanded with an electrically buzzing eraser. Szabi explains that this allows for more precise erasing. I remain skeptical, but I don't need to be convinced here... :)
Balázs Szili I listen to the conversation at (szibapen) stand: Balázs is a soft-spoken, modest man who is currently showing a fountain pen to one of the visitors, if I understand correctly, stabilized wood is the material. Balázs arrived alone at the II. Hungary Pen Show, so one of the helpers, Kanik Kristóf, assists at the Szibapen stand.
A Pentel Bubán Brigitta also participated in the event again, showcasing the brand's brush markers to interested parties. The EnerGel ballpoint pens were available for testing and purchase in the full color palette. My friend Csaba showed me a special mechanical pencil at the Pentel stand, which is considered one of the brand's flagships - there will soon be an article about it.
A timeless hobby for students as well
„I can only sell the pen if I can also help with its maintenance and repair.” - he states Marco Tagliani who arrived with a visually stunning OMAS fountain pen collection. The Italian brand was active from the nineties until 2016.
The lavish collection showcases a wide range of styles from the 12-sided pen body to the curved, organic design, but I also learn from Marco that the internal structural solutions are just as diverse. There are also industrially designed fountain pens, but Omas designers often came up with timeless, easily repairable, handcrafted solutions as well; innovation is one of the brand's cornerstones - he tells.
„My task is to hand over a well-functioning pen to my customer, which does not cause frustration. And if a problem arises with one of the fountain pens, I help with its repair and maintenance.”.
At the stand next to him Carla Mortensen and Tom Westerich I admired the antique writing instruments of (penboard.de) last year as well.
This year, Tom also brought a pen flea market to the II. Hungary Pen Show in various price categories, which was particularly popular among visitors.
Carla teaches English as a foreign language at a French university. She emphasizes the importance of engaging young people.
„When I teach schoolchildren, I bring them fountain pens. It is our task to show them the beauty of handwriting,” she says.
At the always cheerful Michael Vondrasek's (Michael mag schöne Dinge) table, I am amazed: I find rare and special modern Montblanc fountain pens, interesting Lamy Safari writing instruments, as well as gold nibs and incredible watches.
The Pisz Studio arrived in Budapest with handcrafted calligraphy tools. Marcin and his partner came from Poland and brought their own handmade, reimagined dip pens, pen holder stands, and ink pots.
Antique fountain pens and writing instruments
Ferenc Heisz and his sons They arrived with pre-war, mostly Hungarian writing tools, pencils, and pens. I also saw technical historical wonders on their table: for example, mechanical pencil sharpeners. The time travel among the many tapper, mechanical pencils, ink pots, pen holder stands, paper clips, and other office supplies was particularly enjoyable. Ferenc stood in front of the counter explaining and showcasing the special old writing and office supplies to interested visitors.
Those who had time to linger at the table could discover surprising items in the offer: an ink pot shaped like a cowboy hat, a carved chicken pencil sharpener, or even a table decoration shaped like a fountain pen.
Zoltán Kovács The indispensable figure of pen fairs is the pen collector and fountain pen repairer. Zoli brought his grandfather's collection again this year, as well as a truly unique pre-war Montblanc collection. The rare and special writing instruments placed in the showcase also attracted many interested visitors.
Zoli naturally also sold fountain pens: I discovered numerous Montblanc, Pelikan, Parker, and Waterman fountain pens and pen sets at his stand, both old and new.
The new exhibitor in the vintage section György Bukovecz There was someone who brought rare pencils, fountain pens, and notebooks from before the war to the II. Hungary Pen Show. I have never seen so many antique pencils and pencil boxes in one place – nor have I seen unopened, liter-sized fountain pen inks until now.
Zsolt Kass returned home from Cyprus and clearly did not arrive empty-handed: at his table, I see an incredible amount of modern Montblanc writing instruments, all made in the last 30 years, in NOS condition. I also discover several limited editions at his stand.
Zsolt also brought a lot of accessories (collector boxes, pen holders, ink containers) with him. However, the long line at his stand is not due to the „king category” writing instruments: most people are curious about the used fountain pens poured into the boxes. Apparently, these „pen diggers” are particularly popular this year...
Forty hours of obsession
About the obsession Balázs Rokolya, the founder of Aeris Wings, could also speak about it. I try to guess what composite metal might be the base of his rings, but it turns out that he mixes metal powder with ceramics in different proportions and bakes it to perfection at 1400 degrees.
„The material solidifies and remains stable even under double the thermal load – he adds.
I am amazed by the processing and setting of the gemstones. They are eye-catching and even attractive to the male eye. Moreover, they do not come into direct contact with the skin, making the ring extremely durable: it can even stay on the hand while bathing or washing dishes.
How much time, attention, and expertise is needed to create these writing instruments in a manufacturing environment! There are forty working hours in that fountain pen decorated with a fish scale-shaped wire frame, which arrived from Varaždin, Slovenia. Goran Branovich (Brago Wood) presents at his stand. He says all this with such naturalness that I am amazed. How much time, attention, and expertise is needed to create these writing instruments in a manufacturing environment!
In my astonishment, I share with Kamila, who visited from the neighboring Writing with Wood stand. She and her husband came from Jarnoltowek, from the part of Poland bordering the Czech Republic. They closed their webshop for just one day due to the Budapest exhibition. I saw wonderful handcrafted pens at their stand.
Izabella Binder This is the second time I have come to the pen show in Hungary. Binders Notebooks is truly a refreshing addition to the paper products market. During our conversation, we quickly move from the colorful, large-patterned notebook covers to the inner papers.
I learned that they work with two types of paper: the snow-white Munken Pure sheets are used for premium printed publications, but they also use a special recycled paper that incorporates jute or coffee grounds. The latter is more colorful because the eco-friendly process whitens the components less.
At the Capillaris stand, there is also a familiar figure: Zsolt Pataki an aircraft designer engineer enthusiastically tells my friend's sons that the material of the Capillaris fountain pen is made from the same titanium used to construct aircraft bodies.
This stand is special in that it is minimalist: there are one or two posters, as well as sample pieces showcasing the evolution of the Capillaris fountain pen (and some rejects). No more is needed, as the creator is responsible for the storytelling.
Community building with a pen and ink
Gábor Megyeri and Péter Megyeri from Etelburg also came to the Pen Show for the second time. Their professional photographer accompanied them, and they emphasized their professionalism with a large screen video at their stand. Gábor and Péter are very approachable, it is a pleasure to sit down with them and handle, try out the various Etelburg models.
9. The Uni the Japanese stationery distributor represented itself this time with Uni Ball ballpoint pens and Uni Chalk liquid chalk. Dávid Csesznegi-Fényes stated that Telér Trade has been dealing with the distribution of Japanese stationery in Hungary for nearly 30 years. One of their most popular products, the Posca marker, is not here right now because they deemed it far from the interest of the fountain pen community. I hope they bring it with them next year...
9. The Urban Sketchers Budapest is a truly refreshing and inspiring initiative – they organize joint drawing and painting sessions for civilians at various points in the city. Their next meeting will be at the Párisi Udvar. Anyone who wants to draw or paint in an enthusiastic team can join. Based on their exhibited works, I wholeheartedly recommend it to everyone...
Unique and unrepeatable
Balázs Varga from Phestom Watch Works- presented the impressive pocket watch integrations. He mentioned that the first integrations were made by the major watch brands themselves. Balázs and his team approach each pocket watch with great humility and expertise, reinterpreting them. This is how each project becomes unique and unrepeatable.
Gábor Bazsali, the founder of Lineworkart created a drawing installation from a modified engraving machine, which was a true performance art in the hustle and bustle. In the stimulus-overloaded exhibition space, it was refreshing to rest the eyes on the machine that drew even circles at regular intervals.
A similarly relaxing experience was selecting from Zoltán Mészáros's leather cases and wooden desk accessories.
Katalin Gáspár held graphological consultations in one corner of the exhibition hall. You may know her if you read Harmonet or the KKV marketing Facebook group, of which she is one of the moderators.
I really liked the Fiók Shop stand as well, where customers also had the opportunity to be a little bit of a pen maker: anyone could assemble a fountain pen in a specific color (not available commercially) from KAWECO Sport parts.
More pens, fewer cats next year
Just like at the first pen show, calligraphy was a defining element of the current event. The organizers wisely decided to hold the workshops in a separate room, so the activities requiring attention and focus took place in an adjacent room.
Of course, with the entry ticket, everyone could participate in the calligraphy workshops, where one could meet professionals such as Dezső Buzogány, manoeye, or Julcsi (Handwritten Emotion), who showcased the beauties of this genre through calligraphy workshops.
The organizers also prepared a world record attempt: Péter Pászti (Pászti Works) calligrapher wrote down 8970 Gothic letters during the 8 hours of the II. Hungary Pen Show opening hours. A true fanatic! – I said to my clubmate standing next to me, to which he gestured around the hall and asked: is there anyone here who isn't?
Péter Pászti focused solely on this from the opening until 5 PM, writing for 55 minutes each hour and taking a 5-minute break. The visitor who guessed the closest to the number of characters written won the special fountain pen offered by one of the event's organizers, Pendors.
Sándor Pethő, one of the main organizers, rushed through the event in an elegant vest, managing the sales and the other exhibitors' various matters. Pendors I lingered at his table with the P52 fountain pens, where I could finally admire the titanium ringed ebonite pieces. Sándor prepared at least 100 handmade fountain pens for this day, alongside other writing instruments.
Máté Bikfalvi, owner of our country's only ink manufactory, arrived with a colorful ink collection. Alongside inks of the most diverse shades, Pennonia he brought TWSBI and KAWECO fountain pens with him.
The event Csaba Kiss was closed by the hall master at 6 PM: this marked the end of the official program. From Marco's suitcase, special Italian meats, olive oil, excellent wines, and heavenly parmesan were revealed at this time.
The laid table quickly gathered the exhibitors and organizers, who happily continued their informal conversations.
Preparing: III. Hungary Pen Show
The 2025 Hungary Pen Show is planned by Máté and Sándor for the end of November. This time it will not coincide with the cat show, to avoid misunderstandings. There was a visitor who bought a ticket and then realized moments later that these items certainly do not meow…
However, among the visitors of the „How to Tame a Man” conference, there was someone who paid their respects at the Pen Show. Could this also be a way to tame a man?
Do you feel today was successful? – I asked Sanyi towards the end of the day.
„As far as I'm concerned, yes – he said, but the most important thing now is the exhibitors” opinion, that they are satisfied and want to come back next year. And of course, the visitors' as well. We hope they will join us again next year!"
I apologize if I missed someone, I will try to exchange a few words with everyone next year 🙂
Thanks for the professional help and proofreading to Csaba Kiss!
