The day this post goes live — January 9, 2026 — marks 10 years since I bought my first fountain pen. That’s a significant milestone, and a bit hard for me to process.
Granted, as I’ve said before, I didn’t dive headfirst down the rabbit hole. 2016 only saw me buy two pens, although I got a third as a gift. But, that first pen is what got the ball rolling.
And what was that momentous — although I didn’t know it then — purchase? A red-nibbed Platinum Preppy with a 03 nib bought at Bertram’s Inkwell for a whopping $4.22.
Now, in a normal situation, I’d have a lovely photo here of the pen in question. Sadly, however, it disappeared in our 2017 move. To this day, it’s the only pen I’ve lost. If you joined the fountain pen world after 2018(ish), then you may not be familiar with the previous version of Preppy that had nibs coated to match the cap and ink color. Check out this review from A Better Desk for some good photos.
Jim had fountain pens, and I was curious about them, even though, at the time, I was a mechanical pencil devotee. It was that red nib that caught my attention and ultimately convinced me to buy it.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t love at first write.
Part of why I was such an avid user of pencils at the time was my perfectionist streak — you can erase pencil mistakes. I had a hard time accepting cross-outs.
I also had a pencil-appropriate journal when I bought the Preppy. The paper was not fountain pen friendly. After I finished that journal, however, I bought a Rhodia Goalbook, and that made a world of difference.
It wasn’t long before I bought my second fountain pen (the Dark Lilac Lamy Safari) and two bottles of ink (Diamine Aqua Lagoon and Meadow). It was the ink that truly won me over. I don’t remember exactly what other bottles of ink I bought in 2016 — one of them was Organics Studio Jane Austen — but as I got more ink, I borrowed Jim’s Preppys so that I could have multiple ink colors available at once.
Of course, as I mentioned before, my little collection didn’t grow much in 2016. I think I had 4, maybe 5 bottles of ink and three pens. I don’t remember anymore what changed between May(ish) of 2016 and March of 2017. I went from happily using my two (and later three) pens and borrowing Jim’s to purchasing more of my own. I’m guessing that I got more ink and wanted to have more colors available at once. But, the rest is history.
I could never have imagined what a big part fountain pens would play in my life on that unassuming day a decade ago. Jim had no idea what monster he was helping create. But I’m very happy that I’m here now, that I get to be part of such an awesome community.
Thanks for a great decade, I look forward to the next one!
How long has it been since you bought your first fountain pen? Was it love at first write? Let me know in the comments! I’d love to hear from you.
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