It all started with a trip down memory lane

When I was 10 or 11, my Grandparents gave me a fountain pen as a present. This was during my school days and sadly it was stolen a few months afterwards. I was heartbroken. Then a few years ago, I had a desire to replace it – a desire to connect with my late Grandfather – and so began my quest.

Parker 45 GT

Having searched the web and my memory I discovered the pen was a blue, gold-trimmed Parker 45. I can even remember, quite clearly, visiting Pen Corner in Hull to have a new nib fitted. I wanted a fine and not a medium. I have a feeling I'd dropped the original too and had bent it out of shape. My search started to find just such a pen and after seeing their site on the web, a visit to Penfriend in London

I didn't find the pen I wanted there, but discovered the world of fountain pens again. The Parker 51, Duofold and Vacumatic. Manufacturers such as Waterman, Pelikan and Mont Blanc. It was the 51 that really grabbed me, amazed by the smoothness of the nib, the beauty of the object and the joy of writing with such a pen.

But, the 51s they stocked were beyond my budget for a fledgling hobby. I didn't leave empty handed though. A bargain bucket, Parker Duofold AF from the 1940s left with me - my choice for an everyday writer.

The 51 kept coming back to haunt me though. A few days later a trip to Ebay performed the release, in the shape of a 1950, medium nibbed 51 for just £20. This was closely followed by a 1930s Vacumatic, an Eversharp Skyline, a Parker Slimfold .... and thus began my passion.