Hi everyone!

Lamy is an incredible brand of pens that we have done wonderfully with over the years.  They have so many pens that range from your everyday writers to some more forward looking, advanced, modern pens.

In a year that has included such high-profile appearances as a key prop in a scene in The Expendables 2, a spot on Tonight With Jay Leno and a plot role in a major soap opera in Korea, Montegrappa has crowned its centenary year with its most high-profile coverage yet. On October 18th, Montegrappa CEO Giuseppe Aquila was a guest of Deirdre Bolton on Bloomberg Television's Money Moves, to discuss “luxury at your fingertips.”

In conversation with Ms. Bolton, Giuseppe explained both the fascination with pens and how they have become objects of desire with price tags now surpassing $100,000. Among the limited editions seen on the program were the Centennial Dragon, which he explained as needing six months to produce, the product of “teamwork” that might include 10-12 people working on the same pen.  When asked who used such writing instrument, Giuseppe recounted how Boris Yeltsin used a Montegrappa Dragon to sign the documents that handed over power to Vladimir Putin.

Other pens discussed during Giuseppe’s impressive news segment included the Bruce Lee Dragon pen and the Chaos pen designed by Sylvester Stallone, culminating in the unveiling of Montegrappa’s “Million Dollar” Centennial Pen, and the revelation that a Montegrappa pen was auctioned for $8.5m.In the context of the Bloomberg network and its sophisticated audience of those who operate in the world of finance, one can only imagine that its regular viewers now see pens as wise investments.

To enjoy this fascinating segment with Montegrappa’s CEO, please go online to access the interview tagged, “See The Montegrappa Pens That Cost $100,000” at:

 http://www.bloomberg.com/video/montegrappa-pens-luxury-at-your-fingertips-pgDEMCHXQ3W8MYgQeLszaQ.html

As many of you who live and shop here in the store know White Flint mall where Bertram's Inkwell is located is going to be torn down and the whole property is going to be redeveloped. I'll be moving the store when the center closes down but hope to return when the project is complete. This articale appeared a Bethesda News board and will give you some information on the project.

http://www.bethesdanow.com/2012/10/24/white-flint-sketch-shows-scope-of-development/?utm_source=BethesdaNow.com+Afternoon+Update&utm_campaign=3212767e45-BethesdaNow.com+Afternoon+Update&utm_medium=email

Hey folks!

I just want to share with you this article in today's Wall Street Journal.  Bertram's Inkwell is a big fan of Faber Castell products.  They have some amazing writing instruments, everything from fountain pens to roller balls and ballpoints.  But what they're most known for is their pencils.  The incredible quality of their pencils are unprecedented whether it's their all wood Perfect Pencils or the mechanical ones.  Check out the article below.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444180004578016780042440110.html

 In 1761, Kaspar Faber started to produce pencils in Stein, near Nuremberg. When the fourth generation, my great-grandfather - Baron Lothar von Faber - took over the company in 1839 he turned the pencil into a true quality product and the world's first branded writing instrument. Over the centuries, he and his descendants created remarkable products, and it was a personal challenge for me to rediscover the past and to transfer it to the present with timeless design and modern technology. The result is the Graf von Faber-Castell Collection, a range of extraordinary writing instruments and accessories. To me, they embody "Luxury in Simplicity" by combining selected materials, functionality and superb aesthetics.

I can't believe this is the 20th year for MontBlancs writers series. It all started in 1992 in New York City.  Montblanc invited their top dealers from across the USA and introduced new fixtures for dealers who were willing to partner with them.  Fixtures included 6' tall towers with a new type of lighting called halogen (imagine that, it was only 20 years ago)!  Throughout the three days we enjoyed the best food and champagne around the clock.  It was truly a remarkable event.  The Plaza Hotel where we stayed was still getting the finishing touches of gold foil on the Plaster of Paris crown molding in the lobby.  Donald Trump was still married to Ivanna and this hotel was to be their crown jewel.  How fitting that Montblanc would introduce a new series of pen paying homage to the worlds most renowned authors.  If this wasn't enough, Montblanc created the Patron of the Arts series as well. 

The first in the writer's series as many of you may know (and hunger for) was the Hemingway.  An ugly, matte orange and brown fountain pen and ball point pen, which of course looked nothing like the luxurious Meisterstuck series that we had been accustomed to know and love.  Believe it or not, the Hemingway fountain pen at $600 was not easy to sell, and the ballpoint at $325 was equally challenging in 1992.  Fast forward to 2012.  For a series that was originally only planned for 10 years, we have now reached 20 years with no end in sight.  For 2012, Montblanc pays homage to Jonathan Swift.  He is the author of such great works as Gulliver's Travels, A Modest Proposal, A Journal to Stella, Drapier's Letters, The Battle of the Books, An Argument Against Abolishing Christianity, and A Tale of a Tub.  Here is what Wikipedia has to say about Jonathan Swift:   http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Swift

The series consists of four writing modes:  12,800 fountain pens worldwide were made with an 18k gold nib in various nib widths and a piston filling system, 8,800 rollerballs worldwide were made with the same size and dimensions as the fountain pen (rollerballs were not made in the original writers series except for once in 1997  with the Dostoevsky collection where 6300 were made and resumed making them some years later for the Thomas Mann and have continued to make them since), 14,600 twist-action ballpoint pens worldwide were made, and the matching mechanical pencil to the ballpoint were made in .7mm (not sold individually).  These pens are also sold in 2 versions of 3-piece sets consisting of fountain pen, roller ball, and mechanical pencil, or fountain pen, ballpoint, and mechanical pencil. 

Prices on these are comparable to years past.  Please feel free to contact me for further information.