As I write this article, I'm counting the days until this year's Washington DC Fountain Pen Supershow, the largest fountain pen event on the planet. For the first time in years, we will have our own table, and we'll be bringing the most extensive collection of store-exclusive items we've ever assembled, including our 2026 DC Pen Show-exclusive Tono & Lims ink and the latest in our very popular Retro 51 Raven series. I look forward to the DC Show all year, but this year the buzz of excitement in our store is palpable, with so many teammates involved and several of them attending their first show.
We have plenty of surprises planned for our table in Room 4, including a scavenger hunt with fountain pen prizes, and two raffles: a Montblanc StarWalker Blue Planet fountain pen ($690 value) and a Montblanc umbrella ($150 value). I'll also be teaching two sessions of my "Get the Point!" seminar, inspired by my article about Pilot's Vast Array of Nib Offerings, with help from my friend Bill Pearcy, our Pilot representative. Meanwhile, Kristi and Ali will be debuting their own seminar, "Your WRITE Beginning to Fountain Pens." Most importantly, we are looking forward to talking with a lot of YOU and gushing over our shared love of fountain pens, ink, and stationery! We can't wait to see you there!
I don't know exactly which exclusives we will bring--there are so many, we may not have room for all of them!--but I've assembled a preview so you can plan which ones to keep an eye out for. If you can't make it to the show, or if a particular item doesn't make it onto our table, you can still find it in our store or order it on our website.
Poe-inspired Retro 51s and Rickshaw
One of our most beloved store-exclusive series pays tribute to local literary legend Edgar Allan Poe, who lived in Baltimore at various times throughout his life and is buried just thirty minutes from Pen Boutique. Since introducing our first The Raven-inspired Retro 51 Tornado in 2020, we've collaborated with Retro 1951 on five numbered limited editions inspired by The Raven, as well as two additional releases celebrating other works by Poe. Several have also been accompanied by matching fountain pens, Rickshaw pen cases, and other coordinating accessories.
Poe was one of my biggest literary inspirations when I was a teenager, so this series has always been especially meaningful to me. The creative artwork and collectible nature of each release have made them favorites with both our customers and our staff.
Our newest release, Raven 5, is limited to 500 rollerballs and draws inspiration from the haunting illustrations created by French artist Gustave Doré for a special 1884 edition of The Raven. The design features the ornate angel and symbolic details from the book's cover, which echo the poem's themes of loss, mortality, and fading hope. The iconic raven on the finial provides a final nod to Poe's famous poem.
We're also bringing a limited number of our Dream Within a Dream Retro 51 Tornado rollerballs, released in December, 2025. Designed by Pen Boutique owner Leena Shrestha-Menon as a tribute to her late father, this edition pairs celestial blues, warm sand tones, and antique brass accents to create a peaceful dreamscape inspired by one of Poe's most poignant poems.
To complement these releases, Rickshaw Bagworks has created matching pen sleeves and Sinclair cases for several of the designs, and we've also produced coordinating fountain pen-friendly notebooks with Denik.
Available Products:
- Raven 5 Tornado Rollerball
- Raven 5 Single Pen Sleeve
- Raven 5 Sinclair Triple Pen Case
- Raven 5 Classic Denik Notebook
- Raven 4 Single Pen Sleeve
- Raven 4 Sinclair Triple Pen Case
- Raven 3 Sinclair Triple Pen Case
- Dream Within a Dream Tornado Rollerball
- Dream Within a Dream Single Pen Sleeve
Diplomat Aero Olive Drab
I'm especially excited about our first store-exclusive Diplomat Aero, Olive Drab. The name and color were chosen in part to honor our military and express our deep appreciation for their service, but the pen itself is anything but drab. The glossy muted olive green pairs beautifully with matte gold trim, an accent choice rarely seen on the Aero, making this edition even more distinctive.
I also love the gorgeous two-tone nib design, which is usually reserved for Diplomat's 14K gold nibs. One commenter on our Instagram post even called it "literally the best looking Diplomat edition I've ever seen." I have to agree, it's a stunning take on Diplomat's iconic Zeppelin-inspired Aero.
To learn more about the Aero, check out my article, Diplomat's Eye-Catching Aero, or look for my upcoming Laura's Loupe episode on YouTube!
BENU Talisman Batti
Our Batti Talisman shimmers with a warm glow inspired by the light of a flickering flame and radiates a feeling of peace. This is a difficult pen to photograph, and I've always felt that studio photos and the fluorescent lighting in our store don't do it justice. When I brought one home for this article and looked at it in the natural light from my window, I was stunned by how beautiful it really is. Each pen is individually numbered as part of a limited edition of just 300 pieces.
Batti, short for Lakh Batti, means "one hundred thousand lamps," a sacred ritual that has been practiced for centuries in Nepal and throughout the Himalayan region. During the ceremony, devotees light thousands of butter lamps in temples and monasteries, each flame symbolizing a prayer for peace, wisdom, and good fortune. Inspired by this beautiful tradition, which Pen Boutique owner Leena practices herself, Pen Boutique's much-loved social media personality, Leila, collaborated with BENU to create the Talisman Batti, bringing that same spirit of light and hope into everyday writing.
True to the Talisman collection, the resin is infused with dried wicks related to the lamp ritual, creating a symbolic connection between the pen and the tradition that inspired it.
Monteverde MP1 "Lucky" Mint Green
The MP1 is named for its status as the first internal piston fountain pen ever produced by Monteverde USA, and introduced Monteverde's unique "Lock-It" mechanism, which locks the piston knob between fills to prevent accidental turning that can sometimes lead to leaks in piston-filling fountain pens. Our store-exclusive color, "Lucky" Mint Green, is the perfect shade of soft spearmint, and I love the way its satiny anodized aluminum finish catches the light.
"Lucky" is also available in a gift set paired with a matching Aluminum Anodized Cylinder Pen Holder. The sleek desk stand is precision-machined from a single block of durable aluminum and designed to fit the MP1 perfectly. Both the pen and holder have a refreshing minimalist silhouette and a finish that resists scratches, fingerprints, and everyday wear.
Delta Duna Holi Rang
Our most colorful exclusive this year is, appropriately enough, named for Holi Rang, the vibrant colors of the gulal powders and colored water used during the joyous Festival of Colors celebrated across the South Asian subcontinent. Holi is one of Pen Boutique owner Leena's favorite holidays, and she told me that it's a time of renewal, of mending conflicts, and of letting down traditional barriers and having fun together. It marks the triumph of light over darkness, the arrival of spring, and the joy of human connection through color, laughter, and forgiveness.
The Duna is a new model from Delta, with a vintage-modern style, classic rolling ball clip and conical tip, as well as a piston-filling mechanism and ink window, so you can add even more color by choosing a vivid ink to play off one of the many colors of Jonathon Brooks' Primary Manipulation 5.0 resin. Like beautifully unrestrained gulal in the air, no two pens are ever alike. As you turn the pen in your hand, the shimmering mix of magenta, turquoise, violet, orange, yellow, blue, and green shifts like clouds of powder tossed into the sky—moments of joy frozen in motion. This is a pen that is impossible to capture in a photo! Holi Rang is a limited edition of 150 numbered pieces, and each pen comes with a signed and hand-numbered warranty card from the Delta factory in Naples.
Delta DV Original Verde Serpente
Limited to just 50 pens, DV Original Verde Serpente ("Green Snake") features a stunning custom resin poured by Jonathon Brooks of the Carolina Pen Company. Pen Boutique secured the last of this now sold-out resin for the project, ensuring that no future pens can be made from the same material. Delta CEO Nino Marino described it as "a version created exclusively for Pen Boutique [that], in my opinion, boasts some of the finest color effects ever seen." I have to admit, I was thrilled to hear him say that about one of our exclusives.
I have to agree. Subtly mottled in shades of olive green, pine green, teal, and cobalt blue, with delicate silver shimmer throughout, the material has remarkable depth. Combined with the DV Original's strong proportions and elegant details, the pen projects a look of calm strength and confidence.
To dive deeper into the DV Original, read my article, The Story of Delta and Its Iconic DV Original.
Aurora Optima Sogno del Mare
The store exclusive I was most excited about in our 21st Anniversary collection was our first-ever collaboration with Aurora: Optima Sogno del Mare, Italian for "Dream of the Sea." Named by Pen Boutique owner Raj Menon, this breathtaking limited edition of just 111 pens is crafted from hand-finished marbled Auroloide inspired by the ever-changing turquoise waters of the Mediterranean. The edition size of 111 pens commemorates our 21st anniversary on 11-11-2025. As a special honor, numbers 1 and 111 were added to Aurora's Officina della Scrittura museum collection.
The Optima has long been one of my favorite fountain pens, and I think the material Leena and Raj selected makes this edition truly unforgettable. I love turning it in the light and getting lost in the incredible depth and chatoyancy. The swirling blues and greens are stunning in any light, but especially luminous in the sun. Although I'm usually pleased with the photos I take for my blog articles, this is one pen whose beauty is nearly impossible to capture in a photograph. I did my best.
You can read more about the Optima in the in-depth article I wrote in 2024.
A Cornucopia of Conklins
This has been a busy year for Conklin! We will have four different store-exclusive Conklins at the show: Brooks Cenote Toledo, Bohemian Twilight "Light Shadow" Toledo, the Golden Blue Jay "Horizon" Duragraph, and Mystic Soul "Energy" Symetrik, which is available with two different trim color options. Although all four pens are numbered limited editions featuring beautiful Jonathon Brooks resin, they are priced under $225, something Leena specifically wanted so that our store-exclusive fountain pens would be more attainable for collectors throughout their fountain pen journey. Each pen is unique, with its own distribution of colors and swirl pattern, and its limited edition number embossed on the back of the cap.
The Conklin Toledo was inspired by Toledo, Ohio, the city where Conklin began in 1898. It features Conklin's patented 1916 spring rocker clip, which can be gently pinched open to attach securely to thicker materials without scraping.
Brooks' beautiful Cenote resin (pronounced "Sen-oh-tay") was inspired by the mystical blue sinkholes of Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. Rich cobalt blue, swirls of green, and flashes of shimmering yellow create a mesmerizing effect that makes me want to jump right in.
Our "Light Shadow" exclusive uses Brooks' Bohemian Twilight resin, a rich swirl of shimmering warm copper, royal purple, black, and teal, offset by shiny gold trim.
Introduced in 1923 as "the definitive pen," the slightly slimmer and longer Duragraph was designed to emphasize durability and also features the crisp flat ends characteristic of the era. Our Golden Blue Jay "Horizon" combines deep blues and soft caramel tones, beautifully complemented by rose gold-plated trim.
The slimmer, rounded Symetrik offers a refreshing silhouette that feels very different from the blunt-ended Toledo and Duragraph. Inspired by the vintage Conklin Endura Symetrik of 1931, it has a comfortable size comparable to a Sailor 1911L and a satisfying weight thanks to its metal grip section and trim. Our Mystic Soul "Energy" exclusive features shimmering electric cobalt blue resin with a choice of rose gold or gunmetal trim, giving the pens two very different personalities.
Ink, Stationery, and Accessories!
As I mentioned, we are also very excited to be debuting our first collaboration with Tono & Lims, Capital Dusk. Created exclusively for the 2026 DC Pen Show, this beautiful limited-edition 30ml fountain pen ink is a rich, dusky bordeaux inspired by our the nation's capital at nightfall. If we have any left after the show, we will make it available in our store and online!
Other store-exclusive inks, stationery, and accessories include the Dominant Industry x Pen Boutique Raven Series inks, "Quoth The Raven" and "Lenore's Lament," our extensive collection of beautiful Yak Leather pen cases, handmade Pencil Bags featuring authentic Sherpa cloth, and our Monk Paper handmade lokta stationery from Nepal, which you can learn more about in my article. I didn't have time to photograph everything, but I hope this preview has been helpful. When I look over all the exclusives we have now, it amazes me how much our collection has grown in just the past several years. I can't wait to see what's next!
If you are able to attend, please stop and say hello to Pierce, Erika, Kristi, Ali, and me at the show, and of course Pen Boutique owners Leena and Raj! You may even spot some other staff members in the wild. After all, it's a pen show! Even if we aren't working, we are all pen lovers, and it's hard to stay away. I'll be around all weekend, and I hope to see you there!
-Laura P.
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