There is just something about a handwritten note — the intimacy, the elegance, the precision. It’s why fountain pens have stood the test of time, even in the digital age.
Many great works of literature were penned the old-fashioned way, and this fountain pen set — the result of a collaboration between two German manufacturers — includes hand-written notes from two great authors.
Waldmann has been crafting writing instruments for over 100 years; the company was founded in 1918 in Pforzheim, the traditional German jewelry metropolis in the Black Forest, as a production site for gold and silver mechanical pencils.
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The production of fountain pens followed and, to this day, Waldmann still manufactures all of its instruments in Germany.
The company has partnered with Sekrè, a German luxury handbag company that creates ‘handbags with a secret.’ The not-so-guarded secret is that each bag contains fragments of original handwritten documents by notable historical figures such as Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens.
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There was some outcry about these documents being used in this way; however, many of the bags (which cost up to $7,500) have already sold.
Waldmann and Sekrè have combined their expertise to create a limited-edition fountain pen set. The Dame of Swan Court edition holds an original piece of writing by Agatha Christie; the set is limited to just 38 pieces. Private Eye of Baker Street includes a letter written by Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, and is limited to only 23 pieces.
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Each set is presented in an elegant case made from precious wood and holds a handcrafted fountain pen made of solid sterling silver with an 18-karat gold nib and a diamond of flawless quality. Every pen is a numbered and unique specimen, as are the handwritten artifacts.
The original letters were procured after 14 months and a search around the world by Sekrè; the letters were eventually acquired in the USA and in England. The entire process was accompanied, recorded and certified by a notary public. All fragments are firmly embedded in the wooden cases and secured under acrylic glass.
From $22,200, waldmannpen.com
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This article appears in the 04 Mar 2024 issue of the New Statesman, Spring 2024
