1 FEB '12
Leather Neck Loop Pen Slot
Now back in stock in limited
supply in the classic black leather. We'll add this one soon in
other leather options, and/or fabric. Lots of leather in the
pipeline - if we can keep up production with demand.
Neck Loop Pen Slot
Received the new 40 Panther caps
In from Houston factory. Oh
man they look good (double and triple color rings). The 40 Panther
might be revitalized as our favorite FP in house....
11 JAN '12
Come see us at upcoming Pen Shows
We will be displaying the
entire Franklin-Christoph line of pens and leather at the upcoming
Philadelphia Pen Show on January 20th, 21st, and 22nd. Also at the
Los Angeles Pen Show on February 18th and 19th. We'll have plenty of
stock to sell at both shows, including a new item or three.
Connect here for more information:
Philly Pen Show
LA Pen Show
See a preliminary review video of our new 20 Pen
Case from our client Dan of FPGeeks.com
Our new 20 and 40 pen cases
are now available. Take a look at a preliminary review of the 20 pen
here. Full review to come.
20 Pen Video Review
16 DEC '11
New Boot Brown/Black Zippered Pen Cases
With a more traditional pen
case design utilizing flex bands in rows of ten, we offer these 20
pen and 40 pen cases in our popular boot leather. Each slot securely
holds pens large and small.
Zippered Pen Case Page
New Boot Black now in the P6 and P13 pen cases
The boot brown has been so
popular, we decided to develop a boot black as well. First
introduced on our notebook covers, the boot black compliments very
well with the boot brown. It doesn't mark up quite as readily, but
it is the same "distressed" and thick leather as the boot brown.
Penvelope Six Page
Lucky 13 Page
New Model 19 Fountain Pens now w/ Cherry Ice bands
Now with a slightly thinner
diameter, better threads, new clip and the exciting new Cherry Ice
acrylic bands. Rollerballs in the new version will follow soon.
Check the Stock Room for periodic listings of the original 19.
New Model 19 Fountain Pens
12 DEC '11
New Model 19 in final stages of production
Our Model "1901" has received
a makeover. Don't worry it still has the same qualities, only now
made fully in our US shop we've made a few improvements. Slightly
thinner diameter, better threads, new clip, and.... an additional
color. Stay tuned for release announcement in the coming days.
New 20 and 40 pen coming
Will be listed for sale by December 17th. Cutting it close to the
holidays, but still good for some last minute gifting. Traditional
cases with wide bands to hold pens - in our flagship boot
brown/black combination.
Model 33 Abditus out of stock
A late surge in sales on the interesting Model 33 has caught us out
of stock on this pen as of today. We'll put it in line for
production in the shop, but may be late January before we have more,
as the Argentium Silver clips have to be cast.
26 OCT '11
New Franklin-Christoph 18K Nib
We have a new 18K nib that
resembles our HP Steel nib in shape. It is solid 18K gold, rhodium
plating. The engraving brings the yellow gold within the diamond out
in relief. Available now on the 33 Abditus, and soon on the 02
Intrinsic and the 40 Panther.
21 OCT '11
The New Model 29 Lacquer Pens now available
Very similar to the 29
Diamondline, in four lacquer color combinations. The M-14 has always
been a pace setter, but we expect the M-29 to challenge for the
crown. You'll see our system on various OEM projects around the
world, but only here can you get the F-C model at direct pricing.
Model 29 Lacquer Page
With the new M-29 we announce the CRS, cartridge
roller system.
Have you ever had the need to
write with a rollerball, but still wanted to be able to use the
plethora of fountain pen inks available? Do you prefer rollerballs,
but wish there was more ink selections to choose from? We have the
solution, where you can use FP cartridges or a converter with your
rollerball - in our CRS pens. Now available with the Models 14, 27,
and 29. We'll add it to more soon.
Visit the CRS page for more info.
18 OCT '11
The New Model 25 "Eclipse" is setting records
We had fun designing this pen,
and for the first time we underestimated early sales, not once, but
twice. We make these acrylic pens in relatively smaller batches in
our facility in Houston, and are now on our fourth production run
already. It's an interesting pen to say the least.
Check out the Model 25 here.
29 July '11
Remember to come see us at the DC Pen Show
We'll be there as usual,
with our entire line, including our new Model 33 Abditus,
Model 25 Eclipse, Model 22 Fides, and the M-29 series, as well as
new leather products. Visit
PenCentral.com
for more information about the DC Show.
27 June '11
Announcing the Model 33 "Abditus"
As our own US CNC production
ramps up, we're able to offer more designs and options to the
acrylic high end portion of our line. The 33 is a special design,
whereby the barrel is completely hidden within the cap when capped.
Abditus is Latin for hidden secret - and we think apropos as a
nickname for this interesting pen.
See the Model 33 here.
Our Houston production facility now up and running
Changing currents in both currency
and the need for faster design to production cycles has led us to do
more and more US production in the last few years. We're happy to
announce we now have a special new facility set up in Houston, TX -
headed by Dan Symonds. Dan brings many years of specialized
knowledge, not only of pen making and machinery but in designing
unique CNC and milling machines both massive and small for many
specialized manufacturers in different fields. We're fortunate
to partner with him for our own production over the past year and
especially now in this new facility. Most of the newer high end
acrylic models will come out of this facility, including the 33
Abditus, among others. We'll post pictures from Houston soon.
Stock Room Alert - Tree Ring Pens
Listed on Page One of The Stock
Room, the first batch got picked up in a couple of days before we
even issued a Stock Room Alert. Hold history in your hand with one
of these incredible pens, just a few on hand.
Enter The Stock Room
11 June '11
Argentium Silver Clips now available
on 02
The Model 02 has been a
blowout success, even without offering a clip. Now, we're proud to
offer a new clip design with the 02, with a proprietary circle
spring loaded design function. Argentium Silver is still sterling
silver, but won't tarnish. This is achieved by pulling most of the
copper our of it and adding other metals to the alloy. It not only
won't tarnish in the same way, but is also harder and more durable -
perfect for a clip.
See the Model 02 page.
Raleigh Show a success
The 8th annual Raleigh Pen
Show was another success, with steady traffic on Friday, Saturday
and Sunday. It was great to see many of our clients. As usual, we
held a drawing for a $100 online gift certificate, and would like to
announce that David Chen of Durham, NC was our winner.
5 May '11
The Penvelope Six returns!
Our most popular leather piece
ever, even more than the Lucky 13 - has now returned to our lineup.
We took a little extra time and sourced some really high quality
leather, including our flagship Boot Brown. The cloth is always
tricky, but we found a very interesting Brick Red firm cloth that
contrasts nicely with the leather colors. Instead of just two, we
now have four leather options - Croc Print Brown, Boot Brown,
Classic Black and Burgundy. Note, the burgundy version comes with a
black cloth instead of the brick red. Great item to store and
transport your pens - check out the
Penvelope Six.
15 APR '11
Specialty Nibs gaining in popularity
We've been selling customized
specialty nibs for some years now. Most of you may not know that
we've always used Japanese nibmaster Michael Masuyama for all
of our custom nib work. Michael is gaining now in worldwide fame, so
we thought no better time than to start associating ourselves more
clearly with him!
We also put more detailed explanations of the different types of
customized nibs Mr. Masuyama does for us on our Specialty Nibs page,
including that our italics are essentially cursive italics, as we
have them customized. Every nib being hand ground can be slightly
different however, but we strive to offer a consistent feel so our
clients can know what to expect. For more information, please visit
the
Specialty Nib Page.
17 MAR '11
Poetry Contest Winners Announcement coming
The winners have been selected
for our 2010 Poetry Contest. Our judges are working to research to
confirm eligibility and work out publishing details. Winners will be
directly notified no later than Monday, March 21st, and the poems
published on Tuesday, March 22nd. Stay tuned !
10 MAR '11
The Model 17 retired
One of our most elegant pens,
the Model 17 is now sold out and retired. We enjoyed this pen,
as do many lucky owners, but we won't be making any more just like
we did that one. Not to worry, there will be similar models to the
17 coming down the pipeline.
The Model 29 Diamondline is a changin'
In similar news, the Model 29 Diamondline fountain pen is sold out.
We are re-designing a couple of fine points on this edition, and
plan a re-launch of the 29 Diamondline some time this summer. There
are still a handful of pieces left in RB/BP/MP right now.
Pen Shows
Good to see many of our clients in Los Angeles, in our first US Pen
Show of the year last month. Sales were brisk, and the fine pen
market looks to be stabilized. Next up for us is the
Atlanta
Pen Show, then the
Raleigh Pen Show.
4 MAR '11
The Stock Room Loaded with more than ever.
We expanded The Stock Room to
46 slots, and included over $20,000 worth of individual products for
sale. Between turning over salesman's samples, shop demos, used
pens, and a lot of Ferrari products of the same we've accumulated
over the years, we'll be loading this up periodically for much of
2011.
Visit The Stock Room.
7 Feb '11
Model 02 Intrinsic is nominated for the PenWorld
2011 Reader's Choice awards for "Easy Writer."
People are noticing the unique
design and quality writing experience of our 02 Intrinsic pens
already. The "Easy Writer" category represents the pen with the best
writing experience - which we feel after all, is precisely the point
- no pun intended.... The deep posting, well balanced pen is
sculpted for an optimized writing experience. Particularly with our
new High Performance Steel nibs. If you are a subscriber to
PenWorld, we hope you'll vote for us in this category. If you are
interested in subscribing,
visit PenWorld here.
4 Feb '11
The Frankfurt Paperworld Show
Just back from the Frankfurt
Germany Paperworld 2011 show, where we displayed the
Franklin-Christoph brand this year. It was good to see many of our
international partners, and to make new contacts. Many of our
partners and prospective partners were excited to see our newer fine
pens, including the prototypes of the Model 22 "Stockton" ballpoint,
the Model 33 "Abditus" fountain pen, and the Model 50 "Domnus"
fountain pen and rollerball. Both of these models will be released
to the market within the next 60 Days.
New Clip Update
We are making progress on our new
argentium silver spring loaded clip system. The spring system is
ready to go in the new Model 40 "Panther," and Model 02 "Intrinsic"
[not to mention the coming Model 33 "Abditus" and Model 50 "Domnus"
FPs].
However, after a test casting of 96 clips, we've decided to increase
the size of the clip, so we've re-drawn the CAD file again, and are
close to doing another casting. After that, just a little polishing,
and our new clips will be good to go. These things take time to get
just right, but we think we'll have something to offer that nobody
else can.
30 Dec '10
Model 40 Pocket Emerald Green
We had some time after
Christmas, so slipped in production of this little beauty - the
Pocket 40 in solid emerald green:
Pocket 40
15 Dec '10
Model 14 decked out in Sapphires.
Our monster seller, the M-14 magnet
pen is now available in Classic Black with 4 sapphires in the clip.
They Swarovski sapphires (real not crystal). Well priced - check
them out:
Model 14 Sapphire
Poetry Contest.
D0n't miss our poetry contest!
The deadline is Dec. 31st. $2500 in cash and prizes available.
Poetry Contest
9 Dec '10
About Nibs
Recently the question was asked of me
(Laila) about the flexibility of our nibs in gold versus steel, and
in specialty nibs versus regular. I referred this to Scott who
answered the question in detail, so I thought it worth providing
here:
"It
is a bit of a misnomer that gold nibs are more "flexible" than
steel. The bounce back that creates "flex" isn't what is really
happening. Gold nibs are softer (generally speaking), so they
more easily spread the tines with the same pressure that might
not with a steel nib. What this does is create a natural line
definition with the twists and turns, ups and downs of the
handwriting motion, so that more ink is put out in some spots,
and less in others. This definition is more prevalent with
extra-fine, and fine nibs, because with low pressure the line is
very fine, while with more pressure the line becomes thicker.
This is why many people like vintage gold fine tipped nibs,
because the gold they used in the old days was very thin, so
this "softness" was very pronounced. Today it is more subtle,
but still there. They don't make nibs that thin any more because
they were prone to bend and break without a polished touch, so
to speak.
So when you look at the medium
and broad italics or stubs, the shape of the tip is already
creating this definition for you. The softness of gold can
pronounce definition a little further, but I'd say it makes the
difference between gold and steel a bit overrated, particularly
in these italics and stubs. Also note that the
definition is different in a soft XF, or F nib than in an italic
or stub. In italics and stubs, the down strokes are thick, and
the sidestrokes are thin. This gives the handwriting a very
consistent, organized look. When you get definition from the
tines spreading the thick and thin spots are found at the
difference in pressure points of the handwriting, so are spread
out within each letter. It gives it more of a "flared script"
look, if you will. Remember too though that this kind of thing
is always subject to someone's personal handwriting. Some press
too hard for soft fine nibs at all, and some not hard enough to
create definition. Printing generally a lot less than cursive,
and so on.
Of course, gold nibs also
offer intrinsic value in the material, and cache' with the
fountain pens. Functionally though, in most nibs, steel and gold
are very close. At least as long as you are dealing with a high
quality steel nib, such as the ones we use on our pens. Our new
high performance steel nibs in particular, are very close to
gold in this regard."
[he is speaking of our new large
steel nib, now found on the 02 Intrinsic, and soon to be on the
new 40 Panther. Pictured to the right with the Old English F
within the diamond shape. Also, we have similar new
smaller steel nibs coming that will fit the Models 14, and 40
Pocket - so stay tuned for those, although the Schmidt nibs we
use now are also "high performance" steel, just in a different
design]
6 Dec '10
Model 59 is back!
Many of you may remember the popular
Model 59 pen. The one that speaks for itself and has a lot to say.
Well, he's back and better than ever. In a black chrome finish, with
three first evers for Franklin-Christoph. First pen with Sapphires,
first pen with yellow gold plating, and first pen with matte chrome
in the finish. Very special IPO Pricing going on right now - click
on the photo to access the 59 page:
We are shipping out a large volume
every day and there is still plenty of time to get your F-C gifts
for the Holidays!
Model 40 "Panther" - a new look.
The 40 has received a makeover, and
we're adding a touch of color to our black and creme pens. This
version will get the new clip soon (not much longer, we promise) so
the "New Panther" is in the clipless version right now. Check it out
by clicking on the photo:
1 Dec '10
Named our new special edition M-14
We held a contest on a chat board and
out of hundreds of entries we chose "Moonshadow Purple" for our
latest special edition color on the M-14.
Model 14 Edition
23 Nov '10
Coming Soon - a re-appearance of an old friend (pen
model).
A new iteration of a very interesting
pen character. In the house now, but announced very soon....
Retired the Model 17 "Paradox" FP
today
We're always a touch sad when
we retire a model. The 17 was a very good one for us, and a very
elegant piece. It was the third in a line of "Paradox" designs,
behind the 08 ballpoint and pencil, and the still available 09
Clutch Pencil. This design was very expensive for us to make in this
form, but we'll be doing some similar designs featuring a "Paradox"
like motif in the coming years. A few
Model 17 Rollerballs are still
available now.
Added new #12 Franklin-Christoph fountain pen steel
nib for sale
Currently fits the Model 02
"Intrinsic," and will fit the new version of the 40 "Panther" as
well as most future larger size pen models we will be unveiling in
2011.
Nibs Page
17 Nov '10
New F-C Pen Model 04
Necklace Pen now available
Now up online, the Model 04
Necklace pen in colored lacquer or sterling with sapphire.
04 Lacquer
04 Sterling
3 Nov '10
New F-C Pen Models to Columbus Show
We've just finished production
on some pens that have sapphires, and another model that is a
necklace pen.... We'll have them at the
Ohio Pen Show this weekend if you
can make that show. Otherwise, we'll have up online sometime in the
next 10 days.
21 Oct '10
New Special Edition Purple in the Model 14 -
Been wanting to do another
purple pen for a long time. In the classic M-14, we have a solid
purple's purple now available as of today:
Model 14 Page.
19 Oct '10
Intrinsic is hot -
Orders have poured in for the
new Model 02 Intrinsic without clip, and we've found ourselves sold
out of the original production run of everything except
Black/Emerald rollerballs, which as of today we have only 3 left of
those. For those of you planning a purchase of this pen, we should
have the next batch ready by November 10th, and the clipped versions
by Dec. 1st at the latest. We do have the second run of the Model 40
"Pocket" available now - LJ
14 Oct '10
Piper Premium 5.6mm Metallic Lead
Our Piper division is at it
again with cool new 5.6mm leads that fit all the Franklin-Christoph
Sketcher pencils. Check those out on the
Piper Premium Leads page.
The Stock Room adds Gisi Limited Edition fountain
pens.
Through our contacts in the
business, we've acquired 4 or 5 of each of these interesting,
artisan limited edition pens. Extremely rare, yet we still make room
to price them low. Check out everything new at
The Stock Room.
7 Oct '10
Piper Empire Rollerballs
Our Piper OEM division
recently made a run of the Empire in a rollerball version, so we
made a couple hundred extra just for our direct sales Piper
liquidation. Listed at #s 29-32 here in the four usual colors:
Piper Pens page
Look for more and
more interesting stuff to come between now and the end of the
year.
1 Oct '10
4th Annual Franklin-Christoph Poetry Contest
Launches
Here we go for a fourth year.
We've been blessed to have Lauren Taylor volunteer her time to help
us manage the contest entries this year, so there is a new email
address and new rules for submissions. Once again
$2500 in cash and prizes!
Check that out here:
Franklin-Christoph 2010 Poetry Contest
29 Sept '10
Model 02 "Intrinsic"
A few days ago we quietly
slipped on the new Model 02 Intrinsic fountain pens and rollerballs.
These are the clip-less versions, and I say quietly, because they
are already getting snapped up, and we have smallish quantities
available in the first batch. This is the special design with the
mid taper for a deeply posting cap. We're also using colored finials
and sections now in maroon and emerald green. Check out the solid
emerald green pens as well - something special.
Visit that page here:
Model 02 Intrinsic
Model 40 "Pocket"
Same deal as the Intrinsic
above. Have limited quantities, selling briskly already. Clipped
version to come later in the year as well.
Visit that page here:
Model 40 Pocket
22 Sept '10
Piper Premium Ink returns!
Years ago we made Piper
Premium Ink in various gel refills, but somehow it got lost in the
shuffle of taking Franklin-Christoph worldwide. Now we are proud to
re-introduce our very own Piper Premium Ink refills!
12 Aug '10
DC Show:
We're off to the Washington DC
Pen Show. Visit us there on Saturday the 14th, or Sunday the 15th.
For more info, go here:
DC Pen Show.
5 Aug '10
Model 27 now ready:
We've already seen surprising
popularity in the first out from the Chrome Series.
Get IPO pricing
for a short time and check out the
new look of black chrome. Stay tuned for Model 26 in the near
future.
Model 27 Product Page
Next week, Scott is heading off
to the DC show, Aug 13-15th so look for him there if you are
attending. For more information on that, go here:
DC Pen
Show
1 July '10
Contest running, office closing:
Please note our office will be
closed for the holidays from
July 2nd through July 7th.
We'll re-open on Thursday July
8th. We will have email
coverage during this time if anyone has any business that needs
attention.
For the contest via market survey that is currently
running, we will have results and announce the two winners from the
drawing within a couple of weeks from now. Hope everyone is enjoying
the summer ! -Scott
Note: Still getting
to compiling stats. Will be next week July 20th or so before we
announce the winners of the contest and share the info.
1 Jun '10
Raleigh Pen Show this weekend:
Come visit us and see our
entire line at the Raleigh Pen Show this weekend. For more
information on location, etc, visit
RaleighPenShow.com
18 May '10
Update:
Penvelope Six now for sale and
flying out the door at opening bell price of only $59.10.
Penvelope Six Page
13 May '10
Penvelope Six:
Has finished production and is
in flight to our headquarters. Standby for availability. The Models
26 and 27 are almost complete. Just some engraving work, and we'll
have those up and going around June 1st.
6 May '10
The Model 06 Sketcher launch:
Well, we all guessed that the
Hypersonic Purple would be the hot color, but it turns out so far
the Shadow Green Pearl is outpacing it by 2 to 1. I still expect the
purple to challenge for supremacy over time, but the green is
beautiful, so I understand. Any readers who would like to submit
drawings you've made with your Sketcher, we'd love to see them.
Model 06 Sketcher
Our Pricing:
I was recently discussing with
someone how our company differs so vastly on the issue of pricing.
We have an in depth strategy, that we think works much better for
those who get to know us. The gist of it is that we start the prices
the lowest they will ever be for an opening bell price. Then they go
to their normal market price. Along the way they may step up
slightly over time, but whether they do or not, the point is that
there is never a better time to buy than now. We sometimes miss a
potential client here or there who only wants to buy something with
a more visible discount, however most understand that our direct
pricing is always a discount, and you don't have to wait for a
closeout sale at the end of a run, which only serves to discount the
least popular pieces still around anyway. Our way, you can get the
best and premium stuff at the lowest price up front. Speaking of -
the Model 06 is on opening bell pricing right now....
13 APR '10
The Six Shooter Penvelope:
This is a feedback driven design from
fans of the Lucky 13 Penvelope. The Lucky 13 being as large as it
is, is useful for collector storage and transport, sales reps,
dealers, etc, and being as unique and well made as it is, greatly
exceeded our sales projections. But many of you have told us that you'd like a smaller
version for every day use. Well - we've just seen the first samples
of the Penvelope Six Slot version come off the line, and they are
very nice. Identical in design to the Lucky 13, the Six will just
have 6 of the same size slots. Price to be determined....
Atlanta Show a success:
I (Scott) enjoyed meeting many of our
clients again at the Atlanta Pen Show. Sales varied across the
models, but the 05 Sketcher was particularly popular again. Bodes
well for the Model 06 Sketcher coming in weeks....
Two new F-C Models under $75 coming:
We've settled the final design on two
new models which will be what we call part of the Chrome Series. We
are using black and silver chrome on very well made pens in
fountain, rollerball, and ballpoint, which we will be able to offer
direct at the $49-69 range. Most of the production on these pens is
already done, so we expect to have them around July 1st or so. Stay
tuned.
5 APR '10
Piper Combo Green FP/BPs:
One of our most popular Piper pens is
now in stock for a brief time. We had a little over run batch of a
couple dozen. It is an interesting pen, very versatile with a
ballpoint and fountain pen in one. High quality lacquer and gold
plating. Would sell for $120-130 at a store, but we have them on the
Piper liquidation program at $29.00 each.
Piper Pen Page.
Atlanta Pen Show:
Come see us at the Atlanta Pen show
this weekend, the 10th and 11th. For more information, visit the
Atlanta Pen Show site.
25 MAR '10
Model 06 Sketcher:
Today we received the acrylic barrel
prototypes for the new 5.6mm sketchers. We are going to use a longer
and thicker frame than the Model 05 versions, so we are going to
call these the Model 06. We are selecting acrylic colors over the
next couple of days. This version will not only be acrylic, but will
be clip free, and will have a much lower price point, somewhere in
the $60ish range. I know our long held Sketcher enthusiasts will be
excited about this, as are we! Look for inventory to be available
for sale within a month or two.
16 MAR '10
2009 Poetry Contest Winners:
We published the 2009 contest winners today in
our poetry book. There were so many amazing poems that we don't know
how our judges could choose. The contest was free, and we gave away
$2500 in cash and prizes. View the winners here:
Franklin-Christoph Poetry Book.
25 FEB '10
Andi Newton Model 40 Short Story:
Today we've published a haunting, interesting,
and very special short story by one of our clients Andi Newton. It
includes a Model 40 Panther as one of the key players in the story.
Andi is a freelance writer, editor, and 3D graphic artist from
Greensboro, NC. Take a chance to read here when you can:
"Intellectual Property"
23 FEB '10
Model 40s arrive:
Yesterday we received the Model 40 Panther
pens, with clips. The clip design and function held us up quite a
while on this one, so we are very happy to have them. Since moving
this production from Germany to the USA, we've had some bumps along
the way, but I think now we've achieved our best functioning spring
loaded clip ever. It seems simple, but it's harder than you might
think, getting the shape of the clip, spring tension, interior cap
specs, clip stability, etc just right. I think it'll be worth the
wait. I promptly took a black FP and threw a simple steel nib in it,
and at home did a couple of Sudoku puzzles without error. Then
feeling cocky, I hammed up the third one, and went back to using
pencil.... We'll be photographing the 40 more over the next couple
of days and getting it up online here:
Model 40 Panther
16 FEB '10
LA Show:
Just back from Los Angeles. The show
was busy as usual, but our sales really spiked up this year.
Hopefully a sign that the market for fine writing is improving. The
performance yellow M-14 sold more units than any other, further
showing the intelligence of Mrs. Franklin in selecting the color.
While working the table, I settled a custom pen project for an
international distributor. Gotta love the iPhone, and modern
communication. Now back to work here in the office - SCF
3 FEB '10
New Piper:
We've just added a .7mm Mechanical
Pencil option to the Piper Trillium, all rhodium writing instrument.
Piper Page Link
26 JAN '10
Philly Show:
I've just returned (Scott) from the
Philadelphia Pen Show this past weekend, where we displayed
Franklin-Christoph once again. The new colors on the M-14 were quite
well received, and I think we may have set a record for selling our
Piper liquidation pens (same as you can find here on our site for
$29). The show was well attended and it was good to see many of our
clients there to visit with face to face. We are now contemplating
our next color for the M-14. Hmmm....
New Design:
While at the show, I designed our next Select Series - in my
imagination at least - fountain pen. [It will get in line behind the
Model 02 pen, and should be available for sale at some point
this year.] I'll be putting the wheels in motion to start the new
project in just a few days. Speaking of the Model 02 FP, we are
hoping to have a prototype available for viewing at the upcoming LA
Pen Show on Feb. 11th-14th. Final production should follow soon
after. Perhaps by the first of April. If you are interested in
attending the LA Pen Show, check here for more information:
http://www.lapenshow.com/
Model 05 Marches On:
Also in the works as of this month, is a new version of the Model 05
Sketcher. This will likely start with a clip-less version, in
colorful acrylics, and a lower price point that the one available
now. Stay tuned for more on that. Back soon with more info as we go
- SCF
Poetry Contest News:
For those of you waiting to hear the results of our poetry contest,
it appears we have once again overwhelmed our outside judges, and
they've asked for an extension. We are still receiving "first cuts"
and the announcement for our Grand Prize winner, and 10 Merit Award
winners has been pushed one month to March 15, The Ides of March.
One day we'll get this down to a science, but hey the contest is
free, and we're a small staff and the university judges are doing
this on their own time ! We almost hit 3,000 entries this year.
7
JAN '10
Select Series:
We've just added the Model 40 "Panther" in the
clipless (is that a word?) version to our online sales lineup. The
Model 40 is part of what we are now classifying as the
Select Series. These are special writing instruments that will only
be found here at Franklin-Christoph.com. LJ
5 JAN '10
Hello! We closed out the year
of 2009 with a good December. Thank you all for your continued
patronage. We are expecting many exciting and new Franklin-Christoph
products and events this year.
Most of our pens are
this way of course, but we do wholesale some of the models to
distributors internationally, and an occasional retailer or catalog
company within the US. The Select Series are to be reserved strictly
for direct sale, which is the main way we can keep prices low. Look
for the 40 Panther to have a clip option, and a ballpoint option
soon. Hopefully.
Shipping gifts to others for you:
This holiday season we experienced a lot more business for sending
out multiple gifts, with holiday notes from you, our clients, to
your clients, friends and loved ones. We are going to build this
aspect of our business this year, with available note cards, and
simplify the process so that we can keep your billing information on
file, and make gift giving as simple as sending us an email with a
name and address of the recipient. Send us an email if you are
interested in setting up this program for you.
An effort to be green:
In the last couple of months, we've begun going around our office
building and the neighboring businesses and retrieving their
newspapers for packing material. This helps cut down on the number
of peanuts and bubble wrap we use to fill in the open spaces of
packages. We are always committed to securely packed shipments,
protecting our precious items while in transit to you, but the
supplemental newspapers are cost efficient and green, and besides
you have the additional benefit of enjoying the Wall Street Journal,
New York Times, or the local News and Observer.
New designs in the Select Series:
We are close to perfecting the clip for the Model 40, so the long
delayed new addition to what we will call the Select Series will be
available very soon. We'd hoped to have this one ready long ago, but
"we will serve no pen, before it's time." ;-) The next edition
of the Select Series is what we'll call the Model 10 or "Ten". The
pen has been designed, and production will begin soon. Think
large....
Saying goodbye:
We figured one decade was long enough for our fabled first edition -
the Model 01 "IPO," fountain pen. The final production run was
completed early last year, and our IPO was retired on the last day
of 2009. For those of you who have one - keep it, as a rare first
edition writing instrument for Franklin-Christoph.
New site design:
We view our website as a fluid process of growth and improvement
that never ends. We strive for ways to maintain simplicity and ease
of use, while offering you content and at the same time
communicating to you what Franklin-Christoph is and stands for. This
first quarter we will be re-making much of our site which will
implement some of the feedback we received from our request
recently. Something we've already done, is we have changed our
primary font from Nyala, to Georgia, in an effort to be compatible
with the most browsers and computers. Georgia ranked very high on
the compatibility list, and has a touch of elegance to it.
Poetry Contest:
We are awaiting "first cut" information from our 2009 Poetry
Contest. We should have that from our judges within a couple of
weeks, so stay tuned. Again, we experienced a new record, and pushed
the boundaries of our capabilities for handling entries. Stay tuned
!
Check in here often, this blog is another new
feature we've added, so you can always come here for news of what
we're up to. SCF
31 DEC '09
Sniff, sniff, retired the
Model 01 IPO
today....
20
OCT '09
Thank you so much
gang for your contest participation, saying hello, and the feedback.
We've learned a few things about how we can improve and re-enforced
others.
Economic challenges:
We hear a lot about how many people are dealing with the challenges
of this economic situation, as we are, and we are working to get
some interesting offers to you this gift giving season. Lot's to
come, but for
starters, we are giving away two Piper Trillium ballpoints for
free with a purchase of any
Franklin-Christoph Model 29 Colorband ballpoint or pencil. (limit 2
per F-C pen purchased)
See that here.
We also have more offerings in attractive price points coming in
a few weeks, and more in 2010. Wish we could get them sooner, but the pipeline for production
takes time. We will have more special sales like the Piper Trillium
sale coming in the next few weeks.
(now expired)
Contest Selection Methods:
Nobody mentioned this, but I thought I'd
explain how we manage the contests. Once we close the contest and
all the entries are in, we look at the email box they are forwarded
to, and get a total number of entries. We cross check for multiple
email or name entries and remove those. Then we use a random number
generator and get a number within the total amount. Each number then
has an equal chance. If say, #741 is selected, we look at entry 741,
and there is our winner.
Web design:
We will be doing a new version of our
website, published early next year, so while we will continue a
similar look, many things should be new and improved. Your feedback
has been valuable to us, so thank you!
New products very close:
We will be having a new yellow color on the
Model 14 rare earth magnet pens coming in November, so keep a
lookout for that. In about two weeks we will have a new Lucky 13
Penvelope in a really cool "rugged" brown leather (that match my
boots, ha). The black version has been really well received, and the
original production is nearly sold out. We'll receive a new batch of
those too in two weeks, with a couple of tweaks to the design.
Creative Arts:
Many of you mentioned you liked our
photography section, and that too will be high on our list to
expand. We enjoy supporting the creative arts here, and will
continue this trend. We hope it creates a more interesting
environment here, and it a big reason why I enjoy working here so
much. Well, that and I love the pens so much! Our becoming famous Poetry
Contest is still open for 2009 entries until Nov. 30th, so you poets
remember to enter up to two poems before then.
Poetry Contest Page.
Twitter and Facebook:
Don't forget to sign up for our tweets! We are
enjoying tweeting several times a week, and will have free pen
drawings there as well. Also remember to become a fan on Facebook,
and interact with us, post on our wall, and enter special contests.
See below for Twitter and Facebook. We all take turns doing these
and it is really fun to reach out and interact with all of you.
The Model 40 Panther...
Haven't released it yet outside of a few
pieces at pen shows, hopefully that will be coming very soon. Our
striving for perfection is holding us up, but the 40 will continue
our IPO style tradition of elegant simplicity in fine writing. There
will be a long and short version and a capped ballpoint version. The
40 is almost completely US made, which is a first from our usual
German and Italian parts production.
Well, that's all I can think
of for now. We need your business and we are ready to provide top
service to you.
Love and happiness -
Laila
Go to our
Stock Room to find
special pens for sale, including calligraphy supplies, Piper Pens,
Settelaghi, Sailor and more.
Visit
Franklin-Christoph Page One to see
our featured line of writing instruments and accessories.
Remember the
Lucky 13 Penvelope
for your favorite collector (including yourself) this gift buying
season.
Enjoy our other offerings such as our
Photography
section and our
Poetry Book.
Join us on Twitter and Facebook for
interaction and special additional fine pen giveaways.
Twitter.com/PiperFC
Franklin-Christoph Writing Instruments
If you accessed us through Facebook or Twitter, you can also join up
for our Special Client List for insider sales, giveaways, etc:
Join Special Client List here
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