| Onoto - Back
in the USA! |
|
Exactly 100 years since Onoto opened its
offices in New York, and in a move designed to re-introduce
Onoto to US pen collectors and retailers, Onoto CEO Alastair
Adams visited the Washington DC Pen Show
in August. |
Together
with Jim Marshall, long-term Onoto enthusiast and author of a
brand new book entitled 'Onoto Pen
Repair',
Alastair spent 4 days introducing the
new, expanded Onoto range to a whole new audience.
'Many of the visitors to the show were very
knowledgeable about
old Onoto pens but had not seen the
new Onoto limited edition
pens. They seemed genuinely
interested in what we were doing
and were pleased that we
had come to the Washington DC show,' Alastair
commented.
New US agent
While Alastair was in DC, he formally appointed Julie
Vanden Bosch as Onoto's agent for the US. Julie is eager to
start
working with US retailers to promote Onoto. Julie is
based in Richmond Virginia and can be contacted
on 804 516 5699
or by email: julie@onoto.com |
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The
Onoto Magna Writer, our first acrylic pen since the 1950s, was
of particular interest to many vintage Onoto fans in
Washington.
Based on the classic 1937 Onoto Magna, the
Writer's simple yet stylish design was much admired due to its
light weight and wonderfully smooth size 7 nib. |
| For more information about the Magna Writer go
to: http://www.onoto.com/magnawriter.asp.
|
| ...and on
Broadway! |
Alastair
also had a pre-prototype version of the Onoto 261 on display.
Available from December 2009, the '261' pays tribute to
Onoto's US connections since 1909 when our first US retail
store was opened at 261 Broadway, New
York.
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To
order a '261' and be one of the first to own one of these
historic pens, go to: www.onoto.com/magna261.
|
| 800 Years of
History! |
Onoto
takes great pride in being associated with one of the oldest
educational establishments in the world - The University
of Cambridge - which was founded in England in 1209 and is
celebrating its 800th anniversary this year.
The
university has commissioned an exclusive range of pens
from Onoto all of which include the university's
crest and a commemorative engraving. |
| There
are 4 pens in the collection:
Black Acrylic
in an edition of 800
Sterling Silver - edition 200
Vermeil (gilded)
Silver - edition 100
18 carat Solid Gold - edition 10
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Prices range from £249 (approx US$360) for
the acrylic up to £9995 (approx US$14,450) for the solid
gold edition. |
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The
pens are available to alumni of the University of
Cambridge
or anyone with a connection to it. For more
details go to www.onoto.com/cambridge800.asp
|
| The first
underwater Onoto |
We
recently acquired one of the original plunger-filler Onoto
pens, dated around 1910, for our archive. At first glance
there's nothing too unusual about that - you can buy them
regularly on eBay - but this one had something rather special
about it. It had been sent to the bottom of the English
Channel by a German
U-Boat in 1917 and had stayed there
for more than 70 years!
To read the full story of the Onoto pen recovered from the
wreck of SS Medina, go to http://www.onoto.com/ssmedina
|
| 'Onoto Pen
Repair' Book |
|
The perfect 'stocking-filler' for anyone with
an interest in vintage Onoto pens, this recently published
book is a great deal more than a
simple repair manual
- it's a detailed history
and chronology of Onoto pen
types, colours,
numbering systems, feeds, overlays etc,
etc. |
It's
lavishly illustrated with over 100 images and illustrations
and of course, if you are interested in pen repairs, it's an
invaluable step-by-step guide. Brilliant!
You will be
able to buy the Onoto Repair Book from the new "Vintage" page
on our website very shortly.
|
| Nibs galore -
and more! |
Onoto
has recently added more options to the range of nib
types
available for all pens in the range. In addition to the
standard fine, medium and broad, we now offer stub and italic
options as well as a custom service to grind any of our nibs
to your specification.
If you want an Arabic,
an oblique or a cursive italic, we'll get one made for
you.
In addition, we also offer rollerball and fineliner options
on our entire range. Full details of our specialist nib
service will soon be available on our website.
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| Onoto in the media |
|
Writing Equipment Society. Onoto has
recently featured significantly in the latest issue of the
Writing Equipment Society's Journal € with no fewer than 12
pages dedicated to Onoto - past and present! http://www.wesonline.org.uk/
The
Field. A major article on English fountain pens in
the December 2009 issue of The Field
(www.thefield.co.uk/magazine)
features Onoto - of course!
We get many letters every
month from Onoto fans around the world with interesting
stories and facts about Onoto pens - old and new. Here are a
few from this month€s postbag: |
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Onoto
and Sir Winston Churchill. We have received a letter from
South Africa from Martin Marx, a pen enthusiast who was
recently €introduced€ to Onoto by a very distinguished
gentleman € Sir Winston Churchill. Martin was reading €Winston
and Clementine: The Personal Letters of the Churchills€ by
Mary Soames and came across |
|
the following in a letter which Winston wrote to Clemmie
while
he was serving in war-torn northern France in
November 1915. "...send me a new Onoto pen. I have stupidly
lost mine." Some days later, Clemmie replied, "...am sending
you foods and Onoto pen." As Martin explains, this is "irrefutable proof", if any were needed, that the world's
greatest statesman used the world's greatest
pen!
Dorothy L Sayers.
Onoto is also mentioned in Dorothy L Sayers'
novel "Clouds of Witness" a Lord Peter Wimsey
Mystery. As the detective examines a body on the lawn, he
says, "... Wait a minute. Here's his fountain pen. Very
handsome - Onoto with complete gold casing. Well I don't know
that anyone can deduce anything from that, exactly."
Thanks to Sarah McCartney for pointing it out to us.
And finally, The Titanic Exhibition. Rob
Harris, one of the visitors to the Washington DC Pen Show,
told us about an Onoto pen which had been recovered from the
wreck of the Titanic and is on display as part of the Titanic
Exhibition at Discovery Times Square Exposition, New York.
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We hope you have enjoyed reading this issue of 'The
Onotoist'.
If you would like to contribute to future
issues you can email us
here, or share your thoughts on our
Facebook page.
And if you'd like to pass on this email to one of
your friends,
just click on the button below.
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In
This Issue
Onoto
- Back in the USA
...and
on Broadway
800
years of history
The
first underwater Onoto!
Nibs
galore - and more!
Onoto
- in the media |
| Did
you know we are now on Facebook? |
If
you've ever wanted to tell us about your new pen
acquisitions, what you've been writing about, which pen you're
using today or anything else Onoto-related, then why not visit
our Facebook page?
You can leave messages for us on our wall
and find out what we're up to. We're always there waiting to
have a chat!
 |
| The
latest Onoto Catalogue is now online and interactive! |
If
you'd like a copy of the latest Onoto catalogue, just fill in your
address
details here.
|
| The Classic Onoto
Centenary! |
 |
Here
are a few comments from our customers about this magnificent pen!
"The Centenary is extraordinary! I love it! It is
everything I expected and more."
Lance White, USA
"The Centenary pen is excellent. I will use
this pen with pride."
Akira Ebisawa,
Japan
"It's a marvel. I didn't realize the care
that you people put into the manufacture of the thing. I'm tempted
to leave this pen in its box (opened) on my desk and use it strictly
as a signature pen. It's just too attractive looking for everyday
use. And, by the way, the nib is perfect!"
Peter
Brauman, USA
"Thank you for being so
professional. Prompt delivery in a beautiful package. "Awesome" and
"terrific pen" were the words I said when I saw my pen this
morning."
Michel Labrie, Canada
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| Order early for Christmas! |
With
the holiday season upon us, now's the time to think about ordering
that special gift for a friend, colleague or family member -
something they will cherish and treasure for years to come. Most of
our pens can now be personalised with an engraved name or initials
for that extra touch of exclusivity.
But don't leave it too
late! International orders need to be with us by 10th December and
UK/EU orders by 15th December to ensure delivery in time for
Christmas. |
| WE ACCEPT PAYPAL |
You
can now use PayPal to purchase Onoto pens and accessories.
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