Another common theme to collecting-- at risk for bias of recollection-- is "when it rains it pours". I vaguely recall a better bromide n' such exists, but I cannot recall it now. Collectors can spend years hunting a given pen, unable to find it at all or unable to find it at appealing price. Then, having finally found one, more seem to turn up in short order. Has happened to me repeatedly.
Sooo....
The last WASP item I wanted for my essentially complete collection (one can debate if having a couple pens with different imprints is necessary to a complete collection) was the grey desk base. I'd found a couple of the green desk sets-- particularly neat with the round matching base-- but had no luck tracking the gray base, which Roger had seen and had noted was rectangular (at least that one had been). I had a gray desk pen.
I was very happy when Dan Reppert brought a gray set to the Ohio pen show. I bought it of course. I posted that set in a prior post.
Here's that set.
My collection:
So, naturally, after more than a few years hunting a gray desk base and then getting a complete set at the Ohio Pen Show (Nov 2011), I was at my very next pen show, at Philadelphia (Jan 2012) during the lazy Sunday afternoon hours, as the show was winding down, when I noticed something on the table of a pen friend from Philadelphia, one from whom I've bought a bunch of pens over the years.
"Oh", said I, "Nice desk base. You know what it is, right?"
He didn't.
I explained. Mentioned the whole above tale. Mentioned I have spare pen at home. "How much"?
"Just take it" he said, "it's been sitting around for years".
So, i returned home with this.
Looks nice loaded.
When it rains it pours. Years hunting the first gray base. One more show to the next. Never hurts to have a spare.
But, when I returned home with the base I made another happy discovery.
This base was a little bit different from the other.
Or as they say...
... Happy David
regards
David
