Guilty as charged. Also, I'd like to mention that that was not all I intended the gift to be, but apparently something I ordered has either been significantly delayed over seas or lost. I will not say what though in case it ever shows up.
Secret Santa 2012 Update:
Late Tuesday (Jan 8) afternoon the UPS man left a large mailer envelope inside my screen door. I was puzzled at first because I wasn't expecting any deliveries. I felt like it contained a small object. I tore open the cardboard mailer to find another padded mailing envelope inside. After tracking down a pair of scissors I open that up and found that it contained a simple, hand-rolled paper tube made out of what appeared to be a memo or instruction sheet that was covered with strange writing. Was it an alien script -- had I been contacted by E.T.? If so, then the standard desktop stapler is also in use in other parts of the galaxy because both ends of the tube were stapled closed. to add even more mystery, on each end of the tube someone had hand-written in ink the word "Рекоря 66".
Hmmm, I thought. Why, that's not alien writing ... the writing on the bond paper tube and the handwriting were in some terrestrial human language that used the Cyrillic alphabet. A-ha! So, it was not from E.T. Instead, I began to wonder: was I being contacted by something even more disturbing -- a Cold War-era sleeper cell from the other side of the Iron Curtain? Now I was really getting perplexed, and more than a little apprehensive. My mind was racing...
:y: :y: :y: Holy Tom Clancy! :y: :y: :y:
I could feel that the tube contained something solid and hard. I gingerly pried open one end and then gave it a firm shake.
Out slid a pen. Close inspection revealed that it was not a new pen -- the outside was clean and evidently well-maintained, yet it did show evidence of having been used, and in fact it appeared to be vintage. There was a small, barely perceptible engraving on the barrel. After grabbing a magnifying glass and closely examining it under a strong light, I was able to discern that the engraving was in fact a word engraved in cursive script. It read: Рекоря 66 , the same phrase that had been handwritten on the outside of the tube.
Unscrewing the cap, I discovered that I held in my hand a fountain pen, a small but rather nice one, in fact. The "section" (lower end of the barrel, where the pen point (aka "nib", although that is a bit of a misnomer) and ink feed are attached) was transparent and it showed signs of once having contained blue writing ink. But oh that nib! I had a hooded, tubular nib very much in the style of the celebrated Parker 51, aka "The World's Most Famous/Most Wanted Pen." A scant amount of dried ink was evident on the gold-colored pen point itself. Some firm but careful twisting revealed a piston ink filling mechanism activated by twisting the blind cap at the other end of the barrel.
Now my apprehension had been replaced by fascination. Who made this pen? The ink filling mechanism was very similar to the type featured on classic pens by Pelikan, the famous German pen maker. The overall shape and trim was also vaguely reminiscent of Pelikan, although the clip on the cap lacked that brand's trademark elongated beak shape. And besides, to the best of my recollection Pelikan never used a Parker 51-style hooded nib on any of its pens. This was going to require more research.
But there was yet a final remaining unanswered question: who had sent this to me, and why? I retrieved the cardboard mailing envelope and scanned the address label for a clue. The sender's name and address looked vaguely familiar, but right at the moment I couldn't remember where I had seen that name before. Then my eyes were drawn back to the addressee's name (i.e., me) and I let out a laugh. The first two lines of the addressee section read:
SHIP TO:
MARK II (TRF)
[etc., etc.]
[yadda yadda]
[and so on]
My Secret Santa had struck again!
Carefully typing out the barrel inscription letter by letter by picking out the appropriate characters from Character Map, running the result through an online translator and then doing some quick research using the Googlez, I learned that the pen is a vintage Bulgarian Record (or Recorder) 66 fountain pen and was possibly at least 25 or 30 years old, if not older. A rare find, and a relic from the Cold War era!
Greatest. Secret Santa. Gift. Ever.
I have no idea what it is worth (nor do I care), but this could not have been easy to acquire. How did the sender (Whodunit13579) know that collecting vintage (and non vintage) fountain pens was my "other hobby"? This was incredibly thoughtful -- I am just blown away.
The pen is wonderfully designed and appears to be well-made. there is not a scratch, nick or gouge on either the pen barrel or the cap (just some light surface wear, which is both expected and even desireable -- this pen has been used) nor are there any cracks. The pen point and feed appear to be in excellent shape, and the piston movement is tight and firm, just as it should be. (This pen must be filled from an ink bottle, and the condition of the piston indicates that it will have no problem drawing up a full reservoir of ink.) The clear section (visible ink supply) is a nice feature. The cap is in great shape and it screws onto the barrel good and tight. This is a great pen from a seldom-seen maker. I don't know what to say.
