Pen Collectors of America – Keeping the history of writing instruments alive through member support and community education.

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About Us

The Pen Collectors of America® (PCA) is a collector-run registered nonprofit educational organization, serving all interested in the history, collecting, and use of fountain pens and other writing instruments.

The PCA’s origins date back to 1986, when Dr. Robert Tefft organized the first gathering of Southern California pen collectors at his home. Before long the group, now known as the Southern California Pen Collectors Club, was meeting at a member’s home every two months, and before much longer, there was a newsletter and a reference library of old ads, catalogs, repair manuals, and other pen-related material, all member-contributed. The SCPCC did not actively promote itself, but as it grew, membership applications came in from across the country. To defray the cost of printing and mailing the newsletter, nominal dues were adopted as membership approached 100.

By 1991 membership had truly gone national, even international, and so the SCPCC changed its name to the Pen Collectors of America®. The club newsletter, by now on its way to becoming a magazine, was named The Pennant®. The Reference Library continued to expand, offering members the opportunity to order photocopies of thousands of pages of rare and otherwise inaccessible reference material. Eventually the entire holdings of the Library were digitized by PCA volunteers and made available through the PCA’s website. These efforts continue to this day, as new documents are constantly being scanned and uploaded. In recent years, the PCA’s preservation mission has extended to archiving copies of pen-related websites and online forums, too many of which have already been irretrievably lost.

Membership is open to all, and includes three copies per year of the PCA’s magazine, the Pennant®, plus an illustrated PCA calendar. Rates are $45/year within the USA, $70/year outside. For payment by PayPal, please contact us at membership@pencollectorsofamerica.com to be invoiced. Payment by check or money order can be sent to: PCA, c/o Todd Eberspacher, PO Box 455, Millbrae CA, 94030-0455.