The United States is celebrating several historic milestones in 2019, four of which are commemorated here with respective high-quality writing instruments.

David Oscarson Golden Spike

Independent pen maker David Oscarson introduces the Golden Spike collection, which commemorates the 150^th anniversary of the completion of the first transcontinental railroad in 2019.

David Oscarson Golden Spike with red accents

The limited edition pen collection is an homage to the ceremonial golden spike that joined the Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads, officially connecting 1,765 miles of track, at Promontory Summit, Utah in 1869.

The pens come in two color variations, each unmistakably David Oscarson with their guilloche decoration and glossy hot-enamel coat.

David Oscarson Golden Spike with blue accents

Among other novel details, the pen’s clip has the form of that historic spike and the gripping section is engraved with the words found on the original: “May God continue the unity of our Country as this Railroad united the two great Oceans of the world.”

For more information, please visit www.davidoscarson.com/gspike.

Quick Facts David Oscarson Golden Spike
Editions: fountain pen and rollerball pen, red and blue color variations
Nib: 18-karat gold
Cap and barrel: guilloche and hot enamel
Limitation: 150 pieces in each color
Price: $5,700 (rollerball), $5,900 (fountain pen)

Montblanc StarWalker

In 2019 the world celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, and as a resident of Houston, Texas – home of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center and NASA Mission Control – this is a big one for me personally.

Various celebratory events have been planned by my adopted city, which is rightfully proud of its role in the Apollo missions. And though I wasn’t living in Houston at the time, I still vividly remember first hearing those unforgettable words said by Neil Armstrong on July 20, 1969, “Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.”

Montblanc StarWalker pen set

Montblanc held an event here in Houston at the Lone Star Flight Museum to introduce its newly redesigned StarWalker pen collection, which included a tour of Mission Control earlier in the day.

And, yes, Montblanc ambassador Hugh Jackman was in attendance, as was astronaut Leroy Chiao, who assured me that writing instruments are used in the high-tech environment of a space mission.

Neil Armstrong famously made mention of his “floating pencil” in the journal he kept during the Apollo 11 mission.

Montblanc StarWalker pens

The new StarWalker is designed to be a visceral commemoration of our planet, space, and time with a translucent crown that seems to glow blue from within – much like the earth when viewed from space.

“With this StarWalker campaign, Montblanc is giving people a taste of the emotion astronauts experience as they look at the earth from space and feel that unexpected longing for home,” said Montblanc CEO Nicolas Baretzki.

The pen comes in three versions: all-black resin with metal details, a Doué edition with a black resin barrel and a metal cap, and a full-metal edition. A fountain pen, ballpoint, and fineliner are included in the collection.

For more information, please visit www.montblanc.com/en-us/starwalker.

Quick Facts Montblanc StarWalker
Editions: fountain pen, rollerball, fineliner
Nib: 14-karat gold
Cap and barrel: black resin, platinum-coated metal, or a combination of both
Limitation: none
Price: $340-$800

Montegrappa Moon Landing Collection

No less commemorative, but much more demonstrative, is the Montegrappa Moon Landing produced in a licensed collaboration with NASA. There are two limited edition pen variations in this collection as well as an open edition.

Montegrappa Moon Landing Collection

In my opinion, either choice would make a very cool, sculptural desk display for the space fan (or not).

The first limited edition is crafted in white pearl resin with sterling silver trim and enamel to create a three-dimensional “rocket” and its first, second, and third stages. The Moon Landing pen features the American flag, laser cut and enamel filled, while the pen’s cap is designed to represent the second stage and the Apollo command module.

Montegrappa Moon Landing pen

The silver lost wax-cast clip is modeled after the stairway that supported the rocket, and the blind cap even has minuscule jet exhaust nozzles detailed with red enamel, like those found on the spacecraft.

The fountain pen has an 18-karat gold nib, and an opening in the barrel reveals its filling mechanism and the ink “fuel.” There are 363 fountain pens in resin and sterling silver, denoting Saturn V’s height in feet. There are 110 rollerball pens, the rocket’s height in meters.

Montegrappa Moon Landing pen in titanium and 18-karat gold

The second version has similar iconography, but this time crafted in titanium and 18-karat gold. There are 50 fountain pens to commemorate this year’s anniversary and three rollerball pens to honor the three crew members on the command module.

For more information, please visit www.montegrappa.com/en/collections/moonlandingle.

Quick Facts Montegrappa Moon Landing
Editions: fountain pen and rollerball
Nib: 18-karat gold
Cap and barrel: white pearl resin or titanium and 18-karat gold
Limitation: resin: 110 rollerballs, 363 fountain pens; titanium and gold: 3 rollerballs, 50 fountain pens
Price: $7,140–$46,200 (rollerball), $8,100–$47,400 (fountain pen)

Fisher Space Pen

The original “space pen,” the Fisher AG7 Anti-Gravity pen, accompanied the crew of the Apollo 11 mission after testing in conjunction with NASA.

The patent for the Sealed and Pressurized Fisher Space Pen ink cartridge, filed by company founder Paul Fisher, was actually developed a few years before, in 1966, and it was used first on the Apollo 7 mission in 1968.

Fisher AG7-50LE ballpoint pen in case

Nevada-based Fisher, which has been around since 1948, introduces a special pen in 2019 featuring a space relic sealed into its crown: a piece of space-flown Kapton foil from the Apollo 11.

Fisher AG7-50LE ballpoint pen

The limited edition black titanium nitride-plated AG7-50LE is engraved with Apollo 11 images and text plated in 24-karat gold. And it is packaged with a commemorative coin.

For more information, please visit www.spacepen.com/AG7-50LE.

Quick Facts Fisher AG7-50LE
Editions: ballpoint
Barrel: black titanium nitride-plate engraved with images and text plated in 24-karat gold
Limitation: 500 sets with pen and coin
Price: $700

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