Just Arrived: Think Limited Edition Fountain Pens Honoring Mickey Mantle

The Pear Tree Pen Company is proud to present the Mickey Mantle Limited Edition Fountain Pen, by Think. We just received our shipment and I was quite surprised by how attractive the pens are. If I could be excused for the bad baseball pun, I really believe that Think hit a "home run" with these pens.

The acrylic resin is awesome, and the deep navy pinstripes are as true to Yankee Blue as can be. Of course, the pens come in handsome presentation boxes, specially designed for the Mickey Mantle LE. Think's previous Limited Edition Pen honored Jimi Hendrix. Although the Hendrix pen (in my opinion) wasn't half as nice as the new Mickey Mantle writing instrument, it sold out in a matter of weeks. I would be very surprised if these Mickey Mantle pens last that long.

"After I hit a home run I had a habit of running the bases with my head down. I figured the pitcher already felt bad enough without me showing him up rounding the bases." - Mickey Mantle.

The Mickey Mantle THINK Limited Edition pen honors the most beloved ballplayer of all time. He was the most popular player in the history of baseball and was the best teammate that anyone ever had. He was bigger than life and the true idol of all baseball fans.

The Mickey Mantle pen is artisan made using custom Italian resins. The cap and blind cap are rich swirls of vintage New York Yankees navy. The barrel is made from luminescent ivory resin with navy pinstripes. A three dimensional bat adorned with Mantle's "7" comprise the clip. Mickey Mantle's signature highlights the band.

Accents are silver vermeil. Limited Edition 777 Fountain Pens (Medium nib only) and 777 Rollerballs.

Changes

The Pear Tree Pen Company began the transition from our old (slow, inefficient) website to a newer (better) website. This site is hosted on a new server, so as we go through this process, we're sure to experience a few bumps along the road. Visitors may experience a variety of issues with the site over the next couple of days. These may include slight delays, or even the inability to access the site altogether.

Our email system has also been affected by the change, so emails you've sent over the past day or so may not have reached me, or may not get returned as promptly as I'd like until get all the kinks worked out.

As an aside, you may wish to update your bookmarks to http://www.PearTreePens.com. The old "shop.peartreepens.com" sub-domain is no longer valid.

Everything should be running smoothly by Monday at the latest. In the meanwhile, I appreciate your indulgence over the next few days as we get this all worked out.

Your patience will be rewarded!

James Partridge
The Pear Tree Pen Company
www.PearTreePens.com
1-888-6789-PEN

Happy Independence Day from The Pear Tree Pen Co.

In honor of the original 13 colonies that gained their independence 232 years ago, the Pear Tree Pen Company is proud to offer a coupon valid for 13% off of your entire web order of $25.00 or more. The coupon is valid from now until Monday, July 7, 2008, and can be used for all orders totaling $25.00 or more. To earn your discount, please visit The Pear Tree Pen Company and enter coupon code Indy08 at checkout. Please note that the coupon is case-sensitive.

Also, as the Pear Tree Pen Co. gets closer to launching its new website, I'm proud to offer this "sneak peak" at the beta version. One of this new site's many advantages is its ability to accommodate international orders. So for all you customers in Canada, Australia, the UK and elsewhere, you too can get in on the Independence Day savings!

Please note: although orders may be placed through this new site (and the coupon code will work here, too), we are still in the process of adding and updating our inventory status. Consequently, not all items listed on the site are presently available or may be out of stock. Feel free to look around, shop and by all means, comment on things that can be improved. It's my goal to make this one of the most user-friendly pen stores on the net. Please don't hesitate to let me know where we fall short. Oh, compliments will also be accepted!

Regards,

James Partridge

Fresh Fruit at the Pear Tree Pen Company

Since the new Raspberry Al-Star and Lime Safari were announced several months ago, a number of you have asked me when the new colors from Lamy will be available. Unfortunately, I was unable to give a definite answer other than "5-6 weeks" because Lamy's US Distributor was kept guessing, too. Then, all of a sudden, while I was away on my bike trip (great time, by the way), The Pear Tree Pen Company received its shipment of the new Lamy Al-Star in Raspberry and the Lamy Safari in Lime.

They are pretty cool looking - the Raspberry is more red than the photos would lead one to believe, almost terracotta in some light, and would pair quite well with a Terre de Feu from J. Herbin.

The Lime, to my eye at least, looks more like a Bartlett pear than a Lime. It would look great filled with one of Noodler's highlighting inks!

Pick yours today!

I Want to Ride My Bicycle . . .

On Saturday, June 21, my eldest son and I embark on a 267 mile bike ride across the State of Michigan along with 698 of our closest friends. It's the 27th annual PALM Bike tour (Pedal Across Lower Michigan). We return on Friday, June 27. Each leg of the 6-day journey will take us across 45 miles (on average) of Michigan's scenic back roads and byways.

While our days will be spent pedaling our green Cannondale tandem (fully-equipped with a Santana Child Stoker Kit and rear rack to carry our panniers), the evenings will be spent camping on the athletic fields of various high-schools along the route. I know many of you don't see the charm in that, but until you've experienced the camaraderie enjoyed by the inhabitants of an instant tent city, you don't know what you're missing. Below is a map of our first day's route.

It's been several years (and more than a few pounds) since I've done a long distance bike tour, and I'm more than a little concerned about the decline in my fitness (and increase in my fatness), but this is a tour not a race, and I'll now have a good excuse to slow down and actually see the sights along the way.

One of the primary reasons I'm posting this, other than to share my excitement and enthusiasm for biycle touring, is to let you all know that, in my absence, the Pear Tree Pen Company will continue to process orders as normal, but emails and phone messages will, in all likelihood, not be returned until we get back to Ann Arbor. I appreciate your patience (and well-wishes) while I'm away.

And, if I can preach for just a moment: When you're driving along in your automobiles, please exercise courtesy and caution when you see cyclists on the road. The life you save may be mine.

Anticipation

Available soon at the Pear Tree Pen Company: A quality piston-filled fountain pen with an ebonite feed and a 2-tone nib for under $30. Can you guess the maker?

They're Here: Fieldnotes

My shipment of Fieldnotes arrived yesterday. I quickly ripped open the box to take a look. First impressions? A little smaller than I had anticipated. But upon reflection, the perfect size for their intended purpose.

I've been writing in it for a bit now and have to admit I'm impressed. So far, nothing more than random squiggles and phrases to get a feel for the paper, but the paper is nice and smooth and takes the ink well. More to come.

Fieldnotes. Get 'em. Use 'em. Enjoy 'em.

James