Los Angeles – An exceptional collection of 35 incredibly rare writing instruments will be presented at Bonhams' The Art of Writing | A Collector's Rarities sale from November 27 – December 4. The selection hails from the extensive collection of Rick L. Schwartz and Linda Fisher, California-based connoisseurs who have been acquiring one-of-a-kind and limited-edition fountain pens from top makers like David Oscarson and Loiminchay for the last 25 years. The star of the group on offer is Seaside, a one-of-a-kind, masterfully crafted 18K gold and diamond fountain pen, by David Oscarson. This remarkable pen took three years to craft given the over 3,500 diamonds which were individually placed by a jeweler to create its distinct shell pattern. It is expected to achieve between $85,000 – 125,000.
The sale will also feature a highly coveted, complete group of eight Loiminchay fountain pens from their Beijing Olympic 2008 Collection, estimated at $60,000 – 100,000. Commissioned by the Bejing Olympic Committee to commemorate the global event, each pen within the group represents one or more Olympic sports including swimming, ping pong, volleyball, and gymnastics. Made in extremely limited numbers, the pens were handmade by Japanese craftsmen utilizing maki-e, the celebrated lacquerware technique. The remaining writing instruments offered in the sale were also made by Loiminchay including an oversized rare jade fountain pen entitled '9 Dragons', estimated at $50,000 – 70,000.
"I was first drawn to Loiminchay and David Oscarson as they were both one-man shows and their pen quality was exceptional – far exceeding big-name manufacturers with similarly priced pens," commented Schwartz. "I view fountain pens as superb decorative art and have always been quite impressed with their respective abilities to do the design work, commit to the craftsmanship, and then market the pens."
Additional highlights include:
• A pair of limited-edition resin and maki-e Loiminchay fountain pens which reference the vast carvings from over 75 caves at the Dazu Rock World Heritage site in China. Estimate: $15,000 – 25,000.
• A pair of limited-edition resin and maki-e Loiminchay fountain pens depicting Chinese door gods, entities that were present to keep evil at bay. Estimate: $10,000 – 15,000.
• A limited-edition Loiminchay fountain pen carved from a single piece of white jade. Estimate: $10,000 – 15,000.
• A set of three limited-edition resin and maki-e Loiminchay fountain pens each depicting areas within China's Forbidden City Palace. Estimate: $8,000 – 12,000.