A Pen with a Story

Once upon a time, Lamy was a German brand... and Japanese tourists in Germany would buy Lamy pens to bring them back home as souvenir (omiyage, おみやげ) for coworkers, friends, and family members.

That was the case of the following pen.

A boxed Lamy 37.

And this pen's story is told through the contents of the box: what looks like a wrapping paper, and a hand-written text in Japanese.

The wrapping paper. Note the faint writing around the circular FVS logo on the upper right area of the paper.

The hand-written text.

The wrapping paper likely belongs to the shop “Julius Vaternahm” in Frankfurt (am Main) in Germany. A quick research online tells us that the publishing company Julius Vaternahm had also been very successful through the business of station bookshops.

There is also a faint annotation in Japanese made with a pencil on the paper. It reads something like “Uehara-sama”, 植原様.

The handwritten text inside the box is a lot more informative. It says that (the pen) had been a gift of the Governor of Osaka Satô after his trip to Germany between February 3rd and 13th 1962.

So here we have a Lamy pen that found its way from Frankfurt to Japan in the luggage of a prominent Japanese politician in 1962 to be given away to friends or political supporters. And that Mr. Uehara on the wrapping paper was possibly one of them.

It would be interesting to know how many pens the Governor --and his entourage-- had purchased during his time in Germany, and whether all of them were Lamy or some other brands were also included.

The Lamy 37 is surprisingly absent from the usual sources of information (*), and nothing very specific can be said about it. It certainly shows some similarities with the very popular 27, but the 37 does not match any of the numerous documented variations. A very comprehensive document on the Lamy 27 was published in the Fountain Pen Network in 2017 (thanks, Christof!).

The Lamy 37.

The Lamy 37 is a piston filler with a semi-hooded nib, made of 58.5% gold. The feed is clear and transluscent.

Gold nib, clear feed.

The cap is made of steel, and has the brand name engraved on the clip and on the cap lip. There is no logo on the cap jewel, which seems to be a feature on 1962 models and beyond.

The body is made of plastic and includes four ink windows. The brand name, in a rounder font, is imprinted on the barrel. The model name and the nib point are declared on the piston knob.

The rounder font of the "LAMY" imprint on the barrel.

These are the dimensions of the Lamy 37:

Length closed: 133 mm
Length open: 123 mm
Length posted: 146 mm
Diameter: 11.8 mm
Weight: 15.9 g (dry)
Ink deposit: 1.4 ml

And about 60 years later, Lamy became Japanese.


(*) The video on this link is the only source of information specifically on the Lamy 37 I have found online so far. Note it refers to a newer version of the model which includes a logo on the cap jewel.


My thanks to Poplicola-san.

Parker 75 – Diamine Bilberry

Bruno Taut
March 25th, 2025
labels: Lamy, Alemania, Japón

Inflation

Itoya, the Japanese stationer with headquarters in Ginza, Tokyo, has just released yet another Lamy Safari—the “Lamy Safari x itoya Copper 02 Fountain Pen”. Quite a mouthful to simply describe a limited edition made exclusively for this shop.

This new Safari follows the trend initiated with the previous Itoya-exclusive Safari, the Copper 01 from last year (although announced December 2022). Matte finish, black nib, and a distinctive brass clip. And again with the possibility  of implementing the kanji nib.

So, is this all? Yes, but at a cost. It is hard not to notice the inflation associated to these pens.

As far as I know, Lamy has produced three Safari with metallic clip—the above-mentioned Copper 01 and 02 made for Itoya, and the Green Field model marketed earlier this year. They are shown on the following pics:

From back to front, Copper 01, Green Field, and Copper 02.

All three with kanji nibs.

And then we can compare the prices:

The brass clips. From top to bottom, Copper 01, Green Field, and Copper 02. The prices are inclusive of taxes (10%), and correspond to the versions with kanji (KJ on the reference) nibs. The Copper 02 with regular (EF, F, M) nib costs JPY 6000, plus taxes.

The relative high price is in part associated to the kanji nib those particular pens sport, but what is indeed striking is the constant increase over the three pens in about a year and a half. Each of those pens is JPY 500 more expensive than the previous. And at the final price is 14% higher than the initial.

Is there a reason behind this inflation? Is this caused by the free falling Japanese yen in the financial markets? Is it a deliberate strategy to make the popular and even humble Safari a more upscale pen?

I do not have any answer, but I think an expensive Safari would lose a great deal of the current appeal among users and collectors.

Parker 50 Falcon – Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
July 14th, 2024
etiquetas: Lamy, mercado

Japanese Lamy

Mitsubishi Pencil Co (::1::, ::2::) has just announced the acquisition of Lamy, the German pen company based in Heidelberg.

The announcement of the acquisition.

Surprising as this might be, there are very good reasons behind this movement:

The first of them is strongly related to the very low birth rate and population decrease in Japan. One of the obvious side effects of those is the shrinkage of the domestic market, and in this case that of stationery products.

Buying Lamy, Mitsubishi Pencil Co. gains access to new markets and to an extensive distribution network.

Lamy Safari Kanji, from 2022. Now, more Japanese than ever.

A second argument deals with the lack of high end products in the Mitsubishi Pencil catalog. And with this action, the Japanese company aims at gaining some presence in a more lucrative sector of the stationery market.

The price paid to the Lamy family has not been disclosed.

Lotus Saral Titanium – Pilot Black (Thai)

Bruno Taut
February 29th, 2024
etiquetas: Lamy , Mitsubishi Pencil, mercado

The Lamy Naginata?

Not much new can be said about the Lamy Safari—a 1980 design by Wolfgang Fabian endlessly reissued and copied. And Lamy regularly uses it for yearly limited editions and regional variations.

In 2022, Lamy has released the Lamy Kanji in East Asia. But this edition, developed by Lamy Hong Kong, is more more than just a variation of colors, as is the case of those special editions above mentioned. On this occasion, Lamy came with an original nib—the Kanji nib.

Interestingly enough, the explanations on the specifics of the nib come in Chinese, English and Thai.

The variations with respect to the regular Safari nib –the Z50 nib- are easy to spot: longer and narrower tines, and a specific nib point akin to a fine architect.

The selling argument is that this nib is more suitable for writing Chinese ideograms... Well, just like Sailor claimed re the Nagahara's Naginata.

The Kanji nib offers some line variation on the angle between pen and paper. Not extreme, but noticeable.

So, is this the Lamy version of the Sailor Naginata Togi nib?

The price of the Safari Kanji is JPY 6000, plus taxes, which is 50% more expensive than a regular, non-Kanji, Safari.

Lamy Safari Kanji – Franklin Christoph Urushi Red.


Bruno Taut
November 3rd, 2022
etiquetas: Lamy, plumín, mercado

Safari in Japan

The well-known Lamy Safari is a popular pen in Japan. And that despite the high price this pen commands—JPY 4000, plus tax, at this moment. Yes, you can find it for less at discount shops, but the starting point is about twice the price in Europe.

The popularity in Japan can be seen on the large number of editions made exclusively for this market and for specific shops. The last example of this is the following Vista model (transparent Safari) with the brand name imprinted on the barrel both in alphabet and in the Japanese syllabary katakana (ラミー).

The Lamy Vista Katakana.

This pen is for sale at just one shop in Japan, and its price is higher than usual: JPY 4500, plus tax.

As I said, this is just the last example of a special edition focused on the Japanese market. The following picture shows some of them:

From front to back,

1. 2005. Griso edition made for the magazine Shumi-no Bungubako.

2. 2008. Vista made for Shumi-no Bungubako. 100 units.

3. 2010. White with red clip and red dot. Re-issued in 2013. Edition for Japan.

4. 2011. Black with yellow clip and red tassie. 150 years of friendship between Japan and Germany.

5. 2018. White with red clip and grey cross tasie. Edition for Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan.

6. 2019. White with black clip. For Japan.

7. 2020. Vista with Lamy in katakana on the barrel. Exclusive for a shop in Japan.

For more information on special editions of the Safari in East Asia you can check KMPN's blog. However, it seems that a comprehensive list of editions and variations of the Lamy Safari has not yet been compiled.

And the rehashing continues...

Pilot Capless LS – Pilot Iroshizuku Yama-budo

Bruno Taut
Nakano, August 3rd 2020
etiquetas: Lamy, Japón, mercado, Shumi no Bungubako

Red Clip

The Lamy Safari is a well known model to all of us stylophiles. It is indeed a classic pen given the fact that it was launched in 1980—38 years ago. Yet, Lamy keeps on milking it… annually, and then more. On top of the yearly editions in original colors, Lamy is also keen on marketing local editions and to partner with other companies (::1::, ::2::) to generate special versions.

More anxiety... for some.

A local edition is this last Lamy Safari—a white pen with a red clip. This model was released on March 7th (2018), and its distribution is limited to Taiwan, South Korea, and Japan. Or even more limited, as in the case of Japan, this pen is for sale at only three shops: Isetan department store in Shinjuku, Itoya headquarters in Ginza, and Lamy’s shop in Aoyama. All of them in Tokyo.

A new presentation for the not so new pen. Its price is the same as of regular Safari: JPY 4000, plus tax. However, the limited distribution makes it impossible to find it at discount shops.

In itself, the pen is not particularly original. White Lamy Safari with red clip has shown in the market in several occasions: In 2010 in Japan, with a re-edition in 2013; and a similar version in Taiwan also in 2010. However, there is a difference. On these versions from 2010 and 2013, the cap is finished with a very obvious red dot whereas this edition of 2018 carries the traditional cross, in white, on the cap top.

The version of 2013 sold in Japan. Note the red dot on the cap top.

The regular white Safari together with the new version with red clip.

So, more milk from the old cow; more pens to trigger the collector’s anxiety. But the trick works, although this case might have something to do with the proliferation of Chinese copies of the Lamy Safari (::1::, ::2::).

Pelikan M200 Cognac – Diamine Graphite

Bruno Taut
Nakano, March 29th 2018
etiquetas: Lamy, mercado, Japón, Corea del Sur, Taiwan

Matching (XXI). Oaso 'Safari'

After having reported on the Lanbitou 757, that obvious copy of the Lamy Safari, it is only natural to speak about the Oaso ‘Safari’, another kid on the block of copies.

The Oaso 'Safari'. The official name might be completely different, though.

Oaso is a small brand and little information about it is available. Some say it is a second brand of the well-known Picasso, from Shanghai. Both brands appear as related on alibaba.com (retrieved July 15, 2016), the website of the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group. Nothing can I say about the official model name, either.

Which one is the Chinese; which one the German? The names are written on the barrels and on the nibs.

This is indeed an obvious copy of the Lamy Safari, but less so than the already reviewed Lanbitou 757. The Oaso shows a very clear difference with respect to the original: the cap jewel. The Lamy cross is now the logo of Oaso, a sort of an ‘O’.

The cap jewels are different.

The material of this matte black copy is a bit darker and more polished than that of the charcoal (or umbra) variation of the Lamy Safari. The Chinese nib is made of steel and is chromium coated instead of the black look of some Lamy nibs. However, as was the case with the Lanbitou 757, Lamy’s and Oaso’s nibs are interchangeable.

The nibs are interchangeable. Their qualities are on par.

Their feeds are almost identical. The Chinese version has a worse finish, but the ink flow is correct.

Writing samples of the Oaso 'Safari' with tow nibs--an Oaso F, and a Lamy F. These two nibs behave in a similar fashion.

So are the converters. The Oaso version seems to be an almost exact clone of the Lamy Z28 unit save for the color of the materials. The Chinese copy even has the notches to hook it to the pen. Both are marked with their brand names.

The converters are also interchangeable. They are almost identical.

All in all, the Oaso ‘Safari’ is a knockoff of decent quality. And the question is why all these companies bothered copying inexpensive models. The reason seems to lay on the Chinese domestic market, where the Lamy Safari holds relatively high prices. And it seems that these Chinese companies –Lanbitou, Hero, Picasso, Oaso…– have had an effect: Lamy has lowered the prices of the Lamy Safari in the Chinese market to remain competitive.

My thanks to Mr. Mizukushi.

Bank-ei in black urushi – Pilot Blue

Bruno Taut
Nakano, July 15th, 2016
etiquetas: China, mercado, Lanbitou, Oaso, Lamy

Matching (XX). Lanbitou 757

Some years ago (::1::, ::2::), the Chinese Shanghai Hero Pen Company surprised the fountain pen community by launching an unabashed copy of the very popular model Lamy Safari. That Hero model, the 359, opened the gates for other Chinese companies to follow suit. The Jinhao 599A is one of those.

However, both Jinghao and Hero models show some very clear differences with respect to the original Lamy Safari: clip and nib for the Jinhao, barrel and cap top for the Hero, were the more evident distinctions.

The Lanbitou 757.

The Lanbitou 757 seems to be even more faithful to the Lamy Safari. Nibs are interchangeable, barrels match both in shape and in size… The external differences are limited to the inner cap –black plastic on the Lanbitou, shiny metal on the Lamy--, and the engraving on the barrel.

Lamy Vista (Safari demonstrator) and Lanbitou 757, side by side. Can you spot the differences?

A closer inspection shows that the materials of these demonstrator versions are different, and the feeds also follow separate ways. But most parts are interchangeable between Lamy’s and Lanbitou’s pens.

The feeds are different: one slit for the Lanbitou, two for the Lamy.

Nibs can be swapped.

The plastics are different.

Both cap tops carry the emblematic cross of Safari fountain pens.

The writing quality of the Lanbitou is more than acceptable. It has a reliable flow that is up to the challenge of much broader nibs than that provided with the pen. This original nib is on the dry side, but could easily be tuned to make it wetter. It is not labeled in any way, but I guess it corresponds to an F point. As I implied before, the pen accepts Lamy nibs without any problem.

Lamy nibs are richer in ink than the Lambitou one, but this is nothing can could be changed easily. Note how the feed is able to provide the ink for all of the points.

All in all, this Lanbitou 757 is nothing else than a knockoff of the Lamy Safari, and all the arguments exposed to finally absolve Hero of any legal infringement do apply here as well. Very few legal grounds could Lamy find to protect a design from 1980.

The question, then, is a different one—is it worth to copy an inexpensive good as the Lamy Safari or the Pilot Petit-1? Let the market speak.

My thanks to Mr. Mizukushi.

Lanbitou 757 with Lamy 1.1 nib – Pilot Iroshizuku Yu-yake

Bruno Taut
Nakano; February 25th, 2016
etiquetas: Lamy, Hero, Lanbitou, Jinghao, mercado

Rhetorical Question (II)

For 金野さん

Lamy 2000 in stainless steel.

-- My last purchase was a Lamy 2000 in stainless steel.
-- Oh! Nice. But, isn’t it too heavy?
-- Who’s gonna write with it?

Pilot Myu 701 – Sailor Yama-dori

Bruno Taut
Shinjuku, February 7th, 2013
labels: Lamy, estilofilia

Rhetorical Question (I)

Recently, a friend confessed –yes, that is the right word— that she had purchased a luxury mechanical pencil for the amount of JPY 1575 (about EUR 16 or USD 17), and that was expensive. Sure enough, to any normal person, to any healthy mind, any writing tool over EUR 10 (or USD 10, or JPY 1000), is expensive. We stylophiles are the abnormal ones in here, and we might need to rethink our perceptions on what is cheap or expensive in our small world.

Lamy Safari, JPY 3800. Cartridge-converter. Converter not included.

Parker IM, JPY 2900. Cartridge-converter. Converter not included.

Pilot Prera, JPY 3500. Converter included.

Twsbi Diamond 540, USD 40. Piston filler.

Case in point—can we really say that a EUR 30 fountain pen is an entry level fountain pen? Can we seduce any sane person into buying a writing tool that is about 10 times more expensive than those regular pens he might use?

Sailor Profit Junior, music nib – Diamine Graphite

Bruno Taut
Yokohama, January 30th, 2013
labels: mercado, estilofilia, Lamy, Parker, Pilot, Twsbi