Pens - The New Status Symbol?

When was the last time you stopped and looked at the pen you were using? Like most of us, you probably only think of pens in functional terms. The humble pen, however, has come a long way since its reed and feather predecessors.

These days you can even buy a bespoke pen. Customised to suit your writing speed, pressure, rotation and holding angle, the manufacturer will even create it to suit the language you will write in.

Today, there are a growing number of enthusiasts who collect such fine writing tools. It is a trend still in its infancy and started taking off only in the eighties and nineties when manufacturers began to put artwork onto pens, thus increasing their value.

Mr Tan Fong Kum is one such avid collector.

He is also the owner of Aesthetic Bay, a fine writing instrument specialist shop in Funan Digitalife Mall. With a name like this, you'll be forgiven for thinking that it is a home furnishing store. But Mr Tan will have you know that his is a 'lifestyle' store. Fine writing instruments are fast on the rise as 'luxury items' almost akin to to purchasing a luxury watch or a piece of jewellery.
Aesthetic Bay carries the most comprehensive range of fine writing instruments in Singapore - and possibly even in the region. Not bad, considering its modest beginnings when Mr Tan was invited by a restaurant owner in Specialist Shopping Centre, to display his wine, pen and cigar collection in glass cases outside the restaurant, to attract customers. When the space was subsequently needed for the restaurant's expansion, Mr Tan knew the time had come for him to start his own shop.

With that, Mr Tan decided to find someone to manage the shop. However, as he was unable to find a suitable person, he resolved to take on the challenge himself. This has proven to be a wise decision as his venture has brought him success in just four short years. From the limited range he initially carried of only five brands, his shop now boasts a collection of 26 exquisite brands, out of which 13 brands are prominently displayed in showcases including Montegrappa, Namiki, Sailor and Graf von Faber Castell.

Mr Tan's love affair with pens started at a young age when his father gave him a Hero pen. He then bought his own fountain pen when he began working. As he also travelled extensively for work, he would come across many of these fine writing instruments and so his collection was born. He presently owns more than a thousand pens of which about 300 are considered valuable.
Like him, many of his clients are also collectors. These aficionados - ranging from lawyers to bankers, doctors to accountants and CEOs to entrepreneurs - are so passionate about the subject that many a time, they have conversed until the wee hours of the morning. Mr Tan also makes it a point to carry a different pen whenever he is meeting the same person so that there's always something fresh to talk about.

He estimates that there about 300 to 500 collectors in Singapore alone. But his clients come from all over the world with many being business visitors who are also collectors or others who buy the pens as gifts.

What then, one wonders, are the defining marks of a valuable pen, sought after by collectors?

According to Mr Tan - Brand. Artwork. Rarity.

To ensure that he maintains an outstanding collection to sustain his customers' interest, Mr Tan will travel to the manufacturers' factories to view the products and to obtain first-hand information. Like many other industries, this is also one where speed is critical. Retailers like Mr Tan have to move fast, to stay ahead of the competition. He also analyses past and present trends when deciding which pieces to buy for his shop. But his true advantage probably lies in his innate ability to spot unusual pieces that appeal to collectors.

Naturally then, we were curious to know whether Mr Tan has a personal favourite among all these intricate beauties that surround him.
Without hesitation, Mr Tan whipped out an elegantly engraved gold and red pen from his pocket. This, is the 'Singapore pen', he tells us.

It holds the distinction of being the first pen to be designed for Singapore and much of the credit goes to Mr Tan. Wanting to create a pen to commemorate Singapore's independence and 40th birthday, he approached Italian pen manufacturer, Montegrappa, with the idea. Montegrappa, which had already produced pens for several other countries including many around this region, readily undertook the project.

In conceiving the design, Mr Tan knew he wanted something reflective of the harmony that exists in Singapore. This was especially so as 2005 was a year which saw more terrorism in other countries. To embody that harmony and peace, the main part of the artwork featured four religious buildings in Singapore, representing the four main religions in Singapore. It also included a palm tree to denote our tropical clime and has none other than our own Vanda Miss Joaquim taking centrestage on the pen cap. In line with the spirit of the pen, it was aptly named 'Living Harmony'. Needless to say, Mr Tan is very proud (and has every reason to be!) that all 500 pieces were sold.

This is just the beginning.

Through speaking to Mr Tan, one can easily see why he chose the tagline, 'Engaging your soul' for Aesthetic Bay. His passion for the subject genuinely runs deep and he truly makes it come alive in speaking about it. In fact, his fascination with this subject has even prompted him to write a book that he hopes to publish in the ?near future.

Meanwhile, by our reckoning, with the growing interest in this area, it looks like he should brace himself for more of those 'wee hour' chats.

Verona Huang