Every year, I write this introduction and state how great last year’s project was, and how excited we are to get this year’s campaign underway. Both of those things are true! And I’m confident that the next thing I’m going to say is also true: This will be our biggest and best campaign yet.
It happened in an odd way. We had planned on announcing Dallas as our second show for 2020, along with a collaboration in partnership with Retro 51. Then, Retro 51 beat us to the punch with news of their closure. We had a moment of panic, but Retro 51 reached out and are excited to work with us for this years campaign. Now, we just needed to come up with a pen design.
Our ideas changed drastically once the Retro 51 news came down, and we knew we had to do something special. The thought is this: We all have our favorite Retro 51, so how about we represent as many of them as possible in one single pen? The top-disc, or finial, on the top of each Retro 51 represents some of the coolest artwork in their catalog, and this pen will feature … wait for it … 51 of those designs. 50 around the barrel, and the classic Retro 51 final on the top of the pen.
Say hello to the Pen Addict + Retro 51 Celebration.
The full details:
— Ana, Brad, and Myke will attend the Atlanta Pen Show from April 3rd-5th, and will be recording a live podcast on the evening of April 4th for any backers and show attendees who would like to join us. (*Note: The Atlanta Pen Show has been officially canceled. See project updates for more.)
— Ana, Brad, and Myke will attend the Dallas Pen Show on September 25th and 26th. There will be no live recording at this show, but we plan on having a table there for us to hang out and chat with you at.
— All backers will receive a video recording of the live show in Atlanta, plus a vlog recorded at the Dallas show. These are backer-only rewards and will not be released publicly.
— The Retro 51 Celebration will be the primary campaign reward, and will come with the same video and vlog access, plus a special poster printed by Skylab Letterpress featuring an index of all of the 51 top-discs featured on the pen.
The Retro 51 and poster design are just getting underway, but here is a sneak peak of what the pen layout will look like:
The top-disc designs and locations are subject to change for the final version, but this is a good representation of the color, layout, and design that you are pledging for. We should have a better idea of the final artwork soon, and will share it ASAP.
This will be a numbered edition with a maximum of 999 pens produced. The amount ordered shall be based upon the number of backers, but will in no event be beyond 999. A percentage of the pens will be held back for shipping loss and damage.
This is going to be a fun project, and we are glad you are a part of it. Let’s celebrate!
There are always possible manufacturing delays that may impact delivery date of the pens. Also, the Coronavirus, and its global impact, could affect our travel. If any of our scheduled events are impacted, we will do our best to adjust our schedules to attend different events than the ones listed.