China Syndrome

This pen was a gift from a fan of the newly renovated Art Gallery of Ontario in Toronto. It has the appearance and attributes of a pen made in Denmark, but it is actually made in China.


There was something not quite right about the way it felt and looked. The bubble in the liquid raised my suspicions, but it was when the clip bent to the side that I checked to see where it was from.

The clip is made of a soft aluminum instead of a harder metal such as the type used by the Eskesen company on the real floaty pens.

The ink tends to create mini blots on the paper. The image is very pale.

This pen is a troubling find. It means the purist floaty collector must be ever more vigilant against the incursion of substandard pens.

London loot

I found these London "made in Denmark" pens in a shop on the Strand. I wandered in expecting nothing as usual, but found a great stock of Eskesen brand pens.


I was so taken aback to find them after so many months spent looking for Danish-made London floaties that I asked the shopkeeper if they were knock offs. He obviously thought I was a lunatic of some sort, smiled and pulled out an extra stash from underneath the display area as if to placate me.