Good handwriting and fine calligraphy may be increasingly uncommon, but fine writing instruments both old and new continue to fascinate and appeal, providing a vibrant market for collectors worldwide. ‘Beautiful writing pleases everyone, it makes one sought after.’ So said the writer Père Gregoire Martin in 1761. Although his assertion may not ring quite so true today, even in the digital age—when few of us set aside time to perfect our calligraphy or sit down...