It turns out that my photography professor collects fountain pens. I love fountain pens. I just can't use them because my handwriting makes Charlie Brown's look like calligraphy. I do own a couple, including a retractable Pilot that's pretty cool. He found a place in China (where copyrights and patents have never been considered) that makes beautiful replicas of nice pens for between $10-$30. He showed me one last night that was delivered to him for $8. The nib was surprisingly smooth. He also told me that a lot of people are cannibalizing antique pens for their gold, which, though sad, is making the remaining pens more valuable.