Part of the pleasure of owning a valued fountain pen, is the selection and the use of pen case. Through my frequent trips to Italy I have acquired a good collection of leather pen cases, many of which are no longer in production.

The pen case not offers protection for the pen, but it is part of the experience of owning a pen you hold high in value. I am a big one for cases within cases, so inside my Italian leather briefcase if often a small leather bag, and in the leather bag a number of pen cases. That is typically how I transport the single or double pen cases.

I use pen rolls to carry five or so pens at a time.

Piquadro makes beautiful leather goods, with an extensive line of pen cases. When in Italy, ask for a Portapenne.

Piquardo single pen case, unfortunately no longer in production, has good design feature of being in essence a single piece of leather where the bottom and to top both are closed by the leather band. This means the case is no too big or small for an individual pen. Any pen I have pretty much fits in this pen case.

Most pen cases come in brown or black leather, but Waterman was one of the companies that produced a leather pen cases in bold colours such as red, blue, green and yellow in addition to the more traditional brown and black. My Waterman red is over 16 years old and still looks great.

I have always been drawn to the classic black leather pen case. Many have the cigar like segments that keep two pens securely apart from each other. The pen case shown above is a classic leather pen case by Fraschini in Milan Italy. Sadly it is not longer profiled in their catalogue. The leather is very soft and although the pen case is almost 15 year old, it looks as good today as when I first purchased the case.

Cases with divided sections have the advantage of providing extra protection for the pens. Check the case with the pen you use. You would never be able to fit a Laban Mento or a Montegrappa Espressione in this case!

Lamy makes some of the softest leather pen cases you can buy. the Lamy pen cases have clean line, classic style. This Lamy case allows the pens sit be placed within inner leather divider for protection, or to not use the dividers and hold any size pen. That is a good thing, as the dividers were sized to fit the rather thin Lamp pens. I have a larger OMAS 360 in this case by not using the dividers.

This classic brown leather case I have had for almost 20 years now. No brand on the leather.My wife purchased this as a birthday gift for me at a pen store in Les Halles, Paris.

Aurora has made quality leather goods for years. This leather pen case, part of the Aurora Roma collection, holds three pens, and the leather is firm so there is good protection for the pens. It nicely clips together. I purchased this case at a pen store in Palermo. Aurora also makes a single and double pen case.

This classic Aurora pen case hold three pens, each pen sits in its own holder, and the top and bottom flaps fold over to provide a good level of protection and can accommodate various sizes of pens.

Piquardo pen case for two pens, no longer in production, but I found this one unique as it included on the right hand side sheets of blotting paper. The sections hold a medium to medium-large pen, but become high if one of the larger larger pens is placed in the section. You want the pen to fit snugly, but especially if the pen does not screw onto the body of the pen, if the fit is too tight, the cap is all you will have in your hand when you pull the pen out!

Pen rolls are a handy way to carry a number of pens. Aston makes a selection of pen cases, and this pen roll I purchased from WorldLux is one of my favorites. Very soft leather from India. I have a brown and black leather roll.

Aston pen roll opens to securely hold a collection of five pens that can go on the road!

The Sir Rondo's pen case has a good overlap of leather so that pens are well protected. Unfortunately, in looking at the company's web site, they seem to have moved away from making pen cases.