INSIDE VANCOUVER’S MOST EXCLUSIVE GROUP OF COLLECTORS: THE CONNOISSEURS

On a Sunday morning in October, while most Vancouverites were sleeping in, eating breakfast or walking their dogs, an exclusive group of collectors were allowed through the locked doors of Montblanc Vancouver for a private showing of special and limited edition fountain pens.

One-by-one, a select group of conspicuously well dressed individuals filtered into Montblanc Vancouver on a Sunday morning. Greeted at the locked doors of the boutique, guests were ushered inside and offered coffee or tea, and presented with refreshments. No ordinary pen club, this was the meeting of the CONNOISSEURS — local members of the exclusive international group of collectors, organized by THE CIRCLE magazine.

“With varying professional backgrounds, diverse ethnicities and a range of ages, what unites this group of collectors is an undying passion for the art form of the fine writing instrument, high horology, haute cuisine and the well curated life,” says THE CIRCLE magazine’s Editor-In-Chief, JD Banck.

Beginning with a presentation of a new special edition collection, boutique staff then moved to a pedestal displaying a rare, solid gold Montblanc Great Wall Collection, High Artistry Limited Edition 888 fountain pen. Highly sought after by collectors, Montblanc’s High Artistry Collections are rarely found in boutiques, and often sell out to the brand’s VIPs before their public release.

Presented to members of the international CONNOISSEURS group were copies of THE CIRCLE magazine’s coffee-table annual journal, usually reserved for brand VIPs, private clubs and even a certain royal palace. Where will the CONNOISSEURS strike next? To be sure, it will not be announced, and chances are, you won’t get an invitation — unless you find them first.