Pilot adds panda to Namiki Collection

Office World News, Sep 1998

A limited edition pen for the hi hk endangered panda

TRUMBULL, CT-A new Panda Limited Edition fountain pen, featuring a panda hand-painted on the barrel in Japanese Maki-e art. will be added to the Namiki Collection, a family of prestigiously designed writing instruments from Pilot Pen Corp. of America.

The Panda Limited Edition, consisting of only 700 pens, is created entirely by hand. Each pen is signed by a master artist working in Maki-e, a centuries-old Japanese art form, and is fitted with a precision 18-karat gold nib to ensure an exceptionally smooth stroke and clean line. The suggested retail price is $1,450.

The Namiki Collection consists of elegant writing instruments priced from $95 to $6,500 and includes fountain pens, rolling ball pens, ball point pens and mechanical pencils. Namiki is the original name of the Pilot Pen Co.

The panda is a highly endangered creature and an international symbol of conservation. It is among the most popular animals in the world and is revered as a national treasure in China. However, it is threatened bv poaching and the erosion of its habitat and food supply. Programs to save the panda are in place through groups such as the Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species at the San Diego Zoo.