#pencase

Galen Leather is a Turkey-based company specialising in pen paraphernalia, especially leather items such as pen cases, desk pads and a variety of small leather goods, some of them very creative such as the writer’s medic bag with its intricate folding system. They also offer pipe pouches, tool bags and wallets, etc.

As I am trying to stop causing stress to the fabric of my jackets by adding weight to the inside pocket—three pens is probably a bit too much—I am relying more and more on pen cases, which I carry in my bag. So I ordered one from Galen to test their craft.

Sturdy. That’s the word that leaps to mind when you touch the beautiful leather pen case. Intriguing could be the second one as you admire the rough dye of the leather. I chose the ‘crazy horse’ variety in blue. It’s a full-grain, vegetable-tanned leather (meaning natural tannins from the barks, leaves and branches were used to process the hides).

Don’t go looking for smooth textures—in textural equivalence for fabrics, this is more denim than silk. Th leather will probably soften, but my guess is that we’re starting with some very stiff material here and I don’t see it mellowing too much—a good thing as far as I’m concerned. The burnished edges are very strong and create a protruding lip that protects the case. The case is hand-made and you can’t see it falling apart for the next few decades. The leather is obviously patina-friendly and already gives the impression of a well-travelled piece.

The packaging is very thoughtful, with care instructions, a postcard with a nice writing sample, a piece of evil-eye jewellery and even a bag of tea and coffee. More importantly, it contains a pen-slot extender, ie a stick of wood, which came in quite handy to work out the stiffness of the leather and make some extra room for my bigger pens. This is not for large models— my Montegrappa Extra 1930 and Montblanc 149 could not fit their ample shapes inside. After leaving the wooden extender overnight, my Montblanc 149 still couldn’t fit but my Montegrappa could, as well as a hefty S.T. Dupont. Bear that in mind if you’re want to use it for mammoth-sized pens.

Next step for me will be the brown and the green leathers. Possibly the desk pads, certainly the notebooks, which have garnered international praise for their quality — they lay flat for better writing, have rounded edges to avoid damaging them and feature Tomoe River paper, a legendary fountain pen-friendly Japanese paper.

Galen Leather is obviously great value but they are above all a creative company with plenty of ideas and a quality level to shame some luxury brands. Its designs have the user in mind and present actual practicality, each object taking its functional purpose seriously. Aesthetically, they have a rough edge that is in line with a satchel-carrying, denim-loving, texture-wearing, patina-prone, workwear style. Or simply for those who love leather and a pen case.

John Slamson