The Reliquary is a penfolio that finally matches the refinement and uniqueness of your collection. The heirloom quality and versatile storage options are a fit for a wide assortment of the finest pens available.
Full Zip Portfolio Shell
We're using a full zip portfolio configuration that is 1.5 inches thick on the interior. It comes in two sizes to fit easily in your carry - one based roughly on an A5 notebook, and the other on an A4 or letter-sized pad. The leather used throughout is a durable 4.5 oz Ecuadorian latigo that will age beautifully.
Storage Panels
For the interior, we've created two styles of storage panels. One is made with full enclosure leather sleeves, and the other is dual rows of adjustable soft elastics.
The leather sleeves have a few tricks. First, they are large enough for the biggest barrels in your collection, all the way up to pens like the Emperor. The bottom of each sleeve is tapered, so that when you slide your pen into the sleeve, you decide how much pressure is needed to hold it in place; the premium leather holds the pen just like your hand. The full sleeve enclosure removes the need for a cumbersome divider, protecting pens on both panels from scratching one another. The dual elastic panel features two rows of 1/2 inch twill woven elastic, extra soft to protect the finish of your pens. The tension on each one is completely adjustable, so you can tailor the hold for pens with fragile components or varied sizes. If you'd prefer, you can even pull the elastic aside and use this panel for a pad or notebook. If you want to store paper in your penfolio you can also continue using the elastic loops for pens and tuck your pad or notebook inside the cover. This design also allows us to easily replace the elastic for you every few years, a must considering our lifetime guarantee.
Standard size with A5 notebook
Large Size with A4 Pad
To collect fountain pens you need to be part archaeologist, part curator, and part technician, but most of all, you need a deep love and appreciation for the practice of putting pen to paper. When we set out to make the best pen collector's portfolio we could, we started by listening to collectors. We heard from them about how unique each piece in their collection was and how aware they were of the finest details - from vintage pens with fragile components, to modern designs with a huge array of sizes, mechanisms, materials, and finishes. And yet, for each pen in their collection, a collector knows the whole story - every historical detail of the vintage pens manufacture, every bit of quirky personality to how it writes. Even pens that are no longer in the collection feel like long lost friends.
This sort of deeper examination of the objects in our lives is core to who we are at Allegory. So when we decided to create a pen collector's portfolio, we focused on versatility. We designed a penfolio that could account for all the little quirks of each pen - storing them with just the right amount of hold and protection, in just the right places, and accounting for the whole spectrum of sizes, ages, and stories behind each one.
The Reliquary Penfolio will come in two sizes and three colors.
Standard Size
10 inches tall x 8 inches wide x 2 inches deep
Holds 14 pens total - 9 slots in elastic panel, 5 sleeves,
Use the left side of the penfolio with the elastic loops to hold an A5 notebook. You can remove the pens insert the back cover of the notebook into the notebook slot (pictured above). Or you can tuck the notebook behind the elastic pen holder panel.
Large Size
13 inches tall x 10.25 wide x 2 inches deep
Holds 27 pens total - 18 slots in the elastic panel, 9 sleeves.
Use the right side of the penfolio with the elastic loops to hold an A4/letter sized pad. You can remove the pens insert the back cover of the pad into the pad slot (pictured above). Or you can tuck the pad behind the elastic pen holder panel. (A4 pads are too tall to tuck behind the pen storage panel. This will only work for letter size or smaller pads.)
Choose your leather color in the post-project survey.
Additional Rewards and Add Ons
As part of our launch of the Reliquary, we're offering our full line of pen storage options at crowdfunding prices! All of these were designed and honed with feedback from thousands of collectors who have loved them over the years.
Writing Tool Rolls
Our 4- and 6- slot pen rolls are the perfect addition to your bag for a daily carry solution.
Two Pen Case
Perfect for jacket pockets, a smaller bag or purse, or anywhere where two pens for the day is the perfect balance to get the job done.
Pen Sleeve
Need to slip your favorite pen in a pocket or bag and keep it protected? This is your pick. It's a simple construction with details dialed in from years of use by many thousands of happy customers.
Check out these video reviews from a couple of our pen collector friends that helped us dial in the final design!
Find David Parker from Figboot on Pens' review here.
Special thanks to Lisa at Anderson Pens for giving us a ton of advice, and lending us a beautiful assortment of pens to photograph. Keep an eye on the Anderson Pens Podcast for a mention of the Reliquary project!
And our friend and local collector Shannon's thoughts here:
Some reviews for our pen storage solutions:
Pen Wraps
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect storage for my Allegory pens and pencil.
I now split my work between my office and my home, but I want to use my favorite pens and pencil in both places. This beautiful leather wrap lets me securely stow my pens and pencil into my backpack and transport them between my offices with no chance of any of the pens slipping out or being lost. A perfect solution for my situation.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 6 Pen Leather Roll (Saddle)
Excellent quality and suppleness of leather. Stitching shows great attention to detail....The 4 Pen Roll I previously purchased has held up extremely well and has aged nicely. In summary, this is a well executed roll with a top flap that covers and protects your pens completely that should serve you well for many years.
Two-Pen Case
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Take care of your pens, feel fancy at the same time
Every time I open this pen case to reveal the pen and pencil I have in it, I feel like Indian jones discovering some shiny thing.
Single Pen Sleeve
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Wonderful product to keep my pens safe.
I have several of these and are great at keeping my pens in safe condition.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Quality protection
These sleeves offer a great way to protect both your pen and your pocket! Beautifully made!
We believe that a product should break in, not wear out. Our products are designed with decades in mind, and we guarantee them for life, so we don’t cut any corners on the materials. Our Ecuadorian latigo leather is sustainably sourced with a close eye on farming practices and is designed to last with touches like a hydrophobic treatment that repels water for hours. YKK zippers, top notch hardware, and soft yet rugged bull denim round out the uncompromising construction.
Most leather goods are made using splits, paper-thin slices of the hide that can be sewn like cloth. Splits lower material and production costs but also reduce durability. That's not a compromise we're willing to make so we created new construction techniques that allow us to use 4.5 oz leather in full. It's the sort of thing you'll feel right away and only appreciate more five to ten years from now when your leather piece looks better than it did new.
All our products are made in our studio just outside of Chicago by a team who loves their work just as much as they love the goofy dogs they bring to the shop. Everyone who works with us is paid a living wage.
No questions asked. No paperwork needed. You'll love it on day one and day 10,000. It's the simplest and most powerful guarantee we could create. If we made it, it is guaranteed for life. We will repair or replace anything. If you buy it, you'll love it. If you don't, we'll work with you until you do, or you can return it for a full refund. If you lose it, or it gets destroyed outside of reasonable use, we'll sell you a replacement at half price. Lots of companies use words like "reasonable use" as a loophole. We don't. Wear and tear is part of reasonable use, and it is covered.
BackerKit has some fun new communication features we want to use, so we'll only be sending updates during the live project when there's something important that everyone needs to know. If you want to follow things more closely, check out the Community Tab. We have created several discussions on various topics about the project, including things we are looking for backer feedback on. You will be automatically subscribed to updates for that discussion if you comment. After the project is over, you can expect regular updates from us on the progress we are making. Each update will create a new discussion in the Community Tab.
Fulfillment Timeline
If you've backed crowdfunding projects before, you're probably used getting updates as designs are finalized, pre-production samples are approved, and other steps are completed in an outsourced manufacturing process. And all that culminates in a big shipment of product where everyone gets their stuff around the same time.
Allegory projects work a little differently because we manufacture in our Chicago studio and ship each item as soon as it's ready. We crowdfund our projects so we can order large amounts of raw materials and get backers involved in helping finalize product design decisions. The first rewards will ship within a few weeks of the project closing, and we will be making weekly shipments from there on. Here are the key things you need to know:
In 20+ projects over 10 years, we've never left a backer hanging - even in crazy cases like when backers take 2-3 years to complete their post project survey. We treat every pledge as a promise that never expires.
We share frequent updates, and in each one, we will make sure you have our customer service contact info: [email protected]. So if something comes up, and your reward needs to be prioritized, let us know. An email to our service team will usually result in your rewards being batched in the next 1-2 weeks.
Keep us posted if you're planning to use your reward for an upcoming trip, birthday/holiday gift, or other deadline you would like us to keep in mind.
Once you receive your reward, it will be covered by our lifetime guarantee. We'll fix or replace it forever, no questions asked.
We anticipate starting to ship rewards at the beginning of May and completing the project before the end of spring (depending on how large the project becomes).
Shipping Estimates We will ask you for your shipping address in the post-project survey and collect shipping fees then. Estimated shipping rates based on one large Reliquary portfolio:
USPS Priority Mail to US: $10
USPS First Class International to CA, GB & EU: $24-28
AU, NZ & Rest of World: $36-40
About Allegory
There's something special that happens when a product is made with love. You can't fake that joy - it's contagious. Our Chicago-area workshop is nothing if not joyful with the antics of our team's dogs Stan and Oatie.
From the left: Julie, Ellie, Stan (dog), Chad, Trish, Oatie (dog), Jess
Founders Chad and Jess started Allegory in 2012 with the help of a couple hundred awesome Kickstarter backers. Our mission is to raise the bar for what people expect from products and brands. We believe that products should be made to last, have a story you can be proud of, and have a positive impact on all the people they touch along the way. We're honored to have completed 20+ crowdfunding projects with thousands of backers.
Chad/Allegory's Creator Bio on Kickstarter
Here are some comments from customers and backers of our past projects:
Today I received my new black leather journal in Netherlands. This is extremely beautiful ! Thanks for all the love you have put into this piece of master craft. I will for sure always carry it with me. Kind regards, Doro - Dorothee Appel
I picked up a Padfolio because notebooks tend to take a beating in my briefcase. I had it customized to accommodate standard composition-type notebooks instead of a legal pad. Now my notebooks are well-protected. The extra pockets hold enough writing utensils and accessories, making my new Padfolio an elegant "grab and go" solution if I don't want to lug the whole briefcase along. Now all I need is a pen to complete the set, and I have my eye on a 1941 or Cap.... :) - Erik Carlson
I received my A5 Portfolio, Pocket Journal and Wallet today. The quality is second to none. I could not be happier with any of the items. I read the note that came with it and gave immediate and multiple [leather care] treatments and it already looks amazing. I look forward to many years of use ahead! Thank you so much! - Benjamin Hammerich, Superbacker
