I still have two full boxes of perfect pen nibs from my Swiss grandmother (ca. 1920s). I often include a couple in the letters I send to subscribers who have kids, to pass on a bit of tangible history (and maybe even awaken an interest in calligraphy).

Friedrich Soennecken not only developed the “Rundschrift” (round script) type of calligraphy, but also the hole punch and ring binder. Apparently, Friedrich Nietzsche wrote to a friend that he had finally discovered a quality instument to write with: the Soennecken fountain pen.