*Please Note – This blog (retro51blog.com) is no longer accepting new subscribers, and will likely not receive email notifications for any new/future blog posts. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, but we do encourage you to check the updated blog periodically for the latest content. Read below for more information:
Dear Retro51 family,
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for being loyal followers of our retro blog. We are thrilled to unveil our brand new blog, now hosted on our freshly revamped website. You can access the latest posts by clicking the following link: New Retro51 Blog
For those who crave early access to updates about new pens and, who knows, maybe even a sneak peek at upcoming blog content, we invite you to join the ranks of the Retro Rangers (sign up is also available on this page). We look forward to reconnecting with you in our exciting new blog space!
It is Dinosaur Day and we thought it would be a good time for a contest and a giveaway!! We are giving away three of the Dino Fossil pens from the Smithsonian. Follow these rules to enter:
Use your favorite Retro ballpoint or rollerball pen to draw a dinosaur! Have fun with it and draw whatever kind of dinosaur you would like in any style you choose.
Take a picture of your drawing next to any Retro51 pen (if you do not have a Retro, draw a pen within the drawing)!
Share on social media (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) and TAG US to enter.
You may post once a day, so if you post on all channels you need three different drawings.
Final entry deadline is 9am Central on Thursday 02/02/23.
It’s International Gnome Day this Friday June 10th (at least according to some online event calendars), PLUS it is National Ballpoint Day. We thought it’s a good time to not only get out your Gnome Sweet Gnome but also do a giveaway of the rare “Green Thumb Edition!” Last year twenty-five of these were given away in random tubes with the purchase of the yellow version. This is the last chance to win one of these because we don’t have any more after this. To enter to win this extremely rare design, just follow all these rules:
Use your favorite Retro ballpoint or rollerball to draw a gnome! It could be as simple as a stick gnome or spend hours if you like (note this is a randomly drawn winner, not based on quality).
Take a picture of this drawing next to any Retro51 pen (if you don’t have a Retro, draw a pen within the drawing).
Share it on our social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram) and make sure to tag us!
You may post once a day but it has to be a different drawing so you may enter up to three times. Please don’t post the same image on all social channels, once is fine. Final entry deadline is 9 am Central on Friday 6/10/22.
A random number generated drawing will be done on Friday 6/10/22 at Noon Central time with all these entries. The winner will be notified via the place they shared the image plus a DM sent. Winner will be announced as well on our social channels, plus below on Retro51blog.com
Insert that came with the special Green Thumb EditionGnome Sweet GnomeThank you to everyone who took part in this gnome drawing contest! We heard from many of you saying how much fun you had submitting, and we enjoyed seeing all the creative gnome drawings. Congratulations to the winner Jovan T. for winning with the Gnome in the tub drawing. (Note the winning entry was chosen with random number generator.)
This Friday, April 22nd is Earth Day so let’s celebrate our home planet with a contest. It’s easy to take part in this contest. All you have to do is comment with an answer to this question: how are you making the earth more sustainable? Answer this question below in the comments or on any of our social media channels (Facebook, Instagram or Twitter). Enter once per platform.
Three lucky winners will be drawn at random to win either a Buzz, a Smithsonian Hummingbirds & Flowers or a Smithsonian Raven Steals the Sun. Contest closes Friday 4/22/22 at 9 am Central. You may only win once. Winners will be drawn and announced on Friday and notified via social media. Good luck!
Thank you to everyone that took part in the Earth Day contest. There was a lot of great entries and ideas for making our home more sustainable. Congratulations to Tana V., Melissa E. and Patty, the three drawn winners. Happy Earth Day!
This Sunday, March 27th, is National Scribble Day. We know Retro fans are creative, but not everyone can draw so how about a scribble contest. To enter the contest, just do the following:
Scribble/draw/doodle something and then take a photo of the Retro51 pen (fountain, rollerball, ballpoint or pencil) you are currently using next to it. (If you don’t have a Retro51, handwrite “Help me I am writing with an Ugly Pen!” next to your scribble).
Post this image either on our Facebook page, on Twitter (tagging us @Retro1951), or on Instagram (also tagging us @Retro1951) .
One entry per person, per day (one day = from noon till 11:59 am the following day – central time). The photo must be different for each day/entry. You can enter once daily, but you may only win once. Entry cut off is 9 am Central 3/28.
One winner will be chosen each day by random number generator with all three winners announced on Monday, March 28th via our social channels.
Prize:
Three lucky scribblers will win the new USPS Route Master (MSRP $59).
Good luck & thanks for entering!
Contest Winners:
Congratulations to our three winners of the National Scribble Day contest: Linda, Daniel and Andrea. Thank you to everyone that entered the contest. We enjoyed seeing all the fun “scribbles.”
Retro 51 is proud to partner with the United States Postal Service on a collection of licensed writing instruments! The Holiday stamp is the first design to start this new licensed collection.
Plus, scroll down to see the new Douglass 3-Piece Gift Set!
Celebrate the holidays with this festive new Tornado. Inspired by folk art but with a modern graphic vibe, these charming rollerball pens will add a touch of whimsy to your holiday mailings.
This Retro51 Tornado rollerball pen features the 2020 USPS Holiday Stamp art silkscreened on the stainless-steel barrel and finished with a gloss varnish complimented by the polished chrome trim. Each Tornado’s top ring features an engraved USPS logo plus the pens’ limited-edition number engraved of 1225 pieces. Finally, each pen is topped with a graphic finial with one more snowflake looking up at you when it’s stored upright in your pocket or purse. The Retro51 licensed pen comes within a commemorative USPS packaging tube that not only stores your Retro, but also can be used as a pen stand on your desk when not in use. Pick up this festive rollerball just in time to write your holiday letters or gift to friends and family!
With a traditional palette of red, green and white, illustrator Kirsten Ulve channeled her love of Christmas, vintage ornaments and Scandinavian folk art to create unique digital illustrations of four holiday icons: a prancing reindeer with antlers; an ornament tied with a bow and ready to hang; a tree topped with a star; and a stocking holding a teddy bear and a sprig of holly.
Art director Antonio Alcalá designed the stamps.
NEW Douglass 3-Piece Gift Set
With its tactile computer engraved texture on stonewashed pewter finish, the Douglass writing instruments have become a favorite design of 2021. For the first time, a 3-piece pen set complete with matching rollerball, 1.15 mm pencil and fountain pen are now available in a sturdy gift box that doubles as a pen case with secure magnetic closure. Joining the smooth rollerball are a matching 1.15 mm pencil and fountain pen (with select nib options) with extra lead, erasers and fountain converter stored inside. The famous abolitionist and orator’s portrait is on the rollerball and fountain pen finial plus on this trio set’s magnetic box packaging. Hours of writing delight awaits you or fortunate gift recipient with this new writing set.
Order Details: Order at your favorite Retro51 Dealer or contact us if you need any help finding one. Dealers can also be found on the Retro51 website through this link: Dealer Near You.
Thank you from the Retro51 Team and Happy Holidays!
This coming Friday, November 5th, is National Fountain Pen Day. In honor of this special day for penthusiasts, we will be giving away three new Raw Brass Tornado Fountain Pens. Here is how to enter the contest:
Take a photo of any Retro51 pen (fountain, rollerball, ballpoint or pencil) you are currently using and hand write Fountain Pen Day 2021 next to it.
Post this image either on our Facebook page, on Twitter (tagging us @Retro1951), or on Instagram (also tagging us @Retro1951) .
One entry per person, per day (one day = from noon till 11:59 am the following day – central time). The photo must be different for each day/entry. You can enter once daily, but you may only win once.
One winner will be chosen for each day by random number generator with all three winners announced on Wednesday, November 10th via our social channels.
Prize:
Three winners will get the new Raw Brass Fountain with Medium Nib.
Good luck, thanks for entering and Happy Fountain Pen Day!
“Certain it is, the place still continues under the sway of some witching power, that holds a spell over the minds of the good people, causing them to walk in a continual reverie. They are given to all kinds of marvellous beliefs, are subject to trances and visions, and frequently see strange sights, and hear music and voices in the air. The whole neighborhood abounds with local tales, haunted spots, and twilight superstitions; stars shoot and meteors glare oftener across the valley than in any other part of the country, and the nightmare, with her whole ninefold, seems to make it the favorite scene of her gambols.”
“The dominant spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, and seems to be commander-in-chief of all the powers of the air, is the apparition of a figure on horseback, without a head. It is said by some to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, whose head had been carried away by a cannon-ball, in some nameless battle during the Revolutionary War, and who is ever and anon seen by the country folk hurrying along in the gloom of night, as if on the wings of the wind. His haunts are not confined to the valley, but extend at times to the adjacent roads, and especially to the vicinity of a church at no great distance. Indeed, certain of the most authentic historians of those parts, who have been careful in collecting and collating the floating facts concerning this spectre, allege that the body of the trooper having been buried in the churchyard, the ghost rides forth to the scene of battle in nightly quest of his head, and that the rushing speed with which he sometimes passes along the Hollow, like a midnight blast, is owing to his being belated, and in a hurry to get back to the churchyard before daybreak.
Such is the general purport of this legendary superstition, which has furnished materials for many a wild story in that region of shadows; and the spectre is known at all the country firesides, by the name of the Headless Horseman of Sleepy Hollow.”
THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW by Washington Irving
Celebrating the spooks and specters of Halloween, Retro 51 has conjured this haunting limited edition, Sleepy Hollow, just in time for All Hallows’ Eve. Matching Rickshaw Single Pen Sleeve also available. Only 1031 Rollerballs available. MSRP $50/pen, $21/sleeve. Contact us if you need help finding a dealer.
NEW, NEW and more NEW designs from Retro51! From the Brass Classics to two new glow in the dark Tornados, these rollerballs are sure to make many eyes light up with excitement.
Retro 51’s Classic Tornado is joined by a new member to the family, the Brass Classic. This twist-top Classic rollerball pen with stainless-steel barrel* and vibrant lacquer finish is now accented with polished brass trim. As always, each Tornado is packaged in Retro branded graphic tube that can be used as a pen stand or carrying case when it’s not in use. Return to the golden age of fine writing with this collection.
*Orange Classic uses a Brass barrelClassic White Tornado (Left) New for 2021, a beautiful gloss white lacquer finish joins the Retro 51 Classic Tornado’s colorful line of pens. Put this rollerball in the light and watch it glow with a blue luminescence at night. This rollerball is on standby to capture all your dreams. Each one is packaged in a Retro brand tube.
Chaplin Tornado (Right) Although simple in design, this rollerball is far from silent. The Chaplin Tornado’s matte white finish over a stainless-steel body with black trim would be enough to draw the eye of any pen fan. But this pen becomes a star at night with its blue luminescent glow! Pick up the Chaplin and start practicing your autograph.
Tomorrow is National Ballpoint Pen Day and Friday is National Making Life Beautiful Day, so we wanted to celebrate these two days with a fun contest! As you know Life is too short to carry an Ugly Pen, so get your Retros out for a chance to win a Buzz Tornado that uses the smooth and long-lasting Easy Flow ballpoint refill. It’s always good to have multiple Retros at hand, so enter the contest by following these steps and make life beautiful!
Contest Rules:
Create something that is beautiful to you, whether it is a drawing, writing a poem or musical lyric or even just writing “Make Life Beautiful” using a Retro51 writing instrument(s).
Handwrite within the creation #MLBR51
Photograph the Retro51 pen you used next to your beautiful creation
Share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and tag us
(Post on Retro’s Facebook Page or tag us on Instagram and Twitter @Retro1951)
Contest entries end Friday morning 6/11/21 at 9 am Central
Prizes:
Three winners will be selected by the Retro51 team based on beauty, originality, cleverness, plus other distinguishable characteristics that “make life beautiful.” The winners will be shared on our social media pages, given credit for their creation and contacted via the social media channel so we can mail you the prize.
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