Stern's co-host Robin Quivers gave him a limited edition Visconti fountain pen for his 59th birthday last week. Stern said that after receiving the pen, he did a bit of internet research and found that the retail price was about $1700. Quivers confirmed that she paid "about that" for the high end scribbler.
"What a pen!" exclaimed Stern, then taunted his audience with the extravagance: “Only 50 of these pens are in existence—so f**k you. I have it. Me and 49 other jerks. I hope they’re doing something with it that’s a little more important than fart jokes.”
The pens are handcrafted by artisans in a 15th century villa in Florence, Italy and have been used on such historic occasions as the signing of the Russia-NATO Treaty in 2002. Now, the company has the honor of knowing that one of their pens is in the hands of royalty--the King of All Media.
And, unlike an $800 bottle of wine, it's a gift that will stand the test of time.
Liz Brown is a freelance writer living in Hollywood, California. She has been listening to Howard Stern for fifteen years and aspires to one day scream "Baba Booey!" in a grossly inappropriate public forum. Contact Liz here.
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