Imagine this...

New from Montblanc--with pictures just released today--is the John Lennon pen collection in three versions. I spoke with the president of Montblanc North America, Jan-Patrick Schmitz, on Friday, and he said the collection would be kicked off today in NYC with messages of peace transmitted via satellite feeds from around the globe: Berlin, Hong Kong, Tokyo and Mexico City. Susan Sarandon hosted the event in NYC at Lincoln Center. The John Lennon Pen is this year's Donation Pen, meaning that a portion of the proceeds will be donated to a worthy cause. This year's cause is the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus. The 70-piece limited edition fountain pen in skeletonized white gold is priced at $27,00 and is available at Montblanc boutiques; the Commemorative Edition, limited to 1,940 pieces, is crafted from sterling silver ($3,375) and is available at select pen retailers and jewelry stores; the "unlimited version" includes a fountain pen ($920), rollerball ($690) and ballpoint ($690) crafted from black resin engraved to recall a vinyl record. The fountain pens are all piston filled with 18-karat gold nibs. The pens in each of the three styles have interesting iconography reminiscent of John Lennon, and the packaging includes Lennon's self-portrait on the lid, as well as a copy of his recording, "Imagine."