For all my years in the pen hobby, I’ve never owned one of the larger hard-sided, leather pen cases like the Galen Leather Magnum Opus. I think I’ve been missing out.
Big, bulky pen cases aren’t for everyone, or every situation. I should know, I helped design small, compact nylon cases for years at Nock Co.. I worked on those products for a reason: They were an expression of my style. But storage options such as this serve a purpose as well.
Galen Leather has been making stationery goods since 2012 from their shop in Turkey, and have grown into one of the more prominent makers in our space. I was lucky to converse with founder Zeynep about their products prior to her way-to-soon passing, and am proud of her husband Yunus, and brother Yusuf, for carrying on the family business and creating something I know she is proud of. I’m fortunate to call them friends, so forgive me if I’m a lot biased when discussing their goods. They deserve all the praise in the world.
So, the Magnum Opus. As the name might dictate, this is a beast of a case. It is a 12-slot horizontal layout, with a removable velvet tray for easy access, or sharing, of pens. It is hard-sided, giving it a boxy feel when closed. The closure is magnetic, allowing for a nice snap to know your pens are tucked away safely.
As their brand name indicates, Galen specializes in leather goods. My Magnum Opus is made from a distressed Crazy Horse Brown leather, and comes in several other dyed and undyed leather colors. It also comes in a 6-slot version in many of the same colors.
In use, I keep the Magnum Opus on, or near, my desk. All pens inside are easy to access - even the short ones — due to the ability to slide the pen tray out easily. The case lays flat when not in use, or I’ll stand it vertically if the situation allows.
This case is at its best when used at home, or for dedicated events such as pen shows or meetups. You’ll want to keep it vertical when moving it around, as the pens aren’t held in place other than with dividers between the slots. Placing it vertically in a bag, for example, wouldn’t be a great idea as the pens slide left and right in the case. A bag-in-bag this is not. The 6-slot case is a much better portable option, for obvious reasons.
At $159 for the large model, and $109 for the smaller model, these Galen Leather goods are priced well. Quality leather goods aren’t cheap, and given the handmade nature of these cases, you are investing in pen storage that will be around for years to come.
You can order directly from Galen Leather with fast and fairly-priced shipping options. If you are in the US, both Vanness Pens and Goldspot carry a large amount of Galen’s ever-growing product lineup, so be sure to check out all they have to offer.
(Galen Leather provided this product at no charge to The Pen Addict for review purposes.)
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