How to find a lost pen - and not lose another; lost pens, coins, keys, more

My good friend and president of a club lost a pen at a club meeting. At least ten of us went hunting. It was a valuable pen. A Waterman.

A waterman pen.

Other valuable pens include Parker pens (£60 upwards), Mont Blanc pens with a white star shape cap like the snow-capped top of Mont Blanc (about £300), any pen which you care about.

Here's where our lost and found searches went:

I  checked

every pocket of my coat jacket inside and out, all my pockets in my vest emptied out, turned my bucket bag onto the floor, and shook out the books and manuals, and inspected my pens now on my kitchen table/desk which say Angela Lansbury or Writers Holiday or hotel names or are very cheap.

A Waterman pen

My other thoughts are:

Usual place to find pens are:

1 Dropped through hole the pen tip made in pocket - coin or pen is in lining of jacket.

2 Left behind on lectern and gathered up by next speaker, SAA or President who takes care of it or puts it in cupboard.

3 Rolls under radiator or cupboard at venue.

4 Left with papers gathered up to throw in bins.

I remember somebody asking me if I had a pen very early in the evening. I usually carry a cheap pen to lend out. Many meetings have a box of cheap pens. 

 On one occasion I was unusually not willing to lend my pen nor look for a spare because I needed it right away to write timings.

If a pen is not in the room near you the other possibilities by way of elimination are:

1 Left/dropped by you or another in toilet or toilet anteroom

2 Fallen behind a box at the doorway

3 Rolled back to the wall under the window or behind your chairs

4 In the kitchen rolled behind the clutter on a work surface

5 Rolled under seat of a car such as yours or the person who gave you a lift or another relative's or friend's or hotel's car

6 Dropped outside the venue you visited underneath the car (check with a torch) or 

7 Dropped at doorway of building while using keys. (Recalling I have in previous years found items I dropped on my own doorstep!)

You could put up a notice in the hall so if anybody finds it they know who to phone.

If very valuable claim on car or house insurance.

If smaller value get money towards it as gift to yourself from the club at end of season.

Replace with pen with your name written on it (from several companies online which do promotional pens).

The good news is the lost pen was found!

When I'm going to a busy place or out on a journey I often put a label on my pen.

Angela Lansbury, author of How To Get Out Of The Mess You're In.
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