Allegory Goods Reliquary Pen Case Review: Heirloom Leather Storage in Two Sizes

Introduction

Allegory Goods has built its reputation on leather goods that last, and the Reliquary pen case is the latest addition to that lineup. The name fits the hobby well: a reliquary is a container for sacred relics, and fountain pen collectors tend to treat their pens accordingly. Available in A5 and A4 sizes, the Reliquary aims to solve a familiar problem: how to carry a meaningful number of pens to a pen show, club meetup, or pen club night without risking damage.

Allegory has been around since 2012, run by the husband-and-wife team of Chad and Jess Shoemaker out of Chicago, Illinois. The company started with handcrafted wooden pens and later branched into leather goods, and its products have a track record of holding up for years of daily use. A lifelong warranty backs the line, so if anything goes wrong, Allegory will fix it.

Build Quality and Materials

Each Reliquary is made from heirloom-quality Ecuadorian Latigo leather. Latigo is both durable and pliable, and because it is infused with a high amount of oils during treatment, it resists moisture and sweat, which matters for something you carry around regularly. Notably, Allegory uses full four-and-a-half-ounce leather rather than the thin splits many manufacturers rely on to cut production costs. Splits are very thin pieces of hide that can be sewn like cloth, and while they lower the price, they also lower durability.

The seaming on the cases is tidy, and the plastic zipper feels well suited to the job. The cases come in three colors: Saddle, Coffee, and Charcoal.

Pen Fit: What Fits and What Doesn’t

The A5 Reliquary holds 14 pens: nine slots on one side, five larger tapered slots on the other. One of the smartest design choices is that the elastic is a single continuous piece rather than individual strips. That means you can shift the loops slightly to accommodate an unusually large pen or tighten them for slimmer ones.

Testing covered the full size range. Small pens like a Kaweco Skyline Sport fit fine alongside mid-size resins and larger models such as a Franklin-Christoph Model 66. Nothing felt overly compressed, and the elastic stayed comfortable across the range.

The large tapered slots are the standout feature for owners of oversized pens. Cases that hold an Emperor-size pen are rare, but the Reliquary handles one without issue: it tucks down into the slot, stays put, and leaves plenty of clearance at the top. Other large pens, including a Danitrio Genkai and a Collier Grande, also fit comfortably. The one caution is the opposite end of the scale: very small pens without a clip can get lost in the large slots and are difficult to retrieve. A small pen with a clip works fine if you clip it at the top.

When the case folds closed, pens do not knock against each other, and everything sits protected.

Notebook Storage: A Handy Extra with Limits

There is a slot designed to hold a notebook, and in the A5 that means an A5 notebook; the A4 case holds an A4 notebook. It is a thoughtful addition, but with a catch. With pens loaded on the opposite side, the notebook is not really usable. Even with the pens removed, the elastic underneath makes for a bumpy writing surface.

An insert is planned that slips inside the pocket and into the notebook to create a firmer writing surface. Even then, the notebook pocket makes the most sense when you are carrying a single pen you have taken out to use, or nothing at all. Treat it as a different way of using the case rather than an all-in-one solution.

The A4 Reliquary: Made for Bigger Collections

The A4 version holds up to 27 pens and follows the same construction approach. Loaded with a wide range of Pilot pens, it accommodated everything, including smaller pens carried clip-down in the larger slots. If the A5 is the pen-show companion, the A4 is the full-collection transport option.

Pricing and Availability

The Reliquary launches on the BackerKit platform, one of the more popular project-based crowdfunding sites and broadly equivalent to Kickstarter. Allegory has said it will alternate between BackerKit and Kickstarter depending on what works better for the business. The campaign is expected to run for a short window, roughly a week or two.

During the campaign, the A5 is priced at $99, rising to $119 once it reaches Allegory’s website. The A4 starts at $124 and goes up to $149 afterward. At $99, the A5 feels reasonably priced for the construction quality, and even the $119 post-campaign price is defensible for the A4.

Conclusion

The Reliquary is not an everyday-carry solution for most people, and that is fine. Where it shines is the pen meetup, the pen club night, the pen show: situations where you want to show off your pens and protect them at the same time. Between the thick Latigo leather, the clever continuous elastic design, and the rare ability to swallow Emperor-sized pens, both sizes offer genuine value. If you have been looking for a case that handles your largest pens gracefully, the A5 or A4 Reliquary deserves a close look.