10 Funky, Last-Minute Father’s Day Gifts That Aren’t Socks, Ties, or Mugs

Ah, Father’s Day gifting. Mother’s Day commerce is notoriously driven by guerrilla marketing, the kind that hawks goods and services, from the saccharine to the prohibitively priced, intended to deliver a day of relaxation, recognition, and pampering. But Father’s Day gifting is harder to figure out. Whether you’re honoring your father or the father of your children, it’s good to have options beyond the proverbial, old-timey tie.

If you’re shopping for a dad like mine, he is an absolute pragmatist and feels there is nothing at all that he needs. If he is like my husband, he is an aesthete with a great style, which I sometimes cannot anticipate. The trick with both extremes is to find the thing he didn’t even know he needed/existed, one that appeals to his sense of style but also purpose. No one will be missing that coffee mug once they unbox one of these beauties:

2A Really Good Pen

Dad deserves a luxuriously-inked writing device with a fine feel. But not all dads want a bank-breaker for everyday use. A Parker Jotter pen gives that delicious glide of a Mont Blanc, but won’t bankrupt him if he loses it.