Pelikan M200 Export Model

December 23, 2013

Hello everyone. I keep an eye towards the auction sites looking for deals and I find that the best of these are often poorly represented or mislabeled pens. Lately, I've been looking for a few of the rarer M100 models. In that search, last evening I found the pen depicted below being billed as an M100 with an OBB nib for 49 euros.

Now it is not an M100 because of the gold furniture. It also doesn't appear to be an M150 because the cap band is not beveled. I was doing some research and ruettinger-web.de notes that there was a model M200 in black in the pre-'97 styling that had only one ring at the cap end and with a green ink window that was supposed to be a small edition for export. That is what I have come to suspect this is. Can anyone confirm or deny this? What now makes me doubt myself is a posting cristof made last year showing a catalog scan from Japan of the 481/150/100. I will show that below as well (I hope that is OK). So...do I have an export model M200 or an M481? Thanks in advance for your expertise.

My new pen...

Cristof's catalog scan

December 23, 2013

I cannot read the attached images, it looks to me that the pens are identical. The only thing i can think of is if the nibs are steel/gold, respectively. After looking a little closer, the green of your barrel seems to match that of the 481. I would like to think you have the 481. Let us know what you find out, and please dont hesitate to tell us where you found such information. These scavenger hunts are always fun.

December 31, 2013

I had found my answer while this forum was on hiatus and wanted to close the loop here...

From what I can piece together, I think there are now 4 identifiable versions of the 481 made 1983-1985.

1) Green Barrel, Black Cap similar to the M150 made for the European market
2) Black Barrel, Black Cap similar to the M200 made for the Japan market
3) Green Barrel, Black Cap similar to the M200 made for the Japan market
4) Burgundy Barrel, Burgundy Cap similar to the M200 made for the Japan market

1) 481/M150 Green/Black (pic from lcaspal2 on foro de Estilograficas en Relojes Especiales)

2) 481/200 Black (pic from penboard.de at Martini Auctions)

3) 481/200 Green/Black (pic from Regina Martini at Martini Auctions)

4) 481/200 Burgundy (pic from printhardcopy via eBay)

The 481/M150 has the beveled cap band and the Pelikan logo is inscribed on the cap top. This version is the same size as the traditional M150. The 481/200 has the single cap band despite the pre-'97 styling (200's had 2 cap bands) and a smooth cap top without a logo. Also, many of these 481/200's appear to have friction fit feeds from what I've seen though this may not be universal.

481/M150 compared to a modern M150. The size is the same

481/200 compared to a modern M150

For me, this closes the book on a difficult to research issue but I wanted to share my findings on a confusing subject. I hope this helps others.

Edited December 31, 2013 by sargetalon

March 2, 2014

To complicate matters:

I purchased (in Europe but not in Germany) what I thought was a Pelikan M 200, green barrel and cap, with gold trim (one gold cap band at the screw hinges and one attaching the gold clip). There is a gold band at the piston end, and the nib is gold plated steel.

The barrel features the transparent window but there is no gold band at the end of the grip. The material is a polished green resin.

The top of the pen is beveled, and the Pelikan logo appears in gold -- the one with the two separate tiny pelicans the mother is feeding. I've assumed this is a Pelikan 205 in a green that was not a regular issue. (I bought the click mechanism ball pen with it.)

On neither this nor my regular M200 (green marbled resin, gold plated steel nib) is the feed a screw in -- they are both friction feeds and impossible to remove without tools, heating, etc.

Later on I intend to post something about gold vs. steel nibs, but that's it for now.

March 2, 2014

I purchased (in Europe but not in Germany) what I thought was a Pelikan M 200, green barrel and cap, with gold trim (one gold cap band at the screw hinges and one attaching the gold clip). There is a gold band at the piston end, and the nib is gold plated steel.

The barrel features the transparent window but there is no gold band at the end of the grip. The material is a polished green resin.

The top of the pen is beveled, and the Pelikan logo appears in gold -- the one with the two separate tiny pelicans the mother is feeding. I've assumed this is a Pelikan 205 in a green that was not a regular issue. (I bought the click mechanism ball pen with it.)

It sounds like that you indeed are describing an M200. Your pen cannot be an M205 because it has gold trim. The M205's all have silver trim. Also, the two chicks in the nest indicate that the pen was made prior to 2003 and all of the M205's that I've encountered, including the oldest released in the series, have 1 chick in the nest.

Is the pic below representative of your pen? Seem to fit your description. This is an M200 in Fir Green. It was a regularly issued Pelikan.