Adding To The Flock

[freaca menta]

1 hour ago, DilettanteG said:

My Stormtrooper set arrived. Cue the Imperial March:

 

 

Congrats, the stormtrooper has a nice look to it

[senzen]

And then there were 13...

 

 

MC110 1.5, M100 for comparison. Somehow managed to get it for a very small price, I have to admit I really like its colour... The 1.5 nib is way broader than I thought it would be, it's more like painting than writing, makes Asa Gao really pop on the page.

 

Not sure an M205 nib wouldn't touch the end of the cap...

 

[DilettanteG]

14 hours ago, freaca menta said:

Congrats, the stormtrooper has a nice look to it

Thanks, I do love a matched set! The black nib is a really nice touch as well. I bought these as NOS. Unfortunately, the plastic clam shell box got damaged in shipping, but at least the pens are pristine. There was dried out ink residue in the reservoir, but it cleaned up well. I'm willing to believe the vendor tested it, but the nib's a bit dry and scratchy, so I'll have to try my new nib tuning kit out on it. The vintage fine writes more like an extra fine, so it's quite noticeable.

 

@senzen the MC110 is a shockingly nice pen, isn't it? I do like the Pilot Parallel nibs as they're a bit better designed for these big italic nibs, plus lots more size options. However, the Pelikan piston fill just works so much better than any converter and holds so much more ink. I'm so glad you picked this one up and got such a great deal!

 

Is the M100 very different from the M200? I've never seen one in person. Though, I'm beginning to think that stormtrooper is actually M100 mislabelled in the sale's description.

 

Edited to add: Looks like that is actually 100 set:

 

[Intensity]

Per The Pelikan’s Perch, M100 is slightly shorter and narrower than M200:

https://thepelikansperch.com/database/fountain-pens/

 

“The M100 was initially released in 1985, likely the black variant first followed by several colored models.  They are distinguished by the derby cap top and rhodium colored trim.  The exception to that rule is the white model that has its trim painted black.  The cap band and lip are beveled and there is no trim ring on the barrel.  These were discontinued before 1997 and therefore there is only one style of trim for this model.  This model shares similar styling as the MC110 calligraphy pen.  The nibs of these pens are stainless steel.”

[senzen]

3 hours ago, Intensity said:

Per The Pelikan’s Perch, M100 is slightly shorter and narrower than M200:

https://thepelikansperch.com/database/fountain-pens/

 

“The M100 was initially released in 1985, likely the black variant first followed by several colored models.  They are distinguished by the derby cap top and rhodium colored trim.  The exception to that rule is the white model that has its trim painted black.  The cap band and lip are beveled and there is no trim ring on the barrel.  These were discontinued before 1997 and therefore there is only one style of trim for this model.  This model shares similar styling as the MC110 calligraphy pen.  The nibs of these pens are stainless steel.”

 

Exactly; the nib is also smaller.

[senzen]

19 hours ago, DilettanteG said:

 

 

@senzen the MC110 is a shockingly nice pen, isn't it? I do like the Pilot Parallel nibs as they're a bit better designed for these big italic nibs, plus lots more size options. However, the Pelikan piston fill just works so much better than any converter and holds so much more ink. I'm so glad you picked this one up and got such a great deal!

 

 

Thank you! I may yet seek another more normal nib for it.

[DilettanteG]

@Intensity Thanks for the link. It was very helpful.

 

@senzen  I actually bought my MC110 and some extra nibs for it specifically to use them in my modern M200s, so I know that swap works. The M400 gold nibs will also fit, if you want to be fancy. I haven't tried it, but I've been told the M600 will fit as well, as long as there's enough clearance in the cap for the longer M600 nib. Since the MC110 italic is an untipped nib (no ball underneath to smooth out the scratchiness) and sharp edged, those are a little more finicky to use. Great line variation though!

 

Today should be my last addition to my flock for awhile. It's expanded pretty rapidly over the last four months, but I've managed to check almost everything off my wish list that isn't stratospherically expensive. So, unless an M800 brown tortoise or another M101N Limited Edition drops into my lap at a insane price, my Pelikan Special Edition collection is pretty complete, unless (or until) the M200 Golden Lapis is announced.

 

I'm writing with my newest acquisition today: a M200 Italic, which was a Special Production released in 2009, I think. I really love this "I" medium italic nib, an utter pleasure to write with, though it could you some tuning. (I bought it used.) It looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this is what my full collection looks like after my mad buying spree. I have one more pen on order, but shockingly it's not a Pelikan.

 

 

[RedPie]

What a great collection! @DilettanteG

[Sailor Kenshin]

Just a quick note: the replacement Stresemann Souveran arrived late but intact.  Filled, writing.  Whew.

[DilettanteG]

1 hour ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Just a quick note: the replacement Stresemann Souveran arrived late but intact.  Filled, writing.  Whew.

Yay!

[DilettanteG]

4 hours ago, RedPie said:

What a great collection! @DilettanteG

Thanks! The top shelf is just for inked pens. Having it in a display cabinet has really increased my daily enjoyment of my pens. They’re so much easier to find now.

[RedPie]

53 minutes ago, DilettanteG said:

They’re so much easier to find now.

...and that is also a big plus!

[carola]

2 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Just a quick note: the replacement Stresemann Souveran arrived late but intact.  Filled, writing.  Whew.

 

Hooray!

 

(Still: May the thief who stole the first one suffer from cramps in the hand every time they touch the pen! And not be able to sell it! 🤬😈)

[carola]

6 hours ago, RedPie said:

What a great collection! @DilettanteG

 

+1

 

And I am spotting quite a few pens I would love to own, for example the Place de la Concorde and the Athens.

[DilettanteG]

7 minutes ago, carola said:

 

+1

 

And I am spotting quite a few pens I would love to own, for example the Place de la Concorde and the Athens.

The entire city series is a joy to use and to look at. I hope you acquire some, and a 101N Toledo, of course!

[carola]

2 minutes ago, DilettanteG said:

The entire city series is a joy to use and to look at. I hope you acquire some, and a 101N Toledo, of course!

 

Thank you. 😄

I just consulted ebay about three of the city pens, the Place de la Concorde, the Athens and the San Francisco. Ummm... well, yeah.

The results were:

No San Francisco at all.

1 Athens I would have to pay a crazy price for, once shipping, taxes and fees are calculated in.

1 Place de La Concorde I just MIGHT fall for, but it has an F nib (when B is what I would want).

 

*sigh

 

And the 101N Toledo - I have never ever seen a single one that was up for sale. And I am not even quite sure if I should wish for that to change. 🫣

[Mercian]

18 minutes ago, carola said:

 

Thank you. 😄

I just consulted ebay about three of the city pens, the Place de la Concorde, the Athens and the San Francisco. Ummm... well, yeah.

The results were:

No San Francisco at all.

1 Athens I would have to pay a crazy price for, once shipping, taxes and fees are calculated in.

1 Place de La Concorde I just MIGHT fall for, but it has an F nib (when B is what I would want).

 

*sigh

 

And the 101N Toledo - I have never ever seen a single one that was up for sale. And I am not even quite sure if I should wish for that to change. 🫣

I rather fancy a Chicago - but I would want one with an ‘F’ (or maybe an ‘M’).
Hilariously, I have only ever seen those with ‘B’ or ‘IB’ nibs!

 

And of course they too not only sell for a lot of money, and our VAT & HMRC’s fershlugginner Import Duty inflates it even further 😢

<sigh>

[DilettanteG]

@carola The San Francisco was the last pen I bought from this series. It took me years to find and was the most expensive pen I'd ever bought at that point. Beautiful pen, but definitely a grail. The Athens I thought would also be unobtainable and then one of my favorite nib misters had one for a very reasonable price. Weirdly I also found the matching ballpoint recently for comparatively cheap on eBay. I was surprised to be the only one that even bid on that auction. So, you never can tell. I think the Concorde is easier to find as the M620 series' popularity dropped off when Pelikan dropped the ink window.  They do not seem to have learned from this, but it's not a deal kiler for me.

 

@Mercian The Chicago is another great pen, not as flashy as the Athens, but very pretty in a subtle way. Here in the US it's the shipping prices that make me pause. Though my San Francisco did come from a dealer in the UK. I don't think of the price so much anymore, I just really enjoy that pen.

 

The nibs are so easy to swap. You and Carola could always trade. 👍

 

Edited to add this picture for Carola. I've posted it before, but I just really like this set:

 

 

I've been posting my pictures on my blog below as well, if you have some time to kill. It's going to be awhile before I have the whole collection photographed.

[carola]

13 hours ago, DilettanteG said:

Edited to add this picture for Carola. I've posted it before, but I just really like this set:

 

 

 

That was very thoughtful of you. 😄

[DilettanteG]

@carola My Pleasure! I'm a sucker for anything ocean colored. I have the M800 and K800 Ocean Swirl set as well, which is a personal favorite, but I think the Athens still takes it in terms of looks.

 

Plus, I saw this Toledo for sale and it reminded me of you:

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/404866567673?itmmeta=01HSBV98TGS5C4Y5NSQ5WC9JS8&hash=item5e43ed8df9:g:U~YAAOSwRudldzji&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA4P46BHqeaW3gCl%2FV4er4i76mx%2BFPZJ0EJrWo3dDnpdZvR80kh9vkkzZp5j4pdNhfduZQ2dq8nT8qbTa%2F1eWQmRC9W1W18atMbcb25I9bQKr1b7vv6L4j3xtKqDXkMtLTQ1CAhPPNDSswIAL2ypRgA4dvoiSd1BSyGpZRLfAc4yY5%2FIMnQyaLeqN158eKQrRUe5pvSUFKK4PMNMgSqi5Z%2BKcMh1bSqGjVPlrzUgFdMKAvN1AVusQDHtiul8VL%2FqZnBnQcl%2BoI8wP9cqNOxRY0I7tnukhTfmkQ6zbPt4SzC%2FoK|tkp%3ABk9SR7aNpfvKYw'

 

The price is eye waveringly high, but the pictures are quite impressive. Even the M101N Toledos I've seen are way out of my budget, but I don't know how I would ever get over $7K of fun out of a pen. It's mind boggling how very, very rich some people are these days. Maybe, if you're one of those three people who own half the wealth in the US a vintage Toledo is your equivalent of a Bic?