What Pelikan Are You Writing With Today? (2024 Edition)

[N1003U]

On 1/29/2024 at 8:57 AM, Bo Bo Olson said:

No, it and my W.Germany 600 have 18K nibs.

My W. Germany M800 also has an 18k nib. According to @sargetalon’s blog posts (which are generally impeccably researched), Pelikan switched from 14k to 18k nibs on the M800 in 1989 (the M800 model was introduced in 1987), and their inventory of “W. Germany” cap bands ran all the way into early /mid 1992 production, so a W. Germany marked M800, with an 18k nib, if all parts are factory original, was manufactured between 1989 and early 1992.

[N1003U]

duplicate 

[N1003U]

duplicate

[Bo Bo Olson]

3 hours ago, eerestis said:

Silvexa has grown on me. Solid pen.

Me too, only have one...P18/P478
Silver Star....one of those that are so close they are fraternal twins.

..........................this is very well researched...................

"""""My W. Germany M800 also has an 18k nib. According to @sargetalon’s blog posts (which are generally impeccably researched), Pelikan switched from 14k to 18k nibs on the M800 in 1989 (the M800 model was introduced in 1987), and their inventory of “W. Germany” cap bands ran all the way into early /mid 1992 production, so a W. Germany marked M800, with an 18k nib, if all parts are factory original, was manufactured between 1989 and early 1992. """

I had thought '89. for mine.....but it's good to know they went a couple more years with it.

I did know mine wasn't the very first year.......but no one said it was...it was that tad more flexible regular flex nibs the  W.Germany pens had tht what I was after.

[irrigger]

3 hours ago, N1003U said:

How is your experience with the M1000 Fine? In general I find the M1000 nibs are among the most fun to use I have. They are nice and bouncy, buttery smooth and super reliable, though really wide and REALLY wet.

 

I have an M1000 with an EF that puts down a similar width to my Pilot Custom 823 Broad, and a little wetter. I also have an M1005 Stresemann with a B nib and it is an absolute fire hose. I can drain in less than 10 A4 pages. It is a living advertisement for blotting paper.

 

The tactile experience of the M100x is unsurpassed, but my experience is to make sure you let the result dry before doing anything with it.

I love the M1000 nibs. I find the fine writes like a solid medium in other pens. It is a perfect size for what I do at work and does not come off as too bold of a line.

[DilettanteG]

It's my M101N Blue Gray with a fine nib and the Konigsblau ink it came with. This combo seemed a little prosaic at first, but it writes so effortlessly and smoothly, it's really growing on me.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In Pelikan makes very dry inks, they make a wet nib.

The double ball nib writes 1/2 a width wider than tear drop tipped pens of Pelikan.

 

Waterman made a wet ink, so made a narrow nib.

 

Japanese are a full width narrower....which matches their wet inks. (leaving noodler's super wet inks out, which is only from my reading...in I'm more into dryer shading inks.)

 

MB...is a wider nib than it use to be....When one has but one MB '90 or before...can't quite talk about modern but what I read and my B=BB on my modern Woolf.

 

Once before the double ball nib tipping, Pelikan was narrower than Parker and the thinner Sheaffer.....no longer. The 800 once had it's very own skinny Pelikan width, between the 400 and Waterman.

 

Do try some semi-vintage or vintage Pelikans for a narrower nib.

[tacitus]

14 hours ago, N1003U said:

... so a W. Germany marked M800, with an 18k nib, if all parts are factory original, was manufactured between 1989 and early 1992.

Hello, @N1003U. According to 万年筆評価の部屋, "The Pen 1988" (Japan Import Writing Instruments Catalog) printed in 1987 shows that the price of M800 with a bicolor 14 carat gold nib was 40,000 yen and the price of M800 with a bicolor 18 carat gold nib was 45,000 yen. This indicates that M800 with 18 carat gold nib was available as early as 1988 at least for the export market such as Japan. By the way, when Parker Duofold was reintroduced in 1987, the customers had a choice between 14 carat gold or 18 carat gold nib, but the 14 carat nibs were discontinued in March of 1989 (Parkerpens. net).

FYI, please refer to my HP.  

 

 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Tacitus, just dipped my nose into your blog, and it is of the level i have come to expect from you.

Will look deeper, the first thing I saw was a pen I don't know....and I will be asking you about their nibs.

[N1003U]

13 hours ago, tacitus said:

Hello, @N1003U. According to 万年筆評価の部屋, "The Pen 1988" (Japan Import Writing Instruments Catalog) printed in 1987 shows that the price of M800 with a bicolor 14 carat gold nib was 40,000 yen and the price of M800 with a bicolor 18 carat gold nib was 45,000 yen. This indicates that M800 with 18 carat gold nib was available as early as 1988 at least for the export market such as Japan. By the way, when Parker Duofold was reintroduced in 1987, the customers had a choice between 14 carat gold or 18 carat gold nib, but the 14 carat nibs were discontinued in March of 1989 (Parkerpens. net).

FYI, please refer to my HP.  

 

 

Very interesting, @tacitus! As @Bo Bo Olson said, your information is very impressive. Thank you for the fascinating post.

 

I now wonder if maybe Pelikan had different offerings in the Japanese market compared to Europe. I know at some point in the Japanese market, gold content in nibs got to be a bit of a marketing play, leading ultimately to 21k gold nibs (perhaps near the limit of practical nib material) from some manufacturers. Eventually it seems in Europe, 18k became a popular alloy for luxury nibs.

 

The discontinuance of the 14k option in 1989 is consistent with the switch in Europe to an 18k offering.

 

The history is another fascinating aspect of this hobby, and the M800 perhaps evokes a little more passion than average amongst fans.

[Carrau]

M600 Green O Green with a Masuyama stubbed nib.

[Claes]

Steno-Pelikan from the 1970s.

Its max-flex is about as much as on a Noodler Ahab,

but needs more force to open up. Railroads easily.

[Bo Bo Olson]

In France and Switzerland. 14 K is not gold, it has to be 18K to be labeled gold.

This picture of pens from in and about 1990 ,all have 18K nibs, so in a time where 14kK might have been in, one could ask for 18K nibs because of France and Switzerland.

 

[inkstainedruth]

This morning it was the M200 Café Crème, B nib, finishing a fill of Edelstein Topaz.  Trying to decide if I'm going to flush or refill, because it's a nice combo, but I have a few too many pens inked up at the moment to be manageable.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Bo Bo Olson]

There is a barley corn  18K Pelikan, with a P-51 style nib, I will not be buying....unless I hit the lottery between now and that auction next month.

[chromantic]

Two M300s tonight, the black with Sailor Yomogi and the ruby with Levenger Pinkly!.

[adyf]

M625 Blue/Sterling Silver and M1000 Green/Black.

[N1003U]

16 hours ago, chromantic said:

Two M300s tonight, the black with Sailor Yomogi and the ruby with Levenger Pinkly!.

Very nice.

 

My M300 (in traditional green stripes) came up in my rotation recently for the first time in a while. I had almost forgotten how much fun those little pens can be!

[Wil D]

M20 Silvexa with D nib and Pelikan Blue-Black ink.

[Bo Bo Olson]

2002 and or plus 805 OBB.

Back in the day, before computer or telephone bidding,  I paid some €200 for it at a live auction. Got a small  black and gold W.Germany 600 for €135. So that was a good...day. 

 

In my two up pen cups***....that small OBB 600.

a '54 transition 400 tortoise semi-flex B.

A '91-97 400 tortoise, regular flex M....a width I've come to like.

a 400nn tortoise EF.

200 Amethyst regular flex M.

A large 605 stubbed from baby bottom BB to 1.0/B by Francis.

 

*** One of my pen cups is a 1795 Meissen mustard jar, missing the top. It is one piece, cup and saucer.