What Pens Do You Want?

[Penguincollector]

3 hours ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

If I haven't mentioned it a original Pelikan 101 full tortoise, pre or just after the War.

The picture in my signature is a full tortoise Boehler from just after the Boehler brothers split their Osmia firm in '38.

Boehler like Osmia had different 4-5 different finials and 3-4 different clips.

 I’ll take one too, please.

[Baka1969]

I'm still waiting to see the entre MB 100th lineup.

 

I also want an MB with an OBBB nib.

 

I'd like to get a Grand Victorian Yard-O-Led. 

 

I"d like to make a custom Montegrappa. 

 

A Visconti Homo Sapiens Bronze Age. 

 

A GvFC would be nice.

[Karmachanic]

I'll take an MB 136 if someone else is buying 🤪

[Misfit]

@Karmachanic I totally get that!  

[Bo Bo Olson]

5 hours ago, Baka1969 said:

want an MB with an OBBB nib.

 

 

 

I have a 500 eyeballed to OBBB (pre nib marking and the rolled gold piston cap hides any piston cap marking of that era), in I have other vintage OBB's....and that OBBB and that is vintage, 1/2 a width narrower than modern.......it is then a pure signature pen.

Someone else's 500, with a writing nib.

My nib..OBBB, maxi-semi-flex, 30 degree grind.

The pen. With a better photo than I can take.

It takes 2/3's to 3/4ths a page for a legal 15 letter signature.

I find OBB in vintage to be more than wide enough....OB1/2 modern.

 

WhenI want to use that pen, I swap in a vintage semi-flex B or OB pr even OM....In I think I'm missing just M in semi-flex nibs, in Pelikan.

I have come over to really liking M nibs, be that semi-flex or regular flex....ie like the '82-97 400 or the 200's nibs.

 

I have a BBBB Manuscript pen, that was only for Headings....pre computer....that too is something I can't write with.

[Baka1969]

29 minutes ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

 

 

 

I have a 500 eyeballed to OBBB (pre nib marking and the rolled gold piston cap hides any piston cap marking of that era), in I have other vintage OBB's....and that OBBB and that is vintage, 1/2 a width narrower than modern.......it is then a pure signature pen.

Someone else's 500, with a writing nib.

My nib..OBBB, maxi-semi-flex, 30 degree grind.

The pen. With a better photo than I can take.

It takes 2/3's to 3/4ths a page for a legal 15 letter signature.

I find OBB in vintage to be more than wide enough....OB1/2 modern.

 

WhenI want to use that pen, I swap in a vintage semi-flex B or OB pr even OM....In I think I'm missing just M in semi-flex nibs, in Pelikan.

I have come over to really liking M nibs, be that semi-flex or regular flex....ie like the '82-97 400 or the 200's nibs.

 

I have a BBBB Manuscript pen, that was only for Headings....pre computer....that too is something I can't write with.

It would absolutely be a signature only pen for me.  I have a custom ground OB 146 that I can write with but makes a nice signature.  

 

I'd love to add a dedicated pen for signatures. 

 

Yours are nice. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

Being retired I don't have to sign anything anymore......and there is not that sort of space on a tax form.

[Sailor Kenshin]

I actually now want a real Pelikan Souveran, with the discovery that the little black model I have is a FrankenSouv.  

 

Which ones come in gray?

[Penguincollector]

15 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

I actually now want a real Pelikan Souveran, with the discovery that the little black model I have is a FrankenSouv.  

 

Which ones come in gray?

    I’m sure there’s other grey models, but I’m partial to the Stresemann:

Stresemann

 

There’s also a white (or light colored) and grey at JetPens and a M101N in grey-blue. 

[Sailor Kenshin]

1 hour ago, Penguincollector said:

    I’m sure there’s other grey models, but I’m partial to the Stresemann:

Stresemann

 

There’s also a white (or light colored) and grey at JetPens and a M101N in grey-blue. 

Thanks.  Stresemann is BEAUTIFUL.  Wannnnt.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Geha 760 comes in two gray livley strped tone pens, the one from when the 760 was the Geha  flagship, has a gold piston ring.

My 760 of course in the one after the 725 became the flagship, so has no piston ring.

The 760 for 20% more for the gold ring one. This is also 20% more  than a 790.

Quite a while back two posers whom I respect said the Geha semi-flex is a tad springier than the Pelikan semi-flex.

It is so, I tested my 4 Gehas vs 5 Pelikans of that era.It is a medium-small pen like the Pelikan 140.  medium-small was very popular in Germany. the 140, some Osmia's, Kaweco Dia and so on.

 

The 780&790 are standard sized pens like the Pelikan 400/200.

 

Geha's nibs were made by Degussa. Degussa was and still is the gold and silver manufacture for Germany.

1932 Degussa took over Osmia's nib factory because of debt. They continued making Osmia's nibs and the Osmia nibs Osmia made for other companies.....like Bock today.

In the '50's Degussa made Gehas nibs, also Soennecken's nibs as Soennecken dide...And Osmia-Faber-Castel nibs. Degussa made nibs for Mutschler...Reform 1745 etc till 2000.

 

So Geha' is a top flight sturdy pen...They were competing with Pelikan. 1950-72.

790 is stlll going for @ €80....Only have 3-4 of them.

The 780 I only found out about 3-4 years ago.

 

This green one cost me €135.00.

Here are the ones that got away, when I finished second. One is a 780 the other 780 with a rolled gold cap has another number. Being retired I had to take just one 780, and not chase all the colors.

 

 

If you HUNT on Geman Ebay and not in buy now at Stateside prices rich man section, you can still get them for the €135 I paid in the auction only section. 790-€60-80. 760 €'80-100, or €135-150 for a 780.

If you want to buy in the States and save $7,00 in postage you can buy it from the professional seller in Germany found in buy now...for American prices...$300 or so, eh?

 

Hopefully you are not too lazy to HUNT. Hunting is fun, snipe wins at your price....so you can buy papers and inks. If you don't win this week, you can the next, at your price.

I living here in Germany would get my adrenaline rush, making my one and only bid in the last 15 seconds. So suggest snipping, in the 5 in the morning is not as nice as 21:00.

 

[Misfit]

I think I’m starting to want the attainable TWSBI Diamond Mini AL Silver pen. Right now all the pens I want are available. The TWSBI Eco in dark Sapphire and the Kaweco Sport Apricot are new arrivals. 

[Penguincollector]

15 hours ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

Thanks.  Stresemann is BEAUTIFUL.  Wannnnt.

 You’re welcome, I look forward to hearing all about it once you find yours!

[Baka1969]

I would like a high quality brown tortoise pen with a 14/18/21k gold nib. I don't have a specific pen or brand in mind. However, since I'm imagining, I'd like it to have a soft nib with some line variation that can be used as a daily writer. I don't know what nib size though. It should be about the size of a 146 Le Grand or between the 146 and 149. Oh yeah, it must post. I am frustrated by the few pens I have that don't post or don't post well.

[Bo Bo Olson]

3 hours ago, Baka1969 said:

I'd like it to have a soft nib with some line variation that can be used as a daily writer.

50's 400-(56-65)400nn Pelikan...both hols @ 1.95-2.0ml ink, have semi-flex or with luck a maxi-semi-flex pen.

 

A '82-97 400 'tortoise would be a regular flex/Japanese 'soft' rate or Soft +

50-65 Semi-flex is soft ++

Maxi-semi-flex is soft+++

Neither semi or maxi are slow writing pen abuse calligraphy nibs...the are FLAIR nibs.

They add line variation...natural flair to your script.

I scribble along just as fast as with any other nib.

Natural pressure when forming the letter gives line variation, you don't have to press hard to get line variation. The start of the letter is narrower, where  one adds a bit of pressure to turn the letter that shows up, when you let up on that pressure then the line gets thinner.

My first tortoise was a '91-97 regular flex 400 regular flex. A pen made specially for Galeria Kaufahus....which was why no one bid on it...I had thought it a vintage '50's one in I was very, very noobie.

 

Then came my full tortoise Boehler(Osmia)

 

Money saved for a Soenecken 111 Extra herringbone,  burnt a hole in my pocket after only 6 months...., and I bought a flock of Pelikans, including a light tortoise 50's 400 and 500.

 

Much, much later..like the latter half of last year, I bought a 400nn tortoise on Ebay, for German prices....@ €120....and ended up with another 400nn tortoise from a live auction lot...........after a decade of sighing, about not having a tortoise 400nn, suddenly had two.....making it one regular green stripped 400nn and two tortoise.

 

It took me 2-3 years to decide the 400nn vs the slightest hair better balanced (posted of course) than the 400.

I suggest a 400nn in it is easier to tell it is a vintage pen, than the 400...one must look at the feed to make sure it has 4 combs, and the combs are all whole.

 

[Baka1969]

1 hour ago, Bo Bo Olson said:

50's 400-(56-65)400nn Pelikan...both hols @ 1.95-2.0ml ink, have semi-flex or with luck a maxi-semi-flex pen.

 

A '82-97 400 'tortoise would be a regular flex/Japanese 'soft' rate or Soft +

50-65 Semi-flex is soft ++

Maxi-semi-flex is soft+++

Neither semi or maxi are slow writing pen abuse calligraphy nibs...the are FLAIR nibs.

They add line variation...natural flair to your script.

I scribble along just as fast as with any other nib.

Natural pressure when forming the letter gives line variation, you don't have to press hard to get line variation. The start of the letter is narrower, where  one adds a bit of pressure to turn the letter that shows up, when you let up on that pressure then the line gets thinner.

My first tortoise was a '91-97 regular flex 400 regular flex. A pen made specially for Galeria Kaufahus....which was why no one bid on it...I had thought it a vintage '50's one in I was very, very noobie.

 

Then came my full tortoise Boehler(Osmia)

 

Money saved for a Soenecken 111 Extra herringbone,  burnt a hole in my pocket after only 6 months...., and I bought a flock of Pelikans, including a light tortoise 50's 400 and 500.

 

Much, much later..like the latter half of last year, I bought a 400nn tortoise on Ebay, for German prices....@ €120....and ended up with another 400nn tortoise from a live auction lot...........after a decade of sighing, about not having a tortoise 400nn, suddenly had two.....making it one regular green stripped 400nn and two tortoise.

 

It took me 2-3 years to decide the 400nn vs the slightest hair better balanced (posted of course) than the 400.

I suggest a 400nn in it is easier to tell it is a vintage pen, than the 400...one must look at the feed to make sure it has 4 combs, and the combs are all whole.

 

 

Thanks for all the suggestions. I have the original M600 in green tortoise. 

 

I'm looking for something closer to the Kilk

 

But a bit more upscale and with a gold nib. And a clip. I must have a clip. 

[Bo Bo Olson]

There is a live auction coming up, and I've eliminated, the three Pelikans, in two were the same and I have both models.........besides which I don't need a slew of RP&BP's that go with it.

There is a smallish, skinny (medium-small and I'd been wondering why I'd not run into one of those very popular sizes in MB) MB 243 that I'll be chasing, semi-flex nib. It's an MB one has to put the nib to paper to guess what width it is.

I had originally been looking for a 144 length and girth, but this is thinner and shorter, more like one of my Osmia's....WTH....

[DilettanteG]

On 3/5/2024 at 2:39 PM, Sailor Kenshin said:

I actually now want a real Pelikan Souveran, with the discovery that the little black model I have is a FrankenSouv.  

 

Which ones come in gray?

This is a bit long, but hey, I've spent years of my life collecting them. Welcome to my dissertation:

 

The Gray Pens:

 

Pure gray are just the M200 and M205 line. (Half the price of a Souveron, but same fill system as the M4xx and M6xx Souverons. You get a steel nib.) They're both Special Editions. The M205 Moonstone is a translucent, slightly sparkly gray. It was released in 2020 and is pretty easy to find. The Anthracite is a darker translucent gray with gold fittings. It was released in 2002 and is much harder to find. Comes in EF,F,M,B,BB, IB, and I nibs, though the last three are discontinued and can  also be hard to find.

 

The less well known M101N Special Edition has the Blue Gray variation, which I own and is a lovely pen. The black and white Lizard is, for my money, much more attractive. Both pens are light weight, have an ink window, cap small, but post to a longer, very comfortable size. I've bought the whole series, all of the new ones from Pen Market on eBay. Negotiable Prices (save it in your watch list and they will probably make you a reduced price offer), free shipping, excellent packaging with the upgraded boxes, and occasionally Royal Blue 4001 Pelikan ink as well, and they'll swap the nib if they can (with an increased price for the rarer factory Italic Broad.) EF,F,M,and B nibs. Two of mine have IB nibs, I think from the M600, which writes like a broad stub. The smaller models nibs on most M101N, M2xx, M4xx, M6XX, and the discontinued MC110 can mostly be swapped around, though the longer M600 nib may not fit some of the smaller caps and may have to be reset lower in the nib unit for that reason. (No affiliation with any seller, just a happy customer.)

 

The M405 size comes in the aforementioned Stressman Anthracite with a black cap and knob with darker gray and black stripes. as well as Silver White SE 2020 with a white cap and knob with paler gray (maybe clear?) and white stripes. My white M600 cap failed on two different M600 Violet and Whites, but my M400 White Tortoise has held up perfectly despite always being in the rotation. The latter model has been released a couple times (The M600 SE version was released in 2012, not sure about the M400s) and is one of the prettiest of the Souverans, is comparatively easy to find, and often below $300. Honestly, if I were buying my first Souveron and wanted a smaller pen, I'd buy a M400 White Tortoise. However, the body is a translucent green and honey striped, not gray. Beautiful pen in person. EF, F, M, and B nibs, maybe more? All 14kt

 

The M605 comes in the Black Tortoise, which is a Black cap and knob and much prettier, more pearlescent black and white stripes. It's a 2022 special edition, but there are still a few new ones floating around. I bought mine recently from The Pen Boutique, who shipped me a perfect pen very quickly.  There's also a M605 White Transparent (SE 2017,) but see above with my experience with the failing M605 white caps. The Special Editions also include the M620 City and Places series which feature shades of gray: the Chicago (2003 black and gray), the Place de Concord( grays and blue gray 2005), and even a black and white "Cow" pen (2003.) This series gets painfully pricey, but the New York is among the cheaper ones, for some reason. It's a cute pen. There's also the M640 Mount Everest (SE 2008) another heavier, metal pen and usually rare and very pricey.

 

The M805 Stressman is your gray and black choice here. I don't own it and I don't think it has an ink window. Otherwise, I understand it's a solid pen, as are all the M8XXs.

 

There is also a  M1005 Stressman.

 

No Grays for the tiny, discontinued M3XXs. Sorry.

 

 

General Pelikan Info:

 

I'm just finishing up a once in a lifetime, epic pen buying spree which was almost entirely Pelikans, plus my collection is really focused on their modern special editions, so I thought I'd give you my two cents. Not what you asked, but I think it's useful if you aren't familiar with the line.

 

First, I'd head over to the Pelikans Perch: https://thepelikansperch.com/database/fountain-pens/  He's super knowledgable and has lots of measurements and pictures. Weirdly, he doesn't seem to have the M400, M800, or M1000 sizes.See what appeals to you.

 

Nibs.com also has some great info and pictures: https://www.nibs.com/brand/pelikan

 

And FYI, Pelikan nibs generally run broader and wetter than their asian equivalents.

 

The Souveran's are mostly M4XX, M6XX, M8XX, and M1XXX and the M101N. The larger the number, the larger the pen, and the bigger the nib. The M1000 is a bit softer 18kt nib, but massive. M800 and M1000 also have brass filling mechanisms and are a bit heavier. The others are, I believe, plastic and wonderfully light weight.The XX represent Pelikan's numbering system. If it ends in a 0, the fittings are gold colored, if it ends in a 5 they're silver colored. Other numbers represents other trims, the M7XX and M9XX are the Toledos with the metal etched Pelikan designs on the body of the pen. SE means special edition and is a limited time run, usually just a single year. LE means limited edition and are a limited, numbered run. LEs can get painfully expensive.

 

The big difference between the Souveran and the Classic M2xx is the former has a gold nib and the latter has a steel nib. Modern Pelikan are mostly nails, so the unmodified gold nibs don't feel profoundly different. They can be slightly springier. Pelikan used to make a M250, which is just the M200 with a gold 14kt M400 nib. The M200 and M400 nibs are easy to swap out as they just screw in, so you can just make your own M250 with a spare nib unit. The current releases are 14kt M4xx and M6xx. The M800 and M1000 have 18kt nibs. I believe they're all still sourced from Bock.

 

Note: Sorry for all the edits. I'm not at my most lucid before the coffee kicks in.

 

 

[Sailor Kenshin]

@DilettanteG, thanks.  This is fantastic info.  Saving it.

 

The Stresemann in gray or black or whatever is what I really want.

[DilettanteG]

56 minutes ago, Sailor Kenshin said:

@DilettanteG, thanks.  This is fantastic info.  Saving it.

 

The Stresemann in gray or black or whatever is what I really want.

Thanks, I think I edited it about 20 times. I never pick up on all the mistakes on my first precaffinated read  thru. Honestly, having added 34 new Pelikans since last Black Friday I basically had to do the brain equivalent of a core dump.😀

 

Let me know if the Stressmans have an ink window. I've been sticking with the modern Demos, M101Ns and M200s as I really like that feature. You can kinda see thru the older translucent as well, but I'm getting old and increasingly near sighted.

 

And I'll repeat, somewhat annoyingly (sorry), have a look at the M605 Black Tortoise, M101N Lizard and the M400 White Tortoise, too. These pens really impressed me more in person. The M605 Black Tortoise SE 2022 is to the Stressman what the M800 Brown Tortoise SE 2013 is to the M800 Brown and Black. Probably why the Brown Tortoise now costs 2 to 4 times as much as the Brown and Black on the used market. I regret buying the Brown and Black instead of the Brown Tortoise as they cost about the same just a few years ago.

 

The M600 Glauco Cambon also is way more impressive in person, but I don't think it's what you're looking for. It's a light show when you spin it.