Pelikan 400 (different vintage versions)

[ToasterPastry]

Someone please verify the accuracy of the following history on the Pelikan 400.

 

In 1951 to 1956, Pelikan issued the 400 series fountain pen. According to Werner Ruettinger, Pelikan produced a transitional-year pen starting with 1954 with slight modifications, making these pens, perhaps, rarer than the 400N. The Pelikan 400N was produced from 1955-1957. Pelikan followed this with a 400NN, from 1957-1965. These modifications can be seen in the photographs below. The 400 was re-issued in 1982 as the M400 Soverign (not pictured).

 

These photographs came from the LA Pen Show where I met up with a gentleman selling Pelikans. I was carrying around my Pelikan 400 tortoise, along with the M215. I photographed these my pens along with his for comparison.

 

Figure 1. Pelikan 400s and M215. Cap band and barrel imprint.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1911.jpg

Pelikan pens from left to right: (1) Original 400 issued between 1951 to 1954; (2) 400N, issued 1955-1957; (3) 400NN, issued 1957-1965; (3) my Pelikan 400, issued between 1954 and 1955 (?); (4) my Pelikan M215 (modern pen, used for size comparison). Note that all of the cap bands have their name imprint except for the original Pelikan 400. The barrel end near the filling nob also has an engraving seen in the original 400 (1) and on transitional year Pelikan (4). Note also the difference between the blind cap-filling nob on the 400 (1), 400 N (2), and 400 NN (3). The cap band states on the "transitional" 400 (4), "Pelikan 400 Pelikan 400 +". The barrel end near the filling nob has the following imprint: "Pelikan 400 Gunther Wagner Germany."

 

 

Figure 1a. Pelikan 400s and M215. Cap band and barrel imprint.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1910.jpg

Pelikan pens from left to right: (1) Original 400 issued between 1951 to 1954; (2) 400N, issued 1955-1957; (3) 400NN, issued 1957-1965; (3) my Pelikan 400, issued between 1954 and 1955 (?); (4) my Pelikan M215 (modern pen, used for size comparison). The body of the transitional pen (4) is slightly larger than the original, similar to the 400N (2).

 

 

Figure 2a. Pelikan 400s and M215. Caps and clips.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1913.jpg

Pelikan pens from left to right: (1) Original 400; (2) 400N; (3) 400NN; (4) 400 "transitional"; (5) modern M215. Note the difference in the clips between the original 400 (1) and the "transitional" 400 (4). The original 400 clip is narrower at the base and has a wider taper than the "transitional" version (4).

 

 

Figure 2b. Pelikan 400s and M215. Birds on clips.

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1914.jpg

Pelikan pens from left to right: (5) Modern M215; (4) 400 "re-issued"; (3) 400NN; (2) 400N; (1) Original 400

 

 

Figure 3. Pelikan 400s. Comparing the size of the 400 clip (left) with the 400 N clip (right)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1915.jpg

 

 

Figure 4. Pelikan 400s. Comparing the 400 (left) with the 400 N (right)

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn130/ToasterPastryphoto/IMG_1916.jpg

 

 

 

[pmsalty]

very, very nice!

PMS

[Miranda]

thank you for that interesting piece of history of the Pelikan

[diplomat]

Wow! Thank you for adding this to FPN, it will be extremely useful as future reference on these pens. May I ask you how much was the 400N? Is the only one without the price...

 

Thank you again.

 

Andre

[RobertJRB]

Thanks for posting this.

 

Looks like my 400 tortoise is like yours a '54 - '55? model?

It has its name in the cap band.

 

 

[Rick Propas]

I would suggest that anyone wanting a complete and accurate chronology of these pens consult Jurgen Dittmer and Martin Lehmann Pelikan Schreibgeräte. For online sources see Lehmann's Website

 

Without trying to be too obnoxious, the dates and facts above are not accurate.

[Federalist Pens]

Rick,

 

How is it over there?

Are you enjoying the opportunity to lecture/teach there?

 

Frank

[ToasterPastry]

I would suggest that anyone wanting a complete and accurate chronology of these pens consult Jurgen Dittmer and Martin Lehmann Pelikan Schreibgeräte. For online sources see Lehmann's Website

 

Without trying to be too obnoxious, the dates and facts above are not accurate.

 

This is exactly the reason I posted this thread. Please provide correction.

 

Some examples: I had originally thought the Pelikan N was produced only a single year. However, I had found two sources that says this was over two years. My pen (4) I had believed, was produced in the Fifties, but the retailer told me (in error) that the pen was made in the 1970s.

 

According to Lehmann's site, the 400 N was produced in 1956 only. The original 400 did not have an inscription on the cap band, whereas my pen (produced between 1954-56), did have an inscription. But I also noticed other changes in the transitional model, as described above. Again, I wanted some clarification or correction on the original post.

[Rick Propas]

First, Frankie, we are having a great time. If you are interested, follow our adventures on my blog

 

Toaster, You can rely on Martin Lehmann's information and, to be immodest, on mine as posted on my website and elsewhere. Martin Lehmann worked on his book with Jürgen Dittmer, who is the Pelikan archivist, so that information is as close to "official" as you are going to get.

 

As far as the 400, there were a series of incremental changes over its lifetime, mostly having to do with imprints on pen and nib, but overall it is one model and with only a few exceptions the changes do not make a pen uncommon or more highly valued than others. There are no "transitional" models, just incremental changes.

 

The 400N was produced for 11 months in 1956.

Edited March 1, 2009 by Rick Propas

[Federalist Pens]

Great pictures! I was just on the blog; keep them coming!

Some amazing prices at the B & B auction (pens too)!

 

Frank

[Rick Propas]

Glad you are enjoying the blog. Great fun.

 

The results of the auction were most gratifying. We were all pleased.

 

 

Great pictures! I was just on the blog; keep them coming!

Some amazing prices at the B & B auction (pens too)!

 

Frank

 

[ToasterPastry]

I'm beating this dead horse----again!! I had taken this topic off the forum to Rick Propas, largely because I didn't want to publicly name the vendor; he had given me some wrong information. Here's the edited context of the letter to Rick:

----

It was never my intention to make an outrageous claim, or place value on my pen. I don't intend to sell it on the market. I collect pens to write with them. I am not a major collector of Pelikan 400, but I know what I saw. I went to the LA pen show carrying my Pel 400 because I needed the nib adjusted. I had never seen live the Pel 400, 400N, and 400NN lined up next to each other. There are pictures of them on the internet, including your site, but it's still nice to see what the real thing is like in your hand.

 

Early in the show, I came upon a vendor's table of Pelikan pens. The photographs are of his pens and mine. At that time, I had believed that I owned a Pel 400 from the early 1950s. We lined up his pens and compared them to mine. He said: "That's not an original Pelikan 400 you have, that's a later model. Look, the body is wider. That's a 400 'Plus.'" [He was reading the cap band with an eye-loupe.] Of course, the light was rather dim at the LA show, but I could see that he was right. If you look at the pictures, you can see that my body resembles the 400N series. As I went to review the pictures, I had now 'wrongly' believed that I had a pen that was issued in the 1960s or 70s. But there was nothing about the design of the pen or the monogram on the pen that even looked remotely like anything that came out in the 1970s. So, I was convinced that it must be the 60s, only to realize that Pel didn't re-issue the original 400 in the 1960s or the 1970s.

 

As I started looking at the photographs, I could see that the clip was different and the cap band was different. Hence, even though the sources that you have mentioned--and-- sources that I have seen on the internet-- state differently, I believe that there was a transitional-design pen with a wider body style. I believe I have that pen. Again, I might be wrong. I'm willing to suffer the embarrassment. Like I said, this vendor had me convinced that the body on my pen was wider than his 400. I have pretty good near-vision, and could see that he was right, even though the light was dim at the pen show.

 

-----

 

 

[v17sender]

Thanks for this post! Im glad that there are members of FPN who can provide information like this. Its invaluable.

[daenghafez]

Thanks for highlighting and sharing the new info and photos. It's nice to know some tortoises with variation. IMHO, Pelikan was and until now is well known to have its variation albeit not documented and some of course is still a mystery.

[Professor Zlatko]

Hello, if somebody can sold me Pelikan 400 NN green stripped, please call me. I have one model but it has brown strip...

[jgrasty]

Hello, if somebody can sold me Pelikan 400 NN green stripped, please call me. I have one model but it has brown strip...

 

Post your request to the "Want to Buy" forum and you'll get a faster response.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I was under the impression from Werner that my 400NN was a '56 because it has a friction nib.....a great F-1 OF...but still a friction nib.

 

I'd bought it in a live auction and thought to put the nib on my Sovereign '90-96 Tortoise. (Germany, not W.Germany = 90 +)Tortoise being from '84-96, instead of the models normal '83-97.

 

By me the F-1 maxi-semi-flex or slightly Flexible OF, on my 400NN makes up for the fact it is friction held and not screw out.

Of course that make mine ultra rare.

Not that I'm planning to sell it...and doubt if anyone but a true Pelikan collector would want it. It's nib don't screw out.

Or a real nib freak.

 

I have a MB 234 1/2 Deluxe (52-55 only) It dates because of it's feed to '55. Hey, I'm happy, the '55 feed is probably better than the '54-52 and before feed.

Both pens and a '56/7 BP and MP were in the same live auction lot.

 

My Top nibs/pens are the MB KOB, a Pelikan 140 OB, the Pelikan 400NN OF, a Geha 725 Goldschwing and 790 KM. With pen MB, 725 being best balanced to my hand. The 400NN is third as a total pen.

 

I like them all...

 

It is nice that ToasterPastry has a transition pen. It was a nice bit of info that there were transition pens.

As soon as my ship comes in, I need some more tortoises....have you heard any word of my ship....The Flying Dutchman?

[Brian C]

Didn't Wagner write some little thing about that Dutch guy and his boat? Should tell Peter Jackson about it, he'll make some boring movies about it. Good thread, very informative. For some reason the 400 variants have always confused me.

[UkeDan]

Reviving this thread just to add that I received my Pel 400 today, and it has the same characteristics as those stated in th op (although mine is green).

 

It's a 400, and the cap band also reads Pelikan 400 3 times, with a plus (+) sign once. The clip looks much more like a 400N clip (mind you it may have been changed but looks in similar overall shape as the band) and when i dissassembled it, it is clearly stamped "400N" on the inside.

 

I'd venture to say these were made in late 1954. I also have the nib without a logo, in pearlized script (mine's a F).

 

Just my addition to this thread.

 

BTW I love this pen!

[1000km]

While I'm not convinced by the case in favour of a 'transitional' 400, it seems clear that Pelikan 400s (including Ns and NNs) are some of the finest fountain pens ever made.

Edited March 15, 2011 by 1000km