Pelikan
Pens and Ephemera

Blue-pen lovers that we are, we think there is no topping the Pelikan City Series Stockholm pens for looks. It is easily the most attractive of the "cities." Ours is in excellent working worker, showing only minimal wear from use...and some scratches on the piston filler knob and the section grip. We find it rather amusing that it comes in the "Grand Place" city series pen's box. It is the right size and shape box for the Stockholm, just the wrong labels on the box. Click the headline to see close-ups of the pen and nib. Marked "M" for medium, you will find that this two-tone 18k gold nib writes a buttery smooth double broad line. It is a gusher. Located on the top of the cap's black "jewel" is a frosted gold logo of a mama pelican and two chicks. 13.1cm capped.

It is difficult to find these one-year only blue Pelikan Souveran M805 fountain pens with silvery trim. They had a short production run and they weren't flying off the shelves nearly 20 years ago, as they do today. This is the first 805 that we've seen in this color scheme. We've seen far more of the M605s in this color scheme. Anyhow, our pen is in excellent working order. It does have a little wear from use, but it isn't bad. No cracks or deep scratches. You will write a fine line--bordering on extra-fine--with its two-ton 18k gold nib. It is both smooth and sensitive enough to provide the lightest of feedback. It comes with a Pelikan box. The logo background is black with a white mama pelican and two chicks on top of the cap. 14cm capped.

We've always been a sucker for blue pens...especially Pelikans. Like Mary Poppins, they are practically perfect in every way. This is the Pelikan Souveran M600. It has some light wear from use, but it was clearly well loved. We lubed up the piston for smooth filling action. It had some very determined-to-remain blue ink in it, but we think got it...or at least most of it...out. You will enjoy the smooth two-toned 14k gold medium-point nib. The 600 series typically fits medium-sized hands to larger hands that aren't likely oversized hands. Comes with its box. The logo is a frosted gold pelican and two chicks on a black background. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

If we lived in a world in which one could only have one fountain pen, the Pelikan Souveran M800 would be the one for us. Well built, always reliable, holds a ton of ink, large but not oversized. Perfect. Our preowned luxury pen is a great daily driver and it looks great with only a little light wear from use. This one sports the two-tone 18kt gold nib. It is marked fine point, but it writes closer to a medium, as most German pens do. We tuned this one a bit, and it is mostly smooth. You might find that it squeaks a little as it writes. 14.1cm capped.

Click the headline for the close-ups. Enlarge the nib photo. Notice how the two-tone 18k gold nib says "OM"? In theory, this means the pen has an oblique medium nib. However, we don't notice any oblique action in the nib. It mostly feels like a lightly scratchy fine point. Overall, this Pelikan Souveran M400 is in excellent condition with only minor wear from use. No cracks or significant scratches. Its piston filler moves smoothly. It is a little bit older than it looks. You can see the top jewel logo etched in green: a mama pelican with two chicks. 12.5cm capped.

Have you ever seen the shimmering tendrils of plasma in the night sky known as the Northern or Southern Lights? It is a fantastic scene, with the most common color being green ribbons that stretch across the sky. Some German designers took inspiration from these rare events to create the Pelikan Polar Lights fountain pen. Also designated an M640, it is a delightful limited edition pen. We find it to be a little larger than a standard M600, and it has more bowed middle in its design, instead of a straight barrel. Our pen is in great working order and seems to have seen minimal use. It looks almost mint. You will write a very smooth fine line, although the rhodium-plated 18k gold nib is listed as a medium. Includes its original box a papers. 13.6cm capped.

If you found an original "jade marble" Pelikan 101 in this condition from 1935, you might come close to retiring with the money you'd get for it. Luckily for you, Pelikan returned to this classic vintage pen with the limited edition Pelikan Originals 1935 Of Their Time fountain pen. It pays loving tribute to that classic pen with modern materials and improved manufacturing techniques. This modern luxury pen is new old stock! It has never been used. We filled it once with water just to make sure the original piston is still working properly, and it is in great working order. It has never been dipped. Its 18k gold nib is marked "M" for medium point. Complete with original boxes and papers. Click the headline for close-ups. 11.7cm capped.

Pelikan first developed the Pelikan Graphos system for technical drawing in the 1930s. This appears to be one of those sets from before the war, although we aren't certain. In theory this pen fills with ink, but we aren't sure how or if this one does. It is a large boxed set with what appear to be 4 nibs that are missing. There are 3 widgets of some sort to the right of the pen in the box, and one of them is potentially missing...unless it is installed in the pen and we are too ignorant to know. Click the headline for a better look, and for a look at the top of the slightly beat up original case/box.