Is The Pelikan 100 More Collectable Than The 100N?

[Claud]

How do the steel nib old 100s write? I have ordered a 400NN, but I think I would like a 100 or 100N to go with it as long as its a decent writer.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Grain of salt....In I'm a one almost mint 100n Somegi. E20. A pen I never expected to own. Much later I was shocked that they were like the Ibis made until 1954....having expected them to have stopped when the 400 came in.....but some folks like what they had earlier....not liking 'new fangled' things.

 

 

CN...up to 1938 when Hitler stole the gold, the 100 nib was made with gold. Then palladium (PD) nibs came in first (like war time Sheaffers) but was then too declared a war material. CN as in chromium-nickel) was next.

Many rave about the CN nibs....so many are semi-flex or better.....or those raving never had a regular semi-flex.

My CN nib....ordered because I thought it was going to be worth raving about, was only regular flex.

You have to buy from someone that knows what a semi-flex is....in why have a metal regular flex....when at least you want semi-flex.

 

Let's see, I think the 100n came in @ 1939, could be '38. Pre war and war years up to May of '43 when all pen making was halted, the 100n had an amber window. From @ 1940, defiantly in 1941, the cap no longer had a metal band, just a pressing, usually with some rills to show it was made so, not that the cap ring came off. Pressing the plastic in that ring band, did make the plastic a tad tougher.

 

My post war 100n has a green ink window and a superflex gold nib. First stage of superflex, Easy Full Flex. That might be pure luck.

I lucked out when I bought that "second class" Ibis.........first it had a gold nib, and second it had a maxi-semi-flex......................so I would expect any 100n to have at least a semi-flex, with luck a maxi....or a lot of luck a superflex.

 

Of course the 100 has more worth than a 100n being older.... but....depending on the binde....and that is where it starts getting expensive. Some are common, others rarer and some are real rare.

 

Do go over to Rick Popas(sp) Com....and drool over his full '30's tortoise 100 & 100n's.

 

Depending on what sort of bargain you get....I'd chase the post war gold nibbed 100n, before going pre war.

 

Plastic Gasket 1.0 came in at the start of the war, in cork was imported from Portugal. It could well be you will have to have a cork 100 recorked. Do so, don't cheap out....O rings can ruin a pen.....and real shaped, then cooked in Paraffin ( a thicker mineral oil) and bees wax, gives the most smooth piston movement....as advised in the book Pen Repair by Marshal and Oldfield.

Fountainble does not only that, but slathers it with silicon grease.

 

If your Plastic Gasket 1.0 is dead or dieing, get cork....good for at least 70 years you will be using the pen. Plastic Gasket 2.0 came in the year after the 100n stopped being made. Plastic Gasket 2.0 is still the gasket being used.

Again....O rings can ruin your pen....don't cheap out.

 

I do have some Plastic Gasket 1.0 that reached or are reaching the end of the line.............others are still good.

Edited January 24, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson

[Claud]

Thanks BoBo. I bought a gray marbled 100N with stock 585 gold nib this morning off Ebay from Germany. Will post pics and thread when it arrives.

[mana]

Great choice! Pelikan 100, 100N & 400/400N/400NN are all awesome pens. You can find pics of my daily carry ones (2 x 100N & a 400NN) over at IG > https://www.instagram.com/p/BbgsOngHLBA/

[biancitwo]

Great choice! Pelikan 100, 100N & 400/400N/400NN are all awesome pens.

These are my favorite and best writing pens.

[Claud]

I'll post pics here when they arrive.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Great choice! Pelikan 100, 100N & 400/400N/400NN are all awesome pens. You can find pics of my daily carry ones (2 x 100N & a 400NN) over at IG > https://www.instagram.com/p/BbgsOngHLBA/

 

 

Flex on the 100/100n? and semi-flex or maxi on the 400nn. Mine on my 400nn is a maxi.

My 100n, a little paler green than yours is first stage superflex...Easy Full Flex.

 

Don't do as I did....and ignore the Ibis....mine is gold and a maxi-semi-flex. I had expected a lesser nib on a second tier pen....and that was not the case.

The 140's have semi-flex good nibs on the whole also.

Mana are you the fella with two 'nail' 140's?

[mana]

Yeah, I have two 140 with M-nibs, they are not nails though but semi flex instead. The older which is an early one with a script nib is the flexier of the two. The later one with the chevron nib is smoother but slightly stiffer. Don't use them anymore though as I prefer the 100N and 400NN to them.

The 100N/400NN > All are soft/semi flex so they do give some line variation if pushed, to about 2x is where I stop pushing. Beyond that? No go as I feel that I would risk springing them. I do have nibs that are actually flexy to compare those to so I know the limit when I hit it

Of the 12 or so 100N nibs that I have (have a few spares) there are three or so flexy ones that fairly easily go 4x. None are in my EDC pens because to be quite frank I prefer those to be of the firmer sort. Truly flexible nibs are great when I am home by a proper desk and have time to concentrate. On the go they are a no no.

Ok, my EDC Pelikans in more details:

- Green binde 100N is a stubby B (Breitspitze Mittel) so there is no real need to flex it, really love it as it is with normal pressure.

 

- Black binde 100N EEF... that one is nice for drafting.

 

- Tortoise 400NN OF, the same as the B feel wise but smoother, nice natural line variation.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Coming heavy handed into semi-flex with a 140 OB it took me some three months to stop 3X maxing the nib....................then the very next pen was my 400nn OF, and it was a maxi....I'm glad I got the pens in that order....In I could see springy the 400nn's nib as a 'noobie' to nibs with some flex...semi or maxi.

 

I just scribble along, not trying anything fancy, so don't have to worry about maxing the nib out to 3X....or often. , the nibs are sturdy enough to handle an occasional heavy letter or word. A heavier letter is more common than a heavy word. ...Such happens when I put a bit of emphasis into the part being scribbled. 'Take that you rascal!'

 

 

Outside your 140's, I think you lucked into a lot of maxi-semi-flex. Discounting my Osmia pens where semi flex is the Diamond, and maxi is the Supra nib..........I'd WOG that 1 pen in 5 of other makes are maxi.

Edited January 26, 2018 by Bo Bo Olson