Adding To The Flock

[daenghafez]

Thanks! I was going to e-mail you about my good fortune when I had a chance. A long wait but it was worth it. Now Im part of the Snakeskin club.

Joshua, you may want to get the other M200 snake. Mine is in R200 form.

[Barutti]

I just made a very special addition to the flock. Like Ahab and his relentless search for the white whale, I have found my Moby Dick. In the mid-1990s, Office Depot in the USA carried an exclusive Pelikan R200 Rollerball and K200 Ballpoint in Snakeskin finish. You could call a phone number and order a matching M200 Snakeskin fountain pen if you so desired. This was a very low production volume item. Prior to today, I have only seen two others in the wild. They are ultra rare. After a 5 year search, I'm happy to shout from the roof tops that the M200 Snakeskin (1994/95) has finally come home to roost. I'm so excited to have finally added this bird to the flock because of its beauty and because it brings me one step closer to completing my goal of collecting the entire Classic Series. I should add that while I searched every corner of the globe, in an odd bit of irony, I finally found the pen located not more than a 45 minute drive from my current residence. Here are a few pics I grabbed tonight...

 

 

Very nice find, Joshua!

I didn't imagine that such skin was available on Pelikan Classic. Really awesome. Congratulations.

Giedrius

[Barutti]

My most recent addition to the flock is this cute little Pelikan Ibis 130 from somwhere around 1949 to 1954, I would even think from 1949 as the original owner would probably have chosen a gold nib if they had been available. A friend of mine inherited it but didn´t want to keep it. I had a NOS green striped Pelikan M400 from the early 1990s I didn´t need and he wanted to have, so we exchanged pens.

 

The little Ibis suffered from the loss of its piston seal, but I got it replaced and the pen serviced and it finally came back home yesterday. It has a Pelikan CN nib (not an Ibis CN nib) which seems to have been not unusual for the post war pens, using Pelikan 140 nibs. The nib itself is unmarked concerning the nib width, the pen body is marked "OM". Although it is an oblique nib as far as I can see, I would rather see it as an OF-nib, but that might be due to the differences in Pelikan gold and steel nibs. As I don´t have any other Pelikan steel nibs, there is no way for me to compare it. Usually I am not into fine or medium nibs, but this one writes nicely with just a hint of flex. As it is probably still the original nib I have decided to keep it. For its first fill in decades the Ibis got some Rohrer & Klingner Alt-Goldgrün as the green goes nicely with the green ink window (and because I love that ink).

 

My Ibis seems to have spent some decades in a cellar, nicely tucked up in its own leather pouch (which of course had gotten very hard but was revived with some saddle grease) and without suffering any cracks or dents.

 

Welcome to the flock, little guy.

Very nice looking IBIS, indeed.

And what a coincidence.. yesterday I make a bid and win my Ibis 130 with Ibis imprint on the nib. Could not resist.

[N1003U]

Thank you! It is and I fell a little bit in love when I first saw it. With the pen pouch, too.

Not sure if it is worth the effort or not, but have you thought about using tiny bit of copper polish to brighten the highlights on the zipper of the leather case to compliment the trim on the pen?

 

On the other hand, the natural, patinated, 70-year-old brass is also a nice look.

Edited October 12, 2020 by N1003U

[carola]

Very nice looking IBIS, indeed.

And what a coincidence.. yesterday I make a bid and win my Ibis 130 with Ibis imprint on the nib. Could not resist.

 

Thank you. And congratulations to you, too!

 

 

Not sure if it is worth the effort or not, but have you thought about using tiny bit of copper polish to brighten the highlights on the zipper of the leather case to compliment the trim on the pen?

 

On the other hand, the natural, patinated, 70-year-old brass is also a nice look.

 

I have been thinking about it, but in this case I´ll go with the patina. I like the colour of the zipper with the rest of the materials. In real life the colour is also somewhat brighter and more brass-like than in the picture.

 

Edited October 12, 2020 by carola

[sargetalon]

Joshua, you may want to get the other M200 snake. Mine is in R200 form.

A lovely pen for sure. Like the Snakeskin/Gray M600 set out there, Ive never found any evidence that these Snakeskin/Gray pieces were anything more than prototypes. There is no supporting documentation that I can dig up, unlike with the Snakeskin/Black models. Please do share if you have evidence to the contrary. Im always looking for new brand insights and the next pen to hunt down.

[mana]

This is so cool... I got one of those trumpet-style black bakelite Pelikan pen stands few years back. It was a later model with an added metal disc as a weight at the bottom. Paid for it quite dearly and it was missing the script on the bottom (because of the metal disc). I was a bit miffed by that but hey, it looked mint and gorgeous otherwise and is very functional. So all in all I was very happy to have that in everyday use.

Well, a week or so back I spotted an auction for another but this one was the earlier production one with the "Pelikan GÛNTHER WAGNER" running twice around the bottom of the stand... and then I won the auction as the sole bidder for the starting price which was like 1/3 of what I paid for the first one. So yay, me happy.

 

Will add pics of both here once it lands home.

[debraji]

Just got an M600 in Vibrant Orange, and I have to say, it's one pretty pen. I don't know how I resisted for so long. (Yes, I do--I waited for a very good sale.)

 

Loaded it up with Diamine Blood Orange, making a perfect combination for Fall & especially Hallowe'en.

[Barutti]

Just got an M600 in Vibrant Orange, and I have to say, it's one pretty pen. I don't know how I resisted for so long. (Yes, I do--I waited for a very good sale.)

 

Loaded it up with Diamine Blood Orange, making a perfect combination for Fall & especially Hallowe'en.

It seems will be awesome combination in matching colors..

Well done!

[Misfit]

My Moonstone set was due today, but it took a side trip to Tulsa, instead of the usual route. Maybe there were some migrating pelicans to see. Though I’ve seen them in October in my state.

[Misfit]

The Moonstone set arrived today. It’s more sedate without a lot of light.

 

Photo with flash:

 

Should be photo without flash:

[TitoThePencilPimp]

The Moonstone set arrived today. It’s more sedate without a lot of light.

 

Photo with flash:

 

Should be photo without flash:

 

Ahh. I was hesitant of buying this pen. I will purchase it now when budget allows. It reminds me of images of space found in textbooks.

[N1003U]

I still want to see it in person, but I am pretty sure it is going onto the purchase list.

[Misfit]

I got mine from Fritz Schrimpf in Germany which saved some money avoiding the US distributor.

 

They are great in communication. They had to contact my email provider. I checked email and spam, and never saw an email from them. That goes to show their customer service.

[Misfit]

Heres a photo with no flash, featuring writing with the companion Moonstone ink.

 

 

Now with the flash:

 

In my short experience with the pen, the power of the sparkles is very light dependent. The photos on purple were taken in the dining room, while the notebook photos were taken today in the darker living room which had north facing windows.

Edited October 22, 2020 by Misfit

[pennonia]

Finally got one of the big guns from my wishlist. The pen is absolute bonkers in real life. I don't even know if I want to ink it (it was never inked btw, would you ink it?) or just put it out on display and look at it!

I've also bought two nibs but I still need to pick them up tomorrow. 14C B nib

18C BB nib (with Pf and Eagle stamps

[Misfit]

It’s very pretty.

I don’t have any idea what it cost. My first reaction is pens are for writing.

 

Maybe display it for awhile, then use it if/when you are ready.

[DilettanteG]

The Moonstone set arrived today. It’s more sedate without a lot of light.

 

Photo with flash:

 

Should be photo without flash:

Lovely! I just bought a bottle of the Moonstone ink myself. I'm a late convert to the Edelstein line, but they really seem to bring out the best in my Pelikans and seem safe for even my most prized pens. I wish I could justify the pen to go with it. Yours is so pretty! I applaud your choices!

 

Frankly, I still regret passing on the M200 Amethyst. (M205?) I might be making the wrong call again here.

[DilettanteG]

Finally got one of the big guns from my wishlist. The pen is absolute bonkers in real life. I don't even know if I want to ink it (it was never inked btw, would you ink it?) or just put it out on display and look at it!

 

I've also bought two nibs but I still need to pick them up tomorrow. 14C B nib

18C BB nib (with Pf and Eagle stamps

That's a very nice grail pens you've bagged. Occasionally. the DNA "Nature" version of that set comes up and I get very tempted to empty out my wallet for it.

 

I think one of the joys of collecting pens (and rationalization for them) is the tactile pleasure of writing with them. But, they're never really NOS stock again after that. It comes down to if it's an investment for your exciting pen museum, or a personal accessory I guess. For me it's always been the later, but I'm sure my collection has decreased in value because of it. I guess I'd still rather use it and accept the consequences. Which do you think you'll actually enjoy more?

[A Smug Dill]

That's a very nice grail pens you've bagged. _...‹snip›... Which do you think you'll actually enjoy more?

For me, it depends.

 

If I had effectively 'unlimited' wealth — or just more than I can expect to reasonably spend for the remainder of my natural life, with no intended heirs belonging to a subsequent generation — I'd buy two of each of the limited edition models I truly like, one to play with, use and/or (inadvertently or wilfully) 'trash', and one to put on display in custom-made, UV-filtered and moisture-controlled boxes mounted on the walls of my home, because they'd give me more pleasure and pride than would say a Van Gogh painting or an original The Simpsons cel as a work-of-art decoration. Knowing I took not just one, but two, units of a limited edition of N units of some sought-after pen out of circulation would be a bonus as a 'collector' (with a lowercase 'c').

 

But, if I can only have one of each, then some pens I'll prefer to ink and use because they say, "this is who I am and reflects my tastes," and there are some I'll just display as a museum piece because they say, "this attests to my ability to acquire and secure stuff I think has value in others' eyes, and what a successful opportunist I am."