What Is A Reasonable Pricetag For A Pelikan M800 Tortoise West-Germany?

[G-S]

A short while ago I bought a number of Pelikan pens from someone including a tortoise one. It was rather big and I am always confused about the model numbers (M400/M600/M800/M1000) so I went to my pen repairer and asked him about it and he told me that it was from the 2010's and confirmed it to be an M800. However when I came home I noticed that it had W-Germany on the cap ring, from which I knew this was used only at the end of the 1980's. After some reading up I now know that my pen repairer referred to the 2013 remake of this model. My collection scope is focused on Montblanc, so I want to offer it for sale and I would like to put an appropriate price tag on it. So the question is how much do you think something like this is worth?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is in very good condition. It also had an OBB nib which I know a lot of people like (personally I prefer Fine).

 

Many thanks in advance.

[Bo Bo Olson]

No idea but if the Grinch wasn't in charge of my wallet I'd go for it.

 

Once because some German idiot wouldn't mail to Spain, I trans-mailed a W.Germany 800 to Spain. I had three days to play with it. Great nib.....but I'm not into Large pens.

 

It had/has a real nice and a tad springier than the '90-97 era nib. I now have two W. Germany Pelikans a 200 in OM and a small 600 in OBB. They are superb regular flex nibs....a slight tad more springy than the '90-97 Germany nibs. You do have to have both the W. Germany and Germany nib to fell the slight difference.

 

I do have three '50s semi&maxi-semi-flex MB's, a '70-80 146 regular flex and a modern Virginia Woolf with it's 'Springy' good tine bend, but only mashes to 2 X tine spread..

I don't know about the New MB Calligraphy nib.

IMO your 800's nib is better than anything by MB from the '60's to now (Outside the Calligraphy pen). It has good tine bend and can mashed out to 3 X. It is one of the finest regular flex nibs one can find.

 

Hopefully you are chasing the MB's with color....in you are giving up a real nice pen with a grand nib.

[praxim]

Hi G-S, welcome to the forum. You have a lovely pen there. However, I need to draw to your attention some words in the Rules and Guidelines:

 

 

The Fountain Pen Network is not an appraisal site.

 

You can find values by looking around on ebay, current and past sales, at what might be available from pen vendors, and at what you want for it (perhaps cognisant of what you paid although there is no necessary link). I note also that you do not yet have enough posts up to put up a classified ad on FPN. Perhaps explore around a bit.

[G-S]

Oh I see, the thing is I usually search on eBay with the "Sold" filter to get a general idea of a price point but I only see the newer examples. So that doesn't tell me a lot...

[BillH]

Nice pen, great nib. This one is an old style Tortoise from about 1990. Not sure what a good price would be though, I haven't seen one for sale in ages. I recently sold a new style M800 Tortoise for $750.

[G-S]

Someone asked me to confirm the nib width, and after using a loupe I saw that it is actually an O3B instead of an OBB.

[praxim]

There is always auction, for which you can have a high reserve, or just use a very high fixed price then adjust it if not sold in whatever time frame suits. You could put up a dream price then invite offers to see what sort of interest you get. There are methods of discovering the market even without recent sales.

[jungkind]

I think this pen is quite valuable, it has the stamped/cut Pelikan decal on the cap and a decal on the knob, so it is one of the elusive "Spanish" M800 from 1991 that , if they go on auction, demand usually 4 digit prices. Added the fact that the pen has a much sought for ·O3B nib, you have quite an elusive pen.

[bstnnyc]

Hello and congrats on an awesome pen! It looks like one sold on Dec 13 2019 for 1137$. The pen had an OBB nib and the seller listed it as most likely being unused. The listing is still up on catawiki: https://www.catawiki.com/l/32603263-pelikan-m800-fountain-pen-tortoise-18k-solid-gold-nib-obb-west-germany

 

Hope this helps!

[RobertJRB]

I think this pen is quite valuable, it has the stamped/cut Pelikan decal on the cap and a decal on the knob, so it is one of the elusive "Spanish" M800 from 1991 that , if they go on auction, demand usually 4 digit prices. Added the fact that the pen has a much sought for ·O3B nib, you have quite an elusive pen.

Can you tell more about why you think this is a exclusive spanish M800?

 

Far as I know every M800 from before 1997 came with these stamped/ cut decal and the disk at the knob. I don't have regular M800's from before 1997 but all my M800 limited edition pens have this as well. So that alone can't be the reason.

 

 

[edit]

Never mind, found it myself.

1991 production for a Spanish stationer and sold in Japan as well. Approximately 750 pieces made.

Edited January 3, 2020 by RobertJRB

[Bo Bo Olson]

W.Germany started about 1987/88 and went to @ 1990, after that it was just a Germany stamp, with a good springy regular flex nib, that wasn't quite as springy as the W. Germany ones. ....in '98 they became nails

[DilettanteG]

Before the 2013 version came out, they were going for about $1200 to $2K if you could find one. I’m not sure how the subsequent releases have effected (affected?) the price, but that’s a pretty rare pen.

 

If the nib has a pf on it that might also make it more desirable to some buyers. I have two M800s from that era with PF nibs. (It’s a Swiss customs stamp, I think.) They’re very pleasantly springy. I also have a M1000 with a O3B modified to a cursive italic. It’s a delight to write with.

 

Update: Maybe contact Rick Props at The Penguin for an estimate? He seems like the go to guy for this sort of thing.

[Eccles]

If the nib has a pf on it that might also make it more desirable to some buyers.

 

The PF mark is visible in the photo of the nib.

It's a gorgeous pen... I wish I could afford its likely 4-figure price.

Glenn.

 

Edit to correct spelling mistake.

Edited January 15, 2020 by Eccles

[DilettanteG]

 

The PF mark is visible in the photo of the nib.

It's a gorgeous pen... I wish I could afford its likely 4-figure price.

Glenn.

 

Edit to correct spelling mistake.

 

I’d love to add this to my collection, too. I guess I could sell the pens that I never get around to using, but my husband just bought me a M800 and a K800 brown and black for Christmas. And here I though I’d stop buying when I bought my grail pen earlier this year.

[G-S]

After someone asked me to confirm the authenticity with one of several Pelikan experts I was immediately asked if I wanted to sell it, and I came to an agreement. It is already delivered to the new owner and it might pop up here again.

 

(If I would tell you what I paid for it, I think you guys might begin screaming...)

[praxim]

I am more interested in you telling us for what you sold it than bothering about profit or loss.

[DilettanteG]

I am more interested in you telling us for what you sold it than bothering about profit or loss.

 

+1 kinda the whole point of this thread, isn’t it?

[G-S]

I sold it for 1350 Euro (for future reference).

[DilettanteG]

I sold it for 1350 Euro (for future reference).

 

Thanks! That's $1500 American, for my fellow countryman.

 

Beautiful pen, I'm sure you made someone really happy.

[Bo Bo Olson]

I wonder what he sold his '36 Austin for?

 

I don't care if he got 20 cases of beer for the pen....hopefully the new owner will know what a real gem he got, and not put it up for sale.

 

Next time I'm going to find out if it's ball point user or someone who has at least a Metropolitan, before I waste time bragging a pen he will use to sell it for a better price than he deserves.

Edited January 17, 2020 by Bo Bo Olson