Blah Blah Blah On Reddit About Vintage Pelikans ;)

[mana]

So... I made a post about the vintage Pelikans I have and also about collecting and using them as my hobby. It has a bunch of pictures that Ive taken throughout the years, hopefully you find it all entertaining.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/fountainpens/comments/g60xyo/some_pictures_of_my_vintage_pelikans_and_other/

[OCArt]

Great photos and an informative post. Thanks for the link.

[Olya]

Consider me jealous!

Great pics.

[carlos.q]

Very nice!

[peroride]

... upvoted Thank you @mana for the nice treat for the day

[inkstainedruth]

Consider me jealous!

Great pics.

 

Yeah, me too.

I went to a talk at a pen show a couple of years ago on collecting vintage Pelikans, given by Rick Propas and Janet Wright. And came out of the talk just drooling.... Then I saw the prices on 100s and it was a case of sticker shock.... They're *way* out of my price range, but if money were no object I'd be on the hunt for one of the blue binde ones....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[WLSpec]

That 101n Tortoise is wonderful! Thanks for sharing!

[Tasmith]

Nice!

[Christopher Godfrey]

Lovely collection, Jeremias! Thanks for posting those (fabulous) photos.

 

Please will you tell me the difference between those two Pelikan Schreibgeräte books? I have the white(-ish) covered one with the blue binding: do I need the green one as well? And -- anyone -- do I also need that book called "Pelikan: The Brand"? Thanks in advance!

[mana]

Lovely collection, Jeremias! Thanks for posting those (fabulous) photos.

 

Please will you tell me the difference between those two Pelikan Schreibgeräte books? I have the white(-ish) covered one with the blue binding: do I need the green one as well? And -- anyone -- do I also need that book called "Pelikan: The Brand"? Thanks in advance!

 

Thanks! Should you get the second version of the Schreibgeräte? IMHO yes! Even though the second version omits certain parts from the first version (info on nibs etc.) it is expanded and fact checked otherwise, also more glossy with more and better pictures. So in that sense I really, really like having both.

 

Pelikan: The Brand is more about branding and advertising but I plan on getting that at some point.

 

There is also the one book by Heinz Rings: Deutsche Werbegeschichte: Am Beispiel Günther Wagner – Pelikan which I also plan on getting (focuses on Pelikan advertising and ephemera).

Reviews of all three above can be found from Joshua's wonderful site:

https://thepelikansperch.com/tag/book/

[sansenri]

lovely collection, I particularly like your tortoise 400 trio...

 

what is your overall opinion on Pelikan vintage nibs? (I noticed you have a wide choice of B, BB, BBB)

I'm particularly interested in the aspect concerning the shape of Pelikan vintage nibs and their flatter, stubbish profile (combined with some flex) vs today's nibs.

It' often been discussed but not universally recognized as being an aspect that makes a difference in writing.

I have my own opinion on the matter, but would love to hear yours, seeing your specific attention to vintage Pelikans

with thanks

[mana]

My overall opinion that is based on a sample of some 30 or so vintage nibs that are in my possession or have passed my hands is that they are brilliant The wider ones do vary from stubby to cursive italic, with nice springiness/flex to boot. It is not the vintage wet noodle kind but like someone said, more like a good suspension in a car.

 

Writing with a normal light hand and pressure it ads a little bit of softness to the experience with the nib geometry providing effortless line variation. If you push a little then you do get more line variation but I have very much stopped doing that.

 

They are not glassy smooth btw. as in, there is a bit of resistance/tooth that makes them feel more precise. They also make what is in my opinion a very pleasant sound when writing because of this.

The slimmer nibs (from EEF to M) in general seem to exhibit the same characteristics but are not stubby profile wise. Their flexibility (when available) is also usually more prominent due to thinner line widths. That said, there is quite a bit of range when it comes to flex in those, some nibs are not flexy at all despite not being manifold or "hard" nibs. In general it pays to try those out before making a purchase (if you are chasing the nib that is).

There is also difference between the newer and older nibs. The 100 & 100N script nibs (simple and dotted) are usually more flexy and a bit more toothy and I kind of prefer them.

When we move on to the 400/N/NN series chevron nibs they tend to be smoother but exhibit less flex. That said, one of my favourite nibs of all time is a BB chevron nib (currently in a 400NN) which kind of combines everything I like about Pelikan nibs, will take a snap of it and a writing sample in a bit.

[mana]

...aaaand there we go

 

[mana]

Oh yeah, compared to modern nibs... hmmm, modern nibs do not feel as "alive"? That said, I only have one modern Pelikan nib (steel F and it is great for what it is) and a bunch of other modern pens (maybe ten). I also haven't tried out that many different modern pens elsewhere (well, maybe a couple of hundred in total at meetups) to really form an educated opinion.

[Croma]

Hello:

Very nice and complet collection. Congratulations. Thanks for share the link.

The Heinz Rings book you cited is a very exhaustive recopilation on pelikan's ephemera. It's recomendable and available on ebay.

Regards.

[mana]

Thank you!

[sansenri]

My overall opinion that is based on a sample of some 30 or so vintage nibs that are in my possession or have passed my hands is that they are brilliant The wider ones do vary from stubby to cursive italic, with nice springiness/flex to boot. It is not the vintage wet noodle kind but like someone said, more like a good suspension in a car.

 

Writing with a normal light hand and pressure it ads a little bit of softness to the experience with the nib geometry providing effortless line variation. If you push a little then you do get more line variation but I have very much stopped doing that.

 

They are not glassy smooth btw. as in, there is a bit of resistance/tooth that makes them feel more precise. They also make what is in my opinion a very pleasant sound when writing because of this.

 

The slimmer nibs (from EEF to M) in general seem to exhibit the same characteristics but are not stubby profile wise. Their flexibility (when available) is also usually more prominent due to thinner line widths. That said, there is quite a bit of range when it comes to flex in those, some nibs are not flexy at all despite not being manifold or "hard" nibs. In general it pays to try those out before making a purchase (if you are chasing the nib that is).

 

There is also difference between the newer and older nibs. The 100 & 100N script nibs (simple and dotted) are usually more flexy and a bit more toothy and I kind of prefer them.

 

When we move on to the 400/N/NN series chevron nibs they tend to be smoother but exhibit less flex. That said, one of my favourite nibs of all time is a BB chevron nib (currently in a 400NN) which kind of combines everything I like about Pelikan nibs, will take a snap of it and a writing sample in a bit.

Thank you very much, your description is very close to my own considerations on these nibs. I appreciate that "good suspension effect" and I don't make any specific effort to flex them, but still feel the difference, I call it a comfortable ride...

From M onward the more square shaped tip does make a difference for me too, thank you for the writing sample.

You're right also in the variability nib to nib, much more evident than in modern nibs.

 

I noticed you also have a 120 (or two). Your comment on the M200 steel nibs? I'm very fond of the derby cap M200s, (and M250s of course).

[mana]

M200 steel nibs, only have that F but I like it enough to incorporate it into my core EDC set. It feels very precise and I actually like that it is rather stiff, nice for writing "on the go".

And yeah, the green and black is the steel nibbed 120 and the black one is the 14k nibbed 140.

[OMASsimo]

mana,

 

Thanks for sharing your awesome Pelikan collection with us. And also thank you for sharing your experience you made with them. I totally can endorse what you wrote about the nibs, which in my opinion are among the best daily writers in the FP universe. The nib characteristics of the 100, 120, 140, and vintage 400 models are quite typical for and very fine examples of German nibs of that period. The typical nib was semi-flex and the very popular broader and oblique nibs were chisle shaped to give beautiful line variation even without flexing the nib. You'll find comparable (and sometimes even better) nibs in Kawecos, Soenneckens, Osmias, Matadors, and a few others. But what I really like about Pelikans is how trouble-free they usually are. There's hardly anything to worry about.

[sansenri]

I'm partial to the 120, since it's the pen I learned to write on...