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Torellikan Pens - Custom Work By Brad Torelli


zaddick

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I am a big fan of Brad Torelli's work and I try to pick up interesting pens he has made over the years. I was familiar with his work on fantasy MB pens, fantasy Parker 51s, fantasy Triads, and other fantasy brands like Parker or Scheaffer. I was not aware, however, of his fantasy Pelikan pens as I had never seen any before. I am posting these here in order to share the pens with Pelikan fans. I do not have a lot of Pelikan pens so maybe people are familiar with his custom Pelikans already. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

 

The first pen is based on the M101N but oversized. The pen is nice an compact when capped, but is almost the same length as an M800 when uncapped. The pen is a piston fill with a removable blind cap and a little knob to operate the piston. There is a carved circle on the cap dome, but no Pelikan logo. The pen is a lovely swirled gold acrylic with a complimentary burgundy acrylic. There is a large ink window which makes life easier for me. The hardware is probably gold plated as I did not see a hallmark or karat rating. I think the clip and cap band give off a nice vintage vibe. Of course the heart of the pen is the nib, and this one sports a 14C B from that is M800 sized. A nice flexy nib for a vintage style pen!

 

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Compared to a Blue Ocean

 

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The second "Torelikan" I picked up is a little more straight forward. It is an M1000 with custom red acrylic. The nib, clip, cap rings, piston knob rings, and the cap top are all original Pelikan parts. I suspect the section is also stock Pelikan. The rest of the pen, however, is a glorious red material that has a lot of depth and really catches the sun as you turn it in the hand. It is hard to capture in pictures (especially on a rainy day), but you can get a good idea of the potential. The pen reminds me of the M600 Red O Red pen from several years ago, but I cannot really compare the color directly. It also does not have the same level of translucence, and I feel like the "granules" in the material are a little finer here vs the RoR.

 

fpn_1458542075__20160320_122839_resized.

 

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Here are a few shots of the two together to give a sense of relative size.

 

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One of the great things about these pens is the fact the nib units are standard Pelikan, and I can easily swap nibs among the several I own.

 

Thanks for looking at the pictures. I hope you found them interesting. If you have any similar pens, please post them here. Your thoughts and comments are welcomed. I don't have much information on when the pens were made, but I can reach out to Brad for answers to questions.

 

 

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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I've never fancied myself owning a custom binde but I appreciate a good looking model when I see it. Those are two gorgeous pens. Thank you for sharing!

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Mmm, that red is really something. Is it readily available by any chance?

I had never seen one until I bought this one. You can achieve a similar color in the M600 size with either the Ruby Red or the M620 Madrid from the city series.

 

Perhaps there are others out there. I like larger pens so this worked for me whereas a 600 size is too small.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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Pretty pens, but for me a medium large 600 is nimble and most Large pens are not.

I grew up with Standard and medium-large so that has something to do with what is too large or too small.

In reference to P. T. Barnum; to advise for free is foolish, ........busybodies are ill liked by both factions.

 

 

The cheapest lessons are from those who learned expensive lessons. Ignorance is best for learning expensive lessons.

 

 

 

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Beautiful pens. Thanks for sharing.

I am pretty sure that the first pen is a Paul Rossi not a Torelli.

I have the same pen (I think Paul made about 10 of these)

 

If you check under the clip, you should see Paul's initials "P R"

Incidentally, the hardware is vermeil.

 

 

Sarj

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That M1000 "Red O' Red" is absolutely stunning! I have a M1005 and M805 in place for a custom binde, when the time and money have been set in place. Mr Torelli certainly does beautiful work and I'll have to consider sending my pens off to him!

Never pick a fight with people who buy ink by the barrel.

~ Mark Twain

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Beautiful pens. Thanks for sharing.

I am pretty sure that the first pen is a Paul Rossi not a Torelli.

I have the same pen (I think Paul made about 10 of these)

 

If you check under the clip, you should see Paul's initials "P R"

Incidentally, the hardware is vermeil.

 

 

Sarj - thanks so much for the clarification. I was sold the pen as Brad's work, but I just looked tonight and I see the P R for Paul's work and the 925 stamp on the clip. I am glad you were able to correct me. Luckily I like Paul's work too so no big disappointment.

 

It makes me wonder if the other then is his too. I'll have to hunt for his initials in the acrylic. I have another of his pens so I have an idea where to look.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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Ok folks. My apologies. I have confirmed - thanks to the wonder of the interwebs - that the smaller gold and red pen is for sure a Paul Rossi custom. The clip, of course, is the real proof, but I also found this link to Rick Propas' site where he sold one of the limited number made. http://www.thepenguinpen.com/archive/archiveot/60_present/OT1690.html

 

I can not edit the priginal post any longer. I am now leaning even further in the direction of the red M1000 being a Rossi pen too. I think he used this material for other pens.

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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One more update after poking around some more and talking to the seller and Brad. While Brad did make some Pelikan pens in the late 1980s or early 1990s for a delaer in NY (who has since closed shop), I do not think the M1000 is from him. Brad does not recall working on a pen larger than the M800, but he was not 100% sure.

 

I also found that the material for the golden pen is called "honey pearl" by Mr. Rossi. If the red pen was made by him, and I am now almost 100% confident it was, the material is called "crimson glow." I think may have been made by Scheaffer.

 

As much as I may have thought myself clever for coining the term "Torellikan," these pens do not seem to live up to that billing. Sometimes the research is a fun part of this hobby. I learned a bit of new information today even though I am a bit disappointed my pens are not what I originally thought.

 

If anyone here does have a custom pen by Brad that is based on a Pelikan or uses a Pelikan nib, please post it here or send me a PM. Thanks!

Edited by zaddick

If you want less blah, blah, blah and more pictures, follow me on Instagram!

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Beautiful pens (no matter who made them), Zaddick. Pelican Red o' Red is one of my favorite acrylics. I have it in the Pelikan M300 series. Glad you were able to learn the true origin of these lovely pens. Great photos. Thanks for sharing these with us.

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Really nice, thanks for sharing these!

In use today: MB LeGrand Pettit Prince and Aviator, Pelikan M100N, Conid First Production Run demonstrator.

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