Family Photos Of Your Flock - Please Add Yours!

[carola]

2 hours ago, thephantom1 said:

Still on high from last week's Pelikan Hub. Decided to take a pic of my M8's. 

 

Let´s see...

1) Wall Street

2) Metal Striped Blue

3) No idea... Custom?

4) No idea... Custom? Reminds me of a Vibrant Blue but isn´t, I think?

5) Stone Garden

6) Brown Striped

7) Blue Striped

 

Where did you get the colourful one?

 

[thephantom1]

1 hour ago, carola said:

 

Let´s see...

1) Wall Street

2) Metal Striped Blue

3) No idea... Custom?

4) No idea... Custom? Reminds me of a Vibrant Blue but isn´t, I think?

5) Stone Garden

6) Brown Striped

7) Blue Striped

 

Where did you get the colourful one?

 

4) Blue O Blue - similar to vibrant blue but darker

3) It's an M800 black body that's lacquered by a Taiwanese artist. 

[RedPie]

20 hours ago, thephantom1 said:

Still on high from last week's Pelikan Hub. Decided to take a pic of my M8's. 

Congratulations, what a group! I love those colors.

[nib.to.nob]

On 10/28/2025 at 3:21 PM, thephantom1 said:

Still on high from last week's Pelikan Hub. Decided to take a pic of my M8's. 

Beautiful selection. The 3d from the left is a custom?

[PAKMAN]

It's been a while since I posted my Flock, it has changed some.

 

[thephantom1]

14 hours ago, nib.to.nob said:

Beautiful selection. The 3d from the left is a custom?

It is. A nice Taiwanese artisan. I got it when we went to Taiwan before the Hub. 

[carola]

On 10/28/2025 at 8:19 PM, thephantom1 said:

4) Blue O Blue - similar to vibrant blue but darker

3) It's an M800 black body that's lacquered by a Taiwanese artist. 

 

Ah, the Blue O Blue... I know that one only from pictures. In your picture, the material seems to have so much more structure than what I have seen, it looks almost like a different pen. It's always amazing to see how different light changes things. 

[mana]

Updated pic of the vintage Pelikans, missing my EDC-trio though (Pelikan 100N BB Green binde, Pelikan 400NN OF Green-Striped, and Pelikan 400 F Black-Striped)…

 

As you can see they are mostly variants of the 100N & 400-series pens with a 120, a couple of 140, IBIS 130 and a frankenpelikan 500NN (500NN pen with a Gimborn 150 cap)… plus the mechanical pencils.

 

[Christopher Godfrey]

Absolutely impressive, mana!  In fact: fabulous!

 

By the way, my little Ibis (ie, not the 130 -- I think it's a 1937 model) has such a flexible nib that it is more flexy than any other Pelikan in my possession!  They are smaller nibs, aren't they?

[mana]

9 hours ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

Absolutely impressive, mana!  In fact: fabulous!

 

By the way, my little Ibis (ie, not the 130 -- I think it's a 1937 model) has such a flexible nib that it is more flexy than any other Pelikan in my possession!  They are smaller nibs, aren't they?

Thank you! ☺️ Yes, the nibs on the Pelikan budget brands such as the Rappen and Ibis were the same size as the later 120/140, about 1-2 mm shorter than the ”full-sized” ones in the 100, 100N, and the 400-series pens.

[carola]

23 hours ago, mana said:

Updated pic of the vintage Pelikans, missing my EDC-trio though (Pelikan 100N BB Green binde, Pelikan 400NN OF Green-Striped, and Pelikan 400 F Black-Striped)…

 

As you can see they are mostly variants of the 100N & 400-series pens with a 120, a couple of 140, IBIS 130 and a frankenpelikan 500NN (500NN pen with a Gimborn 150 cap)… plus the mechanical pencils.

 

 

Oh my... if anyone is wondering where all the vintage Pelikans have gone...

There. Right there. They are flocking together at mana's home. 

 

Beautiful.

 

[mana]

23 hours ago, carola said:

 

Oh my... if anyone is wondering where all the vintage Pelikans have gone...

There. Right there. They are flocking together at mana's home. 

 

Beautiful.

 

Thank you ☺️ I aim to provide them a loving and safe home

[stoen]

On 11/2/2025 at 11:32 PM, mana said:

Updated pic of the vintage Pelikans, missing my EDC-trio though (Pelikan 100N BB Green binde, Pelikan 400NN OF Green-Striped, and Pelikan 400 F Black-Striped)…

Impressive collection indeed, congrats, @mana. I sincerely wish you to add few 100s, some time soon!

🙂

[mana]

5 hours ago, stoen said:

Impressive collection indeed, congrats, @mana. I sincerely wish you to add few 100s, some time soon!

🙂

Thank you! I have had really bad luck with them due to celluloid degradation, hence, have not ventured further with them. That said, I might have an eye on an earlier 100… but, I am still hesitant about it. 😕

[stoen]

On 11/13/2025 at 11:53 AM, mana said:

I have had really bad luck with them due to celluloid degradation, hence, have not ventured further with them. That said, I might have an eye on an earlier 100… but, I am still hesitant about it.

There seems to have been several generations of celluloid stock batches from which they’ve made 100 barrels.

 

From 1930–1937, you may find two types yellow/brown - nitrate and green - acetate. Any of them may have been made from more or less degradation prone formulas. After all, not many of the manufacturers have been taking much care of how the pen might behave after 90+ years. Further on, some of the barrels of each material have been reinforced with brass rings at the piston mechanism end.

To make things even more complicated to recognize, some of the ink view windows on the nitrate barrels have stained to green because of specific inks used, which is impossible to distinguish prior to taking the pen apart.

 

A problem which I see most difficult to deal with in 1930-1936 100s which look “healthy” is the barrel celluloid shrinkage. The critical part is unscrewing the mechanism (for recorking) and screwing it back in. A fraction of them would crack, no matter how careful and strict the servicing procedures may have been applied. This is however a bit off-topic for this thread.

 

To make a comparative point, the 100s manufactured between 1937 and 1939 have been made of same materials as 100N from the same period. Because of the diameter / wall-thickness ratio, I find 100s slightly more robust than 100Ns. Earlier years 100s can happen be somewhat tricky purchases. 

 

It also depends on what do you intend to use them for: exhibit window or everyday writing. I would not suggest that either is better for you. It’s up to you.

🙂

 

Here’s another little family photo: for color comparison between the “tortoise” and “dark tortoise” - both of 1938. Not only mechanisms, but also sleeves, cap tubes and cap tops are different and specific: both in color nuance and in pattern.

 

I’m writing this to also notify that I’ve seen in auctions regular, lighter pre WW2 “tortoises” with black mechanisms instead of red ones. I suspect some of them to be frankenpens or repairs with the only parts available.

 

After the WW2, the 101N Tortoise product line was re-designed and rebranded “100N”, and both, mechanisms and captops would have become of matching colors: either black or brownish red. Celluloid tortoise patterns and color nuances would not substantially differ, contrary to the pre-war models.

[boilermaker1975]

I don't have a flock, just one lonely bird.

[InkyProf]

45 minutes ago, boilermaker1975 said:

I don't have a flock, just one lonely bird.

 

"Lonely" looks like "lovely," which it is! Hope you're enjoying it. 

[boilermaker1975]

@InkyProf 

1 hour ago, InkyProf said:

 

"Lonely" looks like "lovely," which it is! Hope you're enjoying it. 

 

@InkyProf I am. In fact, so much I will probably soon be getting it a sibling!

 

I am eying either the black/green stripes or the Stressmann anthracite.

 

 

[InkyProf]

18 hours ago, boilermaker1975 said:

I will probably soon be getting it a sibling!

 

Your use of "sibling" rather than "mate" notwithstanding, if you have two Pelikans in your pen case, you will soon have three...

 

18 hours ago, boilermaker1975 said:

I am eying either the black/green stripes or the Stressmann anthracite.

 

Good calls both! Would you go for the M800 size again? (I have only one of the M600 size, but it's been in the queue for nib customization for months now, so I haven't really gotten to figure out what I think about it. I'm not an M1000 guy, I don't think.)

[inkstainedruth]

16 minutes ago, InkyProf said:

Your use of "sibling" rather than "mate" notwithstanding, if you have two Pelikans in your pen case, you will soon have three...

Oh ain't that the truth!  

While I still have waaay more Parkers than Pelikans, my two most expensive pens are the M405 Streseman and the M405 Blue Black.  It was the one time in my life that I had a big discretionary budget (and saved money by buying them on eBay from Rolf Thiel at Missing Pens, back when eBay didn't collect sales tax, and he also didn't have to charge me VAT).  Of course, then an hour later I got the call from PayPal going, "Did you know....?"  And after confirming that yes, it WAS a legit charge, I looked at my husband and said, "OMG -- I really DID just spend that much money on ONLY TWO PENS...." 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth