This is a Vintage 101N but....

[MarcoA63]

Shotgun question here :-) If I find a 101N nib, somebody's spare and not an impossible thing, and I replace the current one will this solve the problem I have? Skipping and hard starting and adjust it datewise correctly :-)

From what I've read, that is if I've not misunderstood as I could have, the pen is indeed a 101N but the nib is that of a 100. Definitely not going to do the repair myself and risk throwing in the bin the whole lot

[stoen]

23 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

If I find a 101N nib, somebody's spare and not an impossible thing, and I replace the current one will this solve the problem I have?

I sincerely hope you don’t expect YES/NO answers to this one.

 

It also depends on the condition of the internal parts.

Presuming the section condition (internal threading) is OK, that the entire section is not a salvage repair (which cannot be judged from photos), that the entire nib-unit assembly can be unscrewed from the section (which I do not recommend to an inexperienced owner without proper tooling), disassembled, correctly cleaned and inspected, your “shotgun” question comes due as early as then, @MarcoA63.

 

As @tacitus already nicely and concisely pointed, an expert and reputable service person will easily inspect your pen and suggest the best repair/restoration path. I’m sure such a person would also have a choice of 100N spare nibs for your valuable pen.

 

 

 

 

[MarcoA63]

@stoen thank you. Obviously I 'll let somebody, eventually so this work. In your previous answer you mention 100N as a choice of spare nibs. But mine is 101N so wouldn't I need this nib type?

 

 

[stoen]

Thanks for your question.

 

If you had read previous posts in this thread more carefully or studied the recommended sites / threads just a little bit, you would have easily understood that

 

100N and 101N are geometrically identical and they use the same nib / feed / collar / section.

 

The only difference is in the binde color and cap material and color (in some cases mechanism color as well). A series of post-ww2 101N was even rebranded 100N. This is basis of what you’d better know when having such a rare and worthy pen for using…

 

100, 101, 110, T111 (without “N”) is a completely different series of Pelikan (or Pelican) fountain pens).

 

Please feel free to do some individual research, as there is a lot of valuable information on the web. Thanks.

[MarcoA63]

@stoen thank you for your insight. I've started reading Tacitus' essay on dating of Pelikan. I've read all the answers on this thread, that I started. Remembering everything is a bit disappointing for me, as I don't remember much of what I read 🙄 so I have to go back multiple times with the pen in my hand and read through over and over again.

[MarcoA63]

If I've not misunderstood the description at this page https://pencluster.com/pen/pelikan/pelikan_gallery/pelikan-100-blacktortoise-shell/

 

The fact that the pen has a tortoiseshell pattern and a coloured cap makes it a 101N otherwise it is a 100. Interesting 🤔 But of course I may have misunderstood

[InkyProf]

3 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

The fact that the pen has a tortoiseshell pattern and a coloured cap makes it a 101N otherwise it is a 100N

 

Almost: see the red "N" above.

 

Think of it this way: the presence or absence of the "N" distinguishes between two different models of pen. The pen in the image in the page you just linked to (which I can't read, for which I apologize) is a non-N pen -- the "old" model. The pen in your original post is a "N" pen -- the "neu/new" model. The differences between those aren't in color or binde pattern; they're in more fundamental things like the shape of the piston knob (and the geometry of the nib, as has been pointed out). For each of those models, the difference between 100 and 101, with or without the N, has to do, as you say, with the color/pattern. If the 100 on that "pencluster" page had had a brown cap & piston knob, and  rather than black (but with a tortoise binde) it would be a 101. If the 101N in your original post had had an all-black cap and piston knob, it would be a 100N.

[MarcoA63]

A tortoiseshell version of the Pelikan 100 series from the 1930s!
The Pelikan 100 series has been in production since 1930,
and with its many variations and minor updates, it has been produced in large numbers.
The model commonly referred to as the ‘100’ is the one with a black cap.
Models with a coloured cap are designated as the ‘101’.

 

But the article, unless I misread, says tha the tortoise shell in the photo is a 100 because of the black cap and the coloured cap ones are 101s
 

[InkyProf]

5 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

But the article, unless I misread, says tha the tortoise shell in the photo is a 100 because of the black cap and the coloured cap ones are 101s

 

Yes! That's why it's a 100 and not a 101 -- with no "N" in either case. Just as a pen of the same model as the one in your photo at the start of the thread will either be a 101N (as pictured) or a 100N (in different color schemes). I was only responding to your earlier suggestion that "the fact that the pen has a tortoiseshell pattern and a coloured cap makes it a 101N otherwise it is a 100." No mere change of color or pattern can add or subtract the "N" from the model designation.

[MarcoA63]

I'm lost. I know mine is a 101N as this is what the seller told me. This Japanese person says that, as you say, certain liveries differentiate a 100 from a 101 and the example in the photo is a black extremities tortoise shell 100 compared to a coloured extremities in the same livery for a 101N

But I do not want to pick a fight over a Pelican 😁 I will have to get @tacitus website in a spread sheet to use as a personal reference in the future 😊 

[InkyProf]

2 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

But I do not want to pick a fight over a Pelican 😁

 

Definitely not trying to pick a fight and I hope I didn't come across that way! 🙂 (I may not always be helpful, but I promise I'm always trying.) Your pen is definitely a 101N and it's definitely beautiful.

[MarcoA63]

@InkyProf I appreciate you chipping in. It seems to me that there is not enough documentation out there that allows me, you, us to determine exactly what we have in our hands. Some may be experts, some may be 'repeaters' but the truth is that only the original owner of the pen knows the history of the object. The history of mine is 'weird', definitely.

Bulgarian bank name on the 'binde'. Weird nib that doesn't, supposedly, 'fit' the narrative. I've come to the conclusion that no vintage pen is NOS and in time they have undergone various tweaks for which we can't define what is and what isn't. We buy a vintage pen for many reasons, I loved the livery immediately, and check if things look ok and rely on the seller. What else can you do? Yes my nib might have been swapped decades ago, the piston mechanism might have been replaced too. How do I ascertain this? Impossible. I'll continue scouring the web for info though :-) Cheers, Marco  

[tacitus]

4 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

... Some may be experts, some may be 'repeaters'...

 

...and check if things look ok and rely on the seller. What else can you do?...

 

Hello, @MarcoA63. Thank you for visiting my website. You’re absolutely right. However, no one is born an expert. I believe we become experts by learning from various experiences—and sometimes from our mistakes. So asking questions here is the first step toward becoming an expert. By the way, I’m not an expert either, just a collector.

 

One more thing: seller information is sometimes incorrect. For example, on eBay and other sites, I’ve seen some sellers—whether out of ignorance or on purpose, I don’t know—selling the incorrect pens at unreasonable prices based on incorrect information. I’ve been burned a few times myself. One of the reasons I launched my own website—and this might sound a bit exaggerated—is to provide information in advance so that people who aren’t familiar with Pelikan fountain pens won’t buy them, and so sellers won’t sell them. However, since my website rarely appears in Google search results and is largely unknown, I get fewer than 10 visitors per day😅.

 

By the way, this is unrelated to the above, but sometimes sellers post photos of vintage pens pressed so hard against paper that the nib slit opens wide, just to emphasize the nib’s flex. Since these are items for sale, I wish they would stop this—it’s nothing short of abuse. 

 

Getting back to the topic, of course, it is not easy to determine whether a pen is “correct” or “incorrect” in terms of its configuration or parts. For example, even if a part is from a later period or later model, it can still be considered “correct”, as far as it is compatible, and it was replaced by an authorized dealer (or repair person). Also, Pelikan fountain pens often have compatible nib units. For instance, if you’ve personally installed an M200 nib unit into an M400 body for your own enjoyment, that wouldn’t be considered “incorrect”. However, if you were to sell the pen on eBay or similar sites as an M400, that would be a problem. In your case, a nib from the 100 model—which is not compatible—is fitted to a 101N body. If it wrote properly, that might be acceptable, but since it does not write properly, unfortunately, it cannot be considered “correct” IMO.

 

However, the problem would likely be resolved if you could replace it with a 100N nib. Regardless of your pen’s origins, the fact that it is in your possession in such good condition is something of a miracle. After all, it survived World War II. So please continue to cherish it.

[MarcoA63]

@tacitus I agree 100% with what you say about internet sellers, 100%

I believe that if I bought a Pelican from you I'd get a 'correct' pen.

Getting back to my pen it isn't such a peregrine idea that of swapping the current nib with a 100N nib.

They should both be of the screw in type, correct?

[Christopher Godfrey]

Marco, I have an Osmia Progress 96 that came from a seller in the same sort of region that your 101 came from (but it was either Romania or Serbia) and I sent it to Fountainbel for a replacement part that was missing (the cap "jewel") and Francis literally wrote to me: "What do you expect?" when I told him about the seller never having mentioned the missing part.  It would seem that sellers from some of those former communist countries can be less-than entirely honest.  I'm not pointing at anyone in particular -- just an observation.

[MarcoA63]

I bought the pen at the London Pen Show from a reputed seller, a real one in the flesh 😊

[tacitus]

On 3/30/2026 at 9:17 PM, MarcoA63 said:

They should both be of the screw in type, correct?

 

Yes, it’s a screw-in type nib unit. However, even if you manage to get a 100N nib, if you don’t carefully remove the nib unit using the proper pliers, you risk damaging the feed fins or the grip section. Furthermore, even if you manage to remove the nib unit successfully, you will then need to use a nib knockout block to carefully remove the nib and feed from the collar. Since the 100N nib you obtained later is not the original part, it requires specialized knowledge and skill to fit it perfectly into the original feed. Additionally, when reinserting the fitted nib and feed into the collar, you must proceed with caution to avoid misalignment of the nib or damage to the feed fins. As you can see, replacing the nib requires specialized tools, knowledge, and technical skill—as well as great care.

 

Ultimately, I recommend that you consult a major pen show, a vintage fountain pen specialty shop, or an expert repair technician.

[MarcoA63]

sorry if I seem dumb but if I unscrew the whole nib+feed assembly and replace it with a 100N nib+feed assembly and they simply screw in why do I need a knock out block? I swap one for another, not?

[tacitus]

In vintage fountain pens that have been unused for many years, the ink often solidifies between the grip section and the collar, which makes unscrewing the nib unit difficult. Similarly, it is no easy task to remove the nib and feed from the collar, as the ink acts like an adhesive. Attempting to pull the nib and feed out of the collar with your fingers carries a risk of damaging the feed fins or bending the nib. Therefore, specialised pliers or a knockout block are required.

[Matlock]

17 hours ago, MarcoA63 said:

sorry if I seem dumb but if I unscrew the whole nib+feed assembly and replace it with a 100N nib+feed assembly and they simply screw in why do I need a knock out block? I swap one for another, not?

If you can find a replacement 100N nib and feed, just do it. But be very careful when unscrewing the unit as hardened ink can make it difficult and there is the danger of damaging the feed fins.