Last year Pelikan gave us news of a special Collectors’ Box that was to be released to house our pen collections.  The chest was to be compact yet hold up to 24 pens including the largest of birds, the M1000.  I’ve been patiently waiting for these to become available so that I might review one but also to help with my ongoing storage needs.  It’s not often that you find a handsome solution which can house 24 pens with a foot print of only 9.8 in W x 8.3 in D x 5.3 in H.  To recap what we are expecting, the box is reported to be made of medium density fiberboard (MDF), a high-grade composite material made from recycled wood fibers and resin that is more stable than solid wood and stands up better to changes in heat and humidity.  The frame is then covered with a wooden paper which is protected by a layer of clear lacquer.  The trays (3 trays holding 8 pens each) are covered with a cream-colored faux leather.  The top of the box is made from 4mm thick safety glass to allow visualization of the top drawer of pens and the bottom has rubber feet to ensure that the box won’t mar the surface that it’s placed upon.  The Pelikan logo that is printed on the front also adorns the upper right corner on the back side of the box.  It has been some time since the original announcement and you may just be wondering why we have yet to see these released.

I believe that a few boxes were produced and made it into the wild as I’ve seen at least one real world example but vendors continue to await supply.  Inquiries to the company have revealed that the availability keeps getting pushed back.  Once promised for May, then June, and now most recently July, it is still unclear when we might see the retail channels receive stock.  The most recent information that I have suggest that these are to be on back-order until September.  That is almost a year after the initial announcement.  Rumor has it that the originally contracted manufacturer who was to produce the Collectors’ Box for Pelikan went bankrupt several months ago and has subsequently been unable to fulfill their contract.  Word is that a new supplier has been found but will require time to ramp up production before we see these available at retailers.  If all goes well it will just be another two months before these start finding their way to market.

Hopefully this helps explain the delay in production if you’ve been awaiting one of these.  I will continue to pursue one of these boxes for the purpose of review when they become available.  I really like the design and am most impressed with the small footprint.  My biggest gripe thus far, sight unseen, is the asking price of $339-425 domestically depending on the vendor and approximately €220 (German MSRP) from overseas retailers (~€180 for non-EU buyers minus taxes or $199.24).  Even with $200 being the lowest price available out there, this appears incredibly overpriced for what you’re actually getting though I will withhold final opinions/judgements until I see one in person.  Only time will tell if the boxes’ quality commands the price asked and I hope to be able to report back to you on that at some point in the near future.