News: M800 Special Edition Green Demonstrator

Pelikan M800 Special Edition Green Demonstrator

One of the first special edition fountain pens from Pelikan in modern times was the M800 Transparent Green Collector’s Edition which came out in 1992. Clamor from customers in the United States resulted in the production of that pen, an unnumbered model, which was well received. It preceded their first ever limited edition, the M800 Blue Ocean, by just one year. In that run of 5000 pens, each piece was individually numbered. We were off to the races after that with Pelikan releasing a number of Special and Limited editions annually. That Transparent Green M800 has always been a looker. It was known to have been a favorite of Gerd-Rüdiger Lang, founder of Chronoswiss, so much so that it served as the inspiration behind 2002’s Styloscope. Fast forward to the present day and Pelikan brings us back to where it all started. News broke yesterday of the Souverän M800 Special Edition Green Demonstrator. Due out sometime in mid to late April, this model will hit shelves just in time for the spring foliage. Rather than a straight rehash of an old favorite, this new model actually features a re-design of Pelikan’s iconic trim, something that’s sure to generate a buzz. Read on to learn about all of the details surrounding this new M800.

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Change Of Plans: Pelikan May Be Eyeing A New Plant At Their Peine-Vöhrum Site

Pelikan's factory in Peine-Vöhrum, Germany

Back in October, I brought you news of a prospective land sale by Pelikan for the purpose of having a logistics center built next to their existing manufacturing plant in Peine-Vöhrum, Germany. That plant counts nearly 240 employees among its labor force, and it is the site of production for Pelikan’s fine writing instruments, amongst other things. It was suggested by management at the time of the original announcement that the proceeds from the sale of a non-operating asset such as this could be put to use modernizing the plant, something that is long overdue. Pelikan’s current facilitates located on the Pelikanstraße date back to the early 1970s and are now nearly fifty years old. By all accounts, the plant is showing its age and falling behind the times, becoming increasingly antiquated and less well suited for its intended purpose. Lined up to buy the nearly 6.2 acre tract of land was the Hillwood Group, a U.S. based investment company with German headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. They are a developer of residential, commercial, and industrial real estate with operations in the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. The city council of Peine approved the development plan by a large majority back in October, affirming their keen interest in keeping Pelikan’s plant at its current location. That same city council last met publicly on the evening of Thursday, February 23rd, the proceedings of which were reported in the Peiner Allgemeine by Jan Tiemann. Council members were informed immediately prior to the proceedings about a potential change in plans, a development not previously forecasted. Read on to learn about the new proposal coming to light.

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News: Edelstein Ink Of The Year 2023 – Rose Quartz

Pelikan Edelstein Rose Quartz Ink Of The Year 2023

The calendar has flipped, and a new year has begun which means it is time for Pelikan to clue us in on the next special edition ink to join their Edelstein line. New for 2023, this year’s special edition “Ink Of The Year” will be Rose Quartz. The shade of this new ink promises to fall somewhere on a spectrum between pink and red. This new edition will be the twentieth gemstone inspired ink to join the Edelstein line. Pelikan has been playing the special edition ink game for twelve years now, first launching Turmaline in 2012. Since that time, we have had several solid inks along with some really great but too short lived releases. Since Turmaline, we have had Amber (2013), Garnet (2014), Amethyst (2015), Aquamarine (2016), Smoky Quartz (2017), Olivine (2018), Star Ruby (2019), Moonstone (2020), Golden Beryl (2021), and Apatite (2022). Because these are special edition inks, they are generally produced for only one year therefore once supplies run out, they are gone (unless Pelikan decides to resurrect a shade or two down the line).  Rose Quarts will be available in the Spring with an anticipated launch date for some time in March 2023.

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Pelikan Raises Prices, Launches A New Website, And Puts The Wish Nib On Hiatus

Price Increases

Everywhere you turn these days, goods and services invariably cost more. Everyday items such as bread, milk, diapers, and gas command prices not seen in decades. The coronavirus pandemic and the resulting supply chain crisis deserve much of the credit for getting the ball rolling but those are only the origins of this story. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the resulting economic sanctions further disrupted many of the global supply chains, adding fuel to the economic fire already raging. Sprinkle in a healthy share of corporate greed for good measure and it’s not too hard to understand how we got here. Prices are now at levels not seen since the 1980s and consumers, who had been better positioned than during past crises to weather the storm early on, are now finding that their household finances are becoming increasingly strained. This is inflation, a rise in prices or the decline of purchasing power over time, and there is little remedy for it at the moment. Pen makers are not insulated from the harsh economic climate any better than the rest of us and the cost of doing business is rising. Pelikan generally raises prices once or sometimes twice a year in order to keep up with the usual annual increases in cost. This generally manifests as a 2-3% increase on fine writing instruments and a 5% increase on inks, refills, and accessories. What we have seen as of November 1st, at least here in the US, is a much more significant increase than in years past, no doubt a reflection of the current global situation. Read on to discover how your favorite Pelikan pens and inks have been affected.

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The Chronoswiss Styloscope Rediscovered, Literally!

Pelikan Chronoswiss Styloscope

Treasure can be lost, perhaps tucked away for a later occasion, then forgotten with the passing of time. Sometimes, like the periodical cicadas that emerge from under the ground only once every 17 years, that treasure is rediscovered. Chronoswiss is a mechanical watch manufacturer based out of Lucerne, Switzerland and founded by Gerd-Rüdiger Lang in 1983. In order to commemorate the company’s 20th anniversary, Mr. Lang, a big fan of the M800, commissioned Pelikan to create limited edition pen known as the Styloscope which was released in 2002.  Built off of the M800 chassis, the Styloscope was a numbered, limited edition of 999 pieces which I previously described in detail here. These were sold by Chronoswiss and could not be obtained through Pelikan. Now long out of production, finding one on the secondary market can be a challenge for those who lack patience or means as these models have appreciated nicely over the past few decades. The Chronoswiss company turns 40 next year and the Styloscope has now achieved its own milestone, turning 20 years old this year. While mildly interesting news in its own right, what really punctuates that birthday is the fact that 88 unnumbered Chronoswiss Styloscope pens were just recently found by Chronoswiss’ COO, Beat Weinmann, in the company’s basement. Talk about a serendipitous discovery. After much consideration regarding their fate, Style of Zug, a self-described Swiss concept store with a focus on fine writing instruments, has been tapped as the sole distributor for these newfound beauties which are being released into the wild. Read on to find out all of the details including how you might own your own Styloscope.

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News: M1000 Maki-e Phoenix Limited Edition

Pelikan M1000 Maki-e Phoenix Limited Edition

Today brought news of another new release out of Hannover, this one quickly following on the heels of the upcoming Souverän M800 40 Years Anniversary limited edition due out next month. If you will recall, Pelikan kicked off the 2022 season with their M1000 Maki-e Snow, Moon, and Flowers limited edition. Pelikan’s next release will again be another high end Maki-e model, this one titled Phoenix. The last time we got two Maki-e releases in a single year was 2019 when both the Five Lucky Bats and Japanese Umbrella debuted. These are always ultra-exclusive models made in very limited quantities with a price tag to match. Pelikan’s promotional literature states;

“The Phoenix is surrounded by numerous meaningful legends. Phoenix is a legendary spiritual bird in Chinese mythology, appearing in myths, ornaments, works of art, and architecture in East Asia. It is often depicted as a symbol of virtue, wisdom, beauty, and goodness. Phoenix also has the meaning of harmony, peace, femininity, beauty, prosperity, expansion, ascent and success. According to Chinese legends, phoenix represents the entire universe. The phoenix‘s head represents the sky, the eyes are the sun, the back is the moon, the legs are the earth, and the tail is a planet.”

The Maki-e Phoenix utilizes the oversized M1000 chassis, made in Germany, and decorated in Japan. This model is slated to arrive sometime in November 2022.  As is the tradition with many of these ultra-limited pens, this will be an edition of just 123 pieces available for worldwide distribution.

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Pelikan Looks To Sell Land Adjacent To Their Peine-Vöhrum Plant

Pelikan's Peine-Vöhrum Manufacturing Plant

While the central focus of this blog has always been the writing implements and related ephemera that Pelikan has produced over the past 90+ years, I find it insightful to also stay up to date regarding the goings on at the factory and beyond. Doing so can provide a window into the health of the company. Pelikan is a large organization with a very complicated corporate structure that contains many assets and investments which go well beyond their fine writing instruments. Still, some of their publicly reported business decisions hit close to home and those are the ones that I try to bring to you. I previously gave an account of three such occurrences beginning last June with demonstrations at Pelikan’s Peine-Vöhrum manufacturing plant by union employees protesting conditions at the factory. Then, in July 2021, Pelikan sold its logistics center located in Falkensee, Germany. By August, the factory had received a visit from Hubertus Heil (SPD), Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs, over the ongoing labor dispute. Since that visit, news about the goings on at the factory has been sparse, that is until now. Thanks to the recent reporting of Thomas Kröger for Peiner Allgemeine, we now know that talks are underway regarding a major project on the Pelikanstraße in Vöhrum. Pelikan is currently looking to sell a little over 6 acres of land in a plot that lies to the northeast of their manufacturing plant. The prospective buyer wishes to use the land to build a logistics center, a possibility currently being explored with the city of Peine. What does this potentially mean for Pelikan? Read on to learn more.

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News: Pelikan Souverän M800 40 Years Anniversary LE

Pelikan Souverän M800 40 Years Anniversary LE

Pelikan’s original model 400 was manufactured throughout most of the 1950s as well as the first half of the 1960s. The model would experience two major revisions over its production run, but it ultimately proved to be a great success for the brand. Times change and the company moved away from that iconic design for a number of years, with the Merz & Krell 400NN of the 1970s being a notable exception. That classic style which was so popular in its day saw a revival in 1982 when Pelikan launched the first Souverän fountain pen, the model M400. The black/green color combination featuring the “Stresemann” striped pattern was again alive and well and little changed from that 1950s model upon which it was based. Like its predecessor, the M400 was well received, a win that the company desperately needed at the time. The early 1980s marked a turbulent period in the company’s history, one rife with financial trouble and the M400 played its part to help turn Pelikan’s fortunes around. Forty years later and the Souverän series of pens remains a mainstay in the brand’s portfolio, its design is as iconic now as it ever was. In honor of that that forty-year anniversary, Pelikan is releasing a new limited edition fountain pen, the Souverän M800 40 Years Anniversary limited edition. The design of this new pen is meant to commemorate those features of the Souverän that have made their mark over the years. Read on to learn all about this newest limited edition fountain pen out of Hannover.

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