Contest: WIN A Pelikan M205 Apatite Fountain Pen & Ink Set

September 17, 2022 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Apatite, Contest, M205, Pelikan 85 Comments

September 1st is always a special day for The Perch because it was on that day in 2014 that I officially launched the blog that you’re now reading. I can hardly believe that this endeavor has spanned 8 years already. I can still remember when the idea first came to me. It was when I was studying for my boards in the hospital library, distracting myself with pen research during study breaks that my “flux capacitor” moment occurred. The pen research that I was doing up until that point was simply for my own edification, but it occurred to me that others might enjoy the fruits of my fact finding as well. I found so many interesting tidbits fractured across the internet, like a puzzle that needed fitting together. Some pieces clicked easily into place and others didn’t fit at all. Being able to sort through all of that to get as complete a picture as possible has always brought me joy. What started out as a diversion from studying has now become a primary stress reliever from a very stressful career as a pulmonary and critical care physician. Being able to combine my background in science with my writing skills has been a life saver for me and a way to give back to the pen community. Over the years, I have appreciated each and every one of you that have reached out via email or who have commented on this blog. Time constraints have limited my ability to publish content as frequently as I would like but I remain committed to bringing you all of the Pelikan news as it breaks as well as release my own independently researched articles. Who knows? Maybe one day I’ll even publish my research in a book format. This site, of course, will continue to run ad free and not be corrupted by solicitation or gifted products in an effort to bring you a clean and bias free experience. That is my ongoing pledge to you. I continue to take the blog’s integrity very seriously. Consequently, I don’t have the resources to run very many giveaways since they are at my own expense. Still, I have enjoyed hosting an annual contest for The Perch’s birthday so let’s do it again. This year’s giveaway is in honor of the blog’s 8th birthday. What I am offering up is a 2022 Pelikan M205 Apatite Demonstrator fountain pen and ink gift set once it becomes available in November. I have to give a special thanks to the good folks at Fritz Schimpf, a world class retailer whose assistance has made this giveaway possible. Read on to discover all of the details about how you might enter for a chance to win.

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Contest: Pelikan Is Hosting A Short Lived Easter Giveaway

April 11, 2022 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Book, Contest, Giveaway, Pelikan 4 Comments

In celebration of the upcoming Easter holiday, Pelikan is hosting a giveaway via their social media channels. Up for grabs are a total of three copies of the newest book about the brand, Pelikan Limited & Special Editions: Fine Writing Instruments 1993-2020 written by Michael Silbermann and published in 2021. In case you missed it, you can find my review of that text here. You can’t sit on this one, however, as it is only timed to last for 24 hours, and the clock is ticking. The contest is being hosted on Pelikan’s Instagram account as well as their Facebook page. The contest is open to all persons worldwide over the age of 16 not employed by or related to an employee of the company. You need to hurry though as the contest is already under way, starting at 2pm German time on Monday, April 11th (that’s 8am EST). With only a 24 hour window to enter, the contest closes at 2pm German time/8am EST on Tuesday, April 12th. Read on to find out how you can enter to win.

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Contest: WIN A Copy Of “Pelikan Limited and Special Editions 1993-2020”

September 4, 2021 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Book, Contest, Pelikan, Pelikan Limited & Special Editions 69 Comments

September 1st came and went without much fanfare, but it was a rather notable day for me as it marked the seventh anniversary of the official launch of The Pelikan’s Perch blog. When I started this endeavor back in 2014, I never thought that it would grow into what it has become today. I was simply a guy who wanted to share my enthusiasm for the Pelikan brand with the community at large. The warmth of the response from my fellow enthusiasts continues to amaze and sustain me. I’ve gotten to interact with and help countless budding fountain pen enthusiasts along the way as well as contribute to broadening the knowledge base surrounding the brand. The Perch has always been my refuge, my outlet to relieve the stresses imposed by a very demanding day job, made all the worse since the arrival of the coronavirus pandemic. While I can no longer publish quite as often as I did in previous years due to the increased demands placed upon my free time, I do hope that you have continued to find the site informative and enriching. I have always striven to bring you the latest developments surrounding the Pelikan brand in a timely manner and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. Everywhere we turn these days, there seems to be new tragedy vying for our attention. It is easy to get disheartened by the current state of global affairs. With seemingly little to celebrate these days, I wanted to take a moment and reflect upon the last year and thank new and old readers alike for their ongoing support. I have appreciated the interactions from within the comments section of the blog as well as via e-mail because it is precisely that level of engagement that makes this labor of love so worthwhile. It remains my goal to shore up the foundations of Pelikan knowledge and break new ground where I’m able. I plan to continue to forbid advertising, refuse solicitation, and not accept gifted products of any type for review thereby allowing me to bring you as clean and bias free an experience as possible since there is nothing more important to me than the integrity of the blog. As such, contests are far and few in between here at The Perch but the last few years have seen very successful giveaways in honor of the blog’s birthday which is my way of thanking you for your support. This year will be no different and I would like to present you with The Perch’s fourth annual anniversary giveaway. Rather than a pen as has been the custom of year’s past, I have decided to gift one lucky reader a whole book full of them. I have secured a brand new copy of Michael Silbermann’s recent book, Pelikan Limited and Special Editions 1993-2020, that I offer up to the community with sincerest thanks. Read on to discover all of the details about how you might enter for a chance to win.

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Contest: WIN a Pelikan M205 Moonstone Fountain Pen & Ink Set

September 1, 2020 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Contest, Fountain Pen, M205, Moonstone, Pelikan 176 Comments

September 1st is always a day of reflection for me since it heralds the anniversary of The Pelikan’s Perch going live. That’s right, The Perch turns six today! I always like to take this time to look back and see where the blog has been and try to visualize where it’s going. The last year has seen incredible challenges to our way of life. Hyper-partisan politics, economic devastation, a spotlight on racial inequality, weather extremes of biblical proportions, and the ravages of the coronavirus pandemic seemingly leave little to celebrate. These real world concerns have adversely impacted every facet of daily life including this blog, limiting my ability to bring you the same volume of content that I have in years past. Still, while lacking in quantity I hope that I have made up for that with quality. In addition to my family, the blog has been my refuge, helping to keep me sane amid the turmoil and uncertainty brought about by the coronavirus. The engagement with the pen community that the blog has afforded me has allowed me to retain faith that we may indeed overcome these hardships. I thank you all for that and hope that you will continue to keep up your engagement with the site, either via email or the comments feature. To those who have been content to spectate, that is fine too, but I encourage you to join the conversation. My personal goals for the site have not changed and I will continue to endeavor to expand the Pelikan knowledge base for as long as I’m able. The Perch remains a labor of love. As such, I will continue to forbid advertising, refuse solicitation, and not accept gifted products of any type for review. This allows me to bring you a clean viewing experience and allows me to remain free of bias. The integrity of the site is of utmost importance to me. The one downside to this approach is that it limits me from being able to host very many giveaways. My prior two contests were in honor of The Perch’s birthday and I’m thrilled to be in a position to bring you The Perch’s third annual anniversary giveaway. As a thank you from me to this amazing community of pen lovers, I am offering up a 2020 Pelikan M205 Moonstone Demonstrator fountain pen and ink gift set. I’m only able to do so thanks to the consideration afforded to me by the world class crew at Fritz Schimpf. Read on to learn how you might enter for a chance to win.

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Contest: WIN a Pelikan M205 Star Ruby Fountain Pen & Ink Set

September 1, 2019 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Contest, Fountain Pen, M205, Pelikan, Star Ruby 206 Comments

Today marks the fifth anniversary of The Pelikan’s Perch going live. The last five years have been an incredible experience for me. When I originally started on this path, I never expected that it would lead me to so many engaged and wonderful people. I have thoroughly enjoyed researching each post and continually strive to build upon the existing foundation of Pelikan knowledge. For me, it is truly a labor of love and I hope that you have enjoyed it as much as I have. While much has changed in the world over the past five years, the mission of The Perch has not and I hope to continue to share my knowledge and perspective with you for many years to come. The Perch does not accept solicitation nor is it gifted products for review. In doing so, I have tried to remain free of bias so that I might bring you the most critical and honest reviews possible. That is why you don’t see too many giveaways on the site. One year ago was my first attempt at a contest where I gave away a new Pelikan P16 Stola III fountain pen. That giveaway was well received, so much so that I would like to repeat it in honor of The Perch’s fifth birthday and as a thank you to the community. For my second contest ever, I spent a lot of time pondering over just what might be a worthwhile prize. Thanks to the good people at Fritz Schimpf, I have been afforded the opportunity to give away a Pelikan 2019 Star Ruby M205 Demonstrator fountain pen and ink gift set, a pen certain to be on the wish list of many. Read on to learn how you might enter for a chance to win.

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Contest: WIN a Pelikan P16 Stola III Fountain Pen

September 1, 2018 By Joshua in Contest Tags: Contest, Fountain Pen, P16 Stola III, Pelikan 160 Comments

The Pelikan’s Perch turns 4 years old today! No longer a toddler, part of me still cannot believe that the site is going strong and continuing to grow year after year. I can only attribute that fact to my love of the brand, the great products Pelikan puts out, and the support of all of you, without which none of this would be possible. My blog was born from a desire to share the knowledge and perspective that I had gained in researching my favorite fountain pens. I wanted to give back to the community that empowered me in my quest and fostered my love for fine writing. All I can do is say thank you. Thank you for reading, for sharing my work, for interacting and contributing to the conversation, and for four great years. To celebrate this anniversary, I have decided to host the first ever contest to grace The Pelikan’s Perch. In trying to decide just what type of prize to offer, I reflected back on my own collection. In doing so I realized that the Pelikan P16 Stola III fountain pen would be well suited for the task at hand and entering for your chance to win one couldn’t be easier. Read on to learn about all of the details.