It seems as if it were just yesterday that Pelikan announced a new M200 model for 2015 and, two months later, we now have the Café Crème (pronounced kah/fay krehm) in hand. The company has been producing many special editions in recent times within both its Classic and Souverän lines. For the M200 line, Pelikan gave us the clear transparent demonstrator in 2012 which they followed up in 2014 with the cognac transparent demonstrator. Both of those releases were nice pens but ultimately were little more than re-releases of prior M200 models with a slight upgrade of the cap top trim. While this was welcomed by many due to the relative scarcity of examples from the original release on the secondary market, the new models overall have felt uninspired and stale. What’s more is that pen collectors/users are very polarized over demonstrator models with one camp loving them and another loathing them without much middle ground in between. This years release does not feel rehashed but instead seems to offer a truly new and unique pen that brings back some excitement to Pelikan’s entry-level line-up. Inspired by the world of coffee, this pen is anything but stale and whatever your taste may be, this release hopefully signals a game change from the creative minds at Pelikan.
Tag Archives: M200
The M200 Silver Pearls
The grey marbled M200, a finish also known as the silver pearls, is a frequently encountered variation of Pelikan’s Classic line. These are quite commonly found for sale on the secondary market and are, in my opinion, one of the more distinguished appearing variants of the M200. It likely made its debut sometime around 1988 in the ‘old-style’ trim variant which was distinguished by a derby cap top, double cap bands, and the absence of a trim ring at the piston knob. This finish also was utilized in an older run of M250’s for the export market. In the M200 line-up, this model persisted along with its blue and green marbled siblings up until and through the revision of the line in 1997.
News: M200 Café Crème Due In 2015
M200 Café Crème
It certainly seems that Pelikan is in step with the holiday spirit this season as new product announcements continue to roll out of Hanover ahead of the new year, much to the delight of Pelikan aficionados. It was just this past Monday when Pelikan announced the M805 Stresemann which introduces a new anthracite binde paired with a very complimentary rhodium trim. The early chatter seems to indicate that the pen community has received the news of that new model quite enthusiastically. Now, just three days on the heels of that announcement, Pelikan is at it again, this time with a new pen in their Classic line. Their last release in this line was the M200 Cognac Demonstrator which debuted in 2014. It seems that the upcoming year will bring us another beverage inspired model, the M200 Café Crème.
Special Edition Spotlight
A subtle distinction exist between limited and special edition pens. Pelikan has manufactured many limited edition pieces which are characterized by production in a defined run of finite number. In contrast, special edition pens are often produced in an unlimited number but only for a limited period of time. Since the mid-1990’s, Pelikan has released many limited edition pens. These are often targeted at a specific consumer group with sufficient purchasing power as the price of these models usually comes at a premium. Since these pens are only available in a known limited quantity (with individual pieces often numbered), the company builds in an incentive to buy. Examples would include; The Pyramids of Giza, The Hanging Gardens, The 1000 Years of Austria, Golden Phoenix, The Originals of Their Time series, Hunting, Golf, and Wall Street just to name a few. These are pens designed to commemorate certain events in history, places, historic pen models, or activities. There is also a subset of special edition pens produced in a limited quantity which are made at the request of a specific consumer or for a particular region. This practice within the company dates back to before World War II with the production of the Emege pens and has continued since that time. This has resulted in several variations based off of mainstream model lines that were produced only in small runs for a specific customer though were not themselves numbered. Six of those pens from the modern era will be detailed in this post.
The Nib-on-a-Chain Explained
I have long been perplexed by the existence of various Pelikan ballpoints and fountain pens that feature a cap with a nib on a chain rather than a clip. The extra nib hangs off of the cap, almost like a charm would. That is not an entirely foreign concept as Pelikan tried something similar with their ‘Happy Pen’ in the 1970’s. This variation of the tradition series is not well documented, however, in any of the materials that I have ever found. No mention of it is made in either edition of Pelikan Schreibgeräte. It certainly seems to be an odd choice of design and not very practical. After much fruitless searching, I inquired from the most knowledgeable source that I know, Jürgen Dittmer of the Pelikan archives. What I learned was also corroborated by information from Regina Martini, a well-known Pelikan retailer.