It is an old style M400, produced between 1984 and 1997, the year in which some design aspects changed such as the rings on the body of the pen. Lacking W Germany in the engraving of the cap ring indicates that its production is between 1990-91 to 1997. Very good acquisition, congratulations!!
By the way, K800 refers to a ball pen from the 800 line, M is for mechanism, K for ball pen, D is for renfill pencil and R is for Roller... Saludos desde Argentina
I have 10 older Pelikans, all from eBay. I learned to go slowly, read carefully, and check reviews. One of them, a 100, was a bust due to a fine crack in the barrel. A 120 and 140 are simple, plain, and small, but write beautifully. Actually, they are all smaller than most today. My 1933 100 is wonderful, as are my 400NNs. Nothing writes better than these. They are just too small for extended writing. The nibs are equal to any I have used. Finding them is so rewarding. Thank you for sharing your find. I will ink a couple of my favorites. Mine came from Germany, Italy, Japan, Indonesia, and US. Great fun.
After your video and my response I had to get one of my older Pelikans inked. I chose my +/- 1956 tortoise shell 400NN with an extra fine nib. I don’t often use fine nibs, much less extra fine. But, these nibs are sublime. Filled with Herbin’s Eclat de Saphir, I wonder why I’ve waited 3+ years to enjoy it again. Thank you for reminding me.
Thank you for this! I did the same…researched and waited and researched more. It is necessary and even after I got the 3 older Pelikans that I have, I was still learning about them! I got so very lucky with a Pelikan 120, a 140 and a 400 (not M400 or 400N) all mine have more rounded ends. I wish I could work magic with the nibs as you but I’d need to send to a Meister. I appreciate everything you broadcast. Was awesome for to thank all the folks that post historical information on these older beauties! I appreciate them too! Thank you 😊 Love how you inspected it and cleaned it on camera! 👍🏽 Best camera work and writing samples I’ve EVER seen on TH-cam! 🖊️
If all your pens have more rounded ends, then your 400 is not a 400 but a 400NN instead. The 400 looks pretty much identical to the M400, and the 400N is sort of in-between the 400 and the 400NN.
Hey DB, nice acquisition. When I went vintage I chose a Pelikan 400 that I got from David Nishimura & the Vintage Pens website. I think I may have paid a little bit of a premium, but it was worth it to me. The pen is from 1955 and predates the M designation that the 400 evolved into. It's the iconic green striped transparent barrel with a fine writing medium nib.
Hey Doodlebud, I have the same Tortoiseshell brown M400 with a F nib and it's just wonderfull. It also has the original sticker on it for the nib size. As I was in love with the pen, I decided to buy a green one. It has a W. Germany cap, but also the cap rings and an 80's nib, a true Frankenstein pen. The old-style pens also couldn't be more different than the 400NN. Great video, as always. Thank you :). PS: My green M400 also has a B nib with a stubby character, one of the best nibs I own. PS 2: For an ink recommendation, Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho. The colour goes perfect with the pen.
so grateful to you for your careful documentation via video shared with your viewers...I have learned much from your explanations and reviews. THANK YOU!
That seller is indeed excellent. And Patience is the key as you say. Just wait on something and don'r be disappointed if you miss out on a pen - something will be around soon! Thank you for the video sir.
Hi DB! NICE Pelikan, there! Seems like you got a GOOD price on it, too! I need to get a pen with a broad nib. I have a LOT of fines, extra-fines, and even a XXF! I have a few mediums. And, of course, a 1.1 stub (awesome!). Thanks for showing your process for inspecting a vintage pen, and getting it writing properly!
Awesome Video and awesome Pelikan. I just got a Pelikan 400NN about 4 days ago from Serbia. It's the Brown Tortoise finish as well. It's from the mid to late 50's as far as I can tell from the nib. Excellent condition too and came I'm guessing in the original clam shell Pelikan branded case. I got it in an Extra Fine which isn't my usual nib of choice, but these nibs are a bit flexy so I wanted max line variation to make my writing look a bit more zazzy haha Excellent pen. I ended up putting Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black in mine. It just seemed fitting. I'm still debating on smoothing it a hair as it's pretty sharp on the paper. I'm unsure though because it's original and I don't really want to change what is original. I had to put some silicone grease in the barrel when I got it as it was pretty stiff. I bought the brand StyloSeal medium viscosity pure Silicone from Amazon and it's is specifically for fountain pens. I might have to try out this Pelikan royal blue ink, I've had it in my amazon cart for awhile now.
The little cardboard thingy is the price tag for a Pelikan ballpoint pen K (for “Kugelschreiber”) 800 with its suggested retail price in the pre Euro currency. So the box apparently isn’t the one that came with the M400.
DM stands for „Deutsche Mark“ and has been replaced in 2001 by the euro € If the tag would also be from around 1990, 210DM are around 318CAD today with inflation
I lucked out & found a boxed set with an M400 & bottle of ink for a good price on ebay a while back & both the pen & ink bottle are stamped "W. Germany" pretty cool surprise since the seller had VERY little information included in the posting. It's a B nib, which isn't my usual go-to, but i'm sure i'll find a use for it 😉
I reviewed a similar M400 with green stripes. Its cap also said “Germany” and the body didn’t have trim rings either. I bought on eBay and it was advertised as a 1990s model.
I looked at this same pen, but I don’t have that much to spend on a pen at this time. I’ve bought from this seller before when their name was listed differently. I bought some Kaweco pens from him. Thanks for the video!
I think even the vintage Pelikans used celluloid for their tortoiseshell models and none use actual genuine tortoiseshell. That said, I have a 90s tortoiseshell M400 and it appears to have a black cap, knob, and section instead of the brown on yours (my vintage 50s 400 has the brown pieces though) [edit: forgot to add, I think your pen may be an 80s pen because it's brown instead, I think I read somewhere that they switched to black in the 90s]. I highly recommend getting the vintage 400 (non-M) models, they write even better than the M versions, which themselves write better than the Souverans. I love the Pelikan 400 series for how reliable they are, excellent daily writers. If you're willing to pay a bit more for vintage pens, Soenneckens are my favorite, Osmias are pretty good too, and then Pelikans sorta sit around Osmia. I haven't tried out Montblanc so I cannot comment on them.
This is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing! You should definitely check out the 100s, for 80 year old pens they are amazing. Also, 120s from the 1950s or 60s are quite affordable and are nice user-grade pens IMHO.
A fine choice, my good sir as I have thoroughly enjoyed my own 400NN Tortoise (rounder butt), but same amount of cap bands on body and hood as you have. The ridges on the feed are 90 degrees off compared to yours.
Thanks for a great video db! I've been looking for a vintage Rotring 600. I have the rollerball, but I would love to have the fountain pen version. It's a nice heavy pen with six facets. The nib on the 600 is a strange bird. But anyway, thanks for the tips.
That is a beautiful pen, and to get one with a Broad nib is great (this gives one more options if future alterations of the nib is desired). My Pilot Elite pen is awesome!
Pelikan M400 got the trim rings with the souverän-line redesign of 1997, the trim rings were exclusive to M600 Old Style (basically a bling bling version of the m400, two tone 18 carat nib (or 14c for models produced in 1988/89) and extra trim) and above, so your model is probably a model from 1991-1997
I have the same era OBB that you missed out on, as well as a fir-tree OBB from the 1960s on a 400NN; and I would strongly suggest that you save your money for the latter - the '60s nib is a supple semi-flex with less bulbous tipping, and so gives finer cross-strokes for more noticeable line variation.
Another great informative video from Doodlebug. Thank you. BTW, there’s nothing wrong with vintage FrankenPens. My MB has an newer nib in an older body. It writes wonderfully and has true vintage looks.
From Wikipedia - AG means Aktien-gesellschaft, a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, ...
Early 80s pens just had Germany (no W). That's true of Montblanc too. Later 80s changed to W Germany. I have two Montblanc 144s from the 80s; the earlier one has the older feed and plastic under-body and says Germany; the second has the newer feed and metal under-body and is marker W Germany.
Nice walk through. Impressive. I was particularly interested in your pen wipe comment. Cloth only. I cringe when I see toilet paper, Kleenex, or worse yet, paper towels being used. Ragged t-shirts are better, or micro-fiber best. I used to clean my glasses with soft tissues. Scratches by the thousands. It's like using sandpaper on glasses. No longer. Micro-fiber is now my only "go to" for lenses and fountain pens. As usual, thank you for the great video experience.
That's so nice. Thanks for doing these types of videos. We all can't just go out and spend hundreds (or more) on new pens. Not if we want to, like, live indoors. I just finally got my E95S yesterday. It's my first gold nib. I'm going to have to start buying used if I want more gold nib pens.
I can assure you it is not real tortoiseshell! I am pretty sure Pelican has never used the real thing in its history - and anyway the real thing is not stripped liked that - it has blotches.
Paper often has micro-contaminates that are harder than you might expect. That being said, I think he was talking about not scratching the body, but i could be wrong.
I have yet to buy a vintage fountain pen so I am a little nervous 😬 I feel overwhelmed when researching and feeling I will miss out but after you mentioning to take your time, I am more at ease. Thank you 🙏 Doodlebud for your tips and demonstrating your quality check. Congratulations on your tortoiseshell Pelikan M400 -- it is beautiful!
Today I received my first eBay purchase pen. A 1955 Pelikan 400. It was advertised as a M, and you were not able to see the engraving on the pictures. But unfortunately I received an OF. Which per se is nice for most people, but I’m a lefty and obliques are not that easy for me. But I still can write with it so not a total writeoff (hahahaha) If anyone maybe want to swap nibs? I’m based in Germany.
Too bad that you don't have a time machine so that you could take a trip to Germany and go fountain pen shopping. Older Pelikan fountain pens have wonderful nibs.
It can. This is why you won't see jewlers wipe down rings etc with tissue paper etc. You can dab/blot and won't have issues, but wiping it down can cause micro scratches.
I find eBay almost useless. The descriptions are pathetic, no understanding of year, little description of pen quality or health, or even if the thing works. I am looking for vintage gold nib Parker 51s. All I see are red herrings… 😢
Thanks!
Wow thank you!
It is an old style M400, produced between 1984 and 1997, the year in which some design aspects changed such as the rings on the body of the pen. Lacking W Germany in the engraving of the cap ring indicates that its production is between 1990-91 to 1997. Very good acquisition, congratulations!!
By the way, K800 refers to a ball pen from the 800 line, M is for mechanism, K for ball pen, D is for renfill pencil and R is for Roller... Saludos desde Argentina
I have 10 older Pelikans, all from eBay. I learned to go slowly, read carefully, and check reviews. One of them, a 100, was a bust due to a fine crack in the barrel. A 120 and 140 are simple, plain, and small, but write beautifully. Actually, they are all smaller than most today. My 1933 100 is wonderful, as are my 400NNs. Nothing writes better than these. They are just too small for extended writing. The nibs are equal to any I have used. Finding them is so rewarding. Thank you for sharing your find. I will ink a couple of my favorites. Mine came from Germany, Italy, Japan, Indonesia, and US. Great fun.
After your video and my response I had to get one of my older Pelikans inked. I chose my +/- 1956 tortoise shell 400NN with an extra fine nib. I don’t often use fine nibs, much less extra fine. But, these nibs are sublime. Filled with Herbin’s Eclat de Saphir, I wonder why I’ve waited 3+ years to enjoy it again. Thank you for reminding me.
*Next Doodlebud Video* : *TOUR OF MY FOUNTAIN PEN COLLECTION*
I didnt know my account was 7 years old :0 (time flies)
Edit : WAIT JAN 15 2017 WAS 7 F###### YEARS AGO???
@@Mad_wastakenTime flies, doesn't it? Enjoy the ride 😊
Also: DOODLEBUD GOES TO FIRST PEN SHOW
I have a three piece set of the Pelikan M400 , West Germany. Wonderful pen. The older models are the best.
Thank you for this! I did the same…researched and waited and researched more. It is necessary and even after I got the 3 older Pelikans that I have, I was still learning about them! I got so very lucky with a Pelikan 120, a 140 and a 400 (not M400 or 400N) all mine have more rounded ends. I wish I could work magic with the nibs as you but I’d need to send to a Meister.
I appreciate everything you broadcast. Was awesome for to thank all the folks that post historical information on these older beauties! I appreciate them too! Thank you 😊
Love how you inspected it and cleaned it on camera! 👍🏽 Best camera work and writing samples I’ve EVER seen on TH-cam! 🖊️
If all your pens have more rounded ends, then your 400 is not a 400 but a 400NN instead. The 400 looks pretty much identical to the M400, and the 400N is sort of in-between the 400 and the 400NN.
Hey DB, nice acquisition. When I went vintage I chose a Pelikan 400 that I got from David Nishimura & the Vintage Pens website. I think I may have paid a little bit of a premium, but it was worth it to me. The pen is from 1955 and predates the M designation that the 400 evolved into. It's the iconic green striped transparent barrel with a fine writing medium nib.
I was able to buy the green version for 250 Swiss Francs but it was brand new with a gift box and ink. Really nice pen.
Hey Doodlebud, I have the same Tortoiseshell brown M400 with a F nib and it's just wonderfull. It also has the original sticker on it for the nib size. As I was in love with the pen, I decided to buy a green one. It has a W. Germany cap, but also the cap rings and an 80's nib, a true Frankenstein pen. The old-style pens also couldn't be more different than the 400NN. Great video, as always. Thank you :).
PS: My green M400 also has a B nib with a stubby character, one of the best nibs I own.
PS 2: For an ink recommendation, Pilot Iroshizuku Ina-Ho. The colour goes perfect with the pen.
so grateful to you for your careful documentation via video shared with your viewers...I have learned much from your explanations and reviews. THANK YOU!
That seller is indeed excellent. And Patience is the key as you say. Just wait on something and don'r be disappointed if you miss out on a pen - something will be around soon! Thank you for the video sir.
Hi DB! NICE Pelikan, there! Seems like you got a GOOD price on it, too! I need to get a pen with a broad nib. I have a LOT of fines, extra-fines, and even a XXF! I have a few mediums. And, of course, a 1.1 stub (awesome!). Thanks for showing your process for inspecting a vintage pen, and getting it writing properly!
That thing is seriously classy looking! Neat and clean. ❤
I love 80s -90s era fountain pens. I collect Parker 88s, Cross Century’s and Waterman Laureate’s. Might have to add this Pelican!
Awesome Video and awesome Pelikan. I just got a Pelikan 400NN about 4 days ago from Serbia. It's the Brown Tortoise finish as well. It's from the mid to late 50's as far as I can tell from the nib. Excellent condition too and came I'm guessing in the original clam shell Pelikan branded case. I got it in an Extra Fine which isn't my usual nib of choice, but these nibs are a bit flexy so I wanted max line variation to make my writing look a bit more zazzy haha Excellent pen. I ended up putting Pelikan 4001 Blue-Black in mine. It just seemed fitting. I'm still debating on smoothing it a hair as it's pretty sharp on the paper. I'm unsure though because it's original and I don't really want to change what is original. I had to put some silicone grease in the barrel when I got it as it was pretty stiff. I bought the brand StyloSeal medium viscosity pure Silicone from Amazon and it's is specifically for fountain pens. I might have to try out this Pelikan royal blue ink, I've had it in my amazon cart for awhile now.
The little cardboard thingy is the price tag for a Pelikan ballpoint pen K (for “Kugelschreiber”) 800 with its suggested retail price in the pre Euro currency. So the box apparently isn’t the one that came with the M400.
210 DM (DEM)
=
116.39 USD
DM stands for „Deutsche Mark“ and has been replaced in 2001 by the euro €
If the tag would also be from around 1990, 210DM are around 318CAD today with inflation
The price tag was for a K 800 ballpoint pen, probably unrelated to this one. "unverb." is short for MSRP.
Gorgeous pen! Congrats on your find.
Beautiful pen, congrats!!! Thank you for sharing it and for all the tips!!! Enjoy!
The rings on the body of the M400 were introduced 1997.
Beautiful! I have a Pelikan Ibis, which I love, but needs a lot of attention before it will write again.
I lucked out & found a boxed set with an M400 & bottle of ink for a good price on ebay a while back & both the pen & ink bottle are stamped "W. Germany" pretty cool surprise since the seller had VERY little information included in the posting. It's a B nib, which isn't my usual go-to, but i'm sure i'll find a use for it 😉
I bought my M400 in the 80's and it is the same - I believe your's in correct for an 80's Pelikan M400.
I reviewed a similar M400 with green stripes. Its cap also said “Germany” and the body didn’t have trim rings either. I bought on eBay and it was advertised as a 1990s model.
I looked at this same pen, but I don’t have that much to spend on a pen at this time. I’ve bought from this seller before when their name was listed differently. I bought some Kaweco pens from him. Thanks for the video!
I think even the vintage Pelikans used celluloid for their tortoiseshell models and none use actual genuine tortoiseshell. That said, I have a 90s tortoiseshell M400 and it appears to have a black cap, knob, and section instead of the brown on yours (my vintage 50s 400 has the brown pieces though) [edit: forgot to add, I think your pen may be an 80s pen because it's brown instead, I think I read somewhere that they switched to black in the 90s]. I highly recommend getting the vintage 400 (non-M) models, they write even better than the M versions, which themselves write better than the Souverans. I love the Pelikan 400 series for how reliable they are, excellent daily writers.
If you're willing to pay a bit more for vintage pens, Soenneckens are my favorite, Osmias are pretty good too, and then Pelikans sorta sit around Osmia. I haven't tried out Montblanc so I cannot comment on them.
This is right up my alley. Thanks for sharing! You should definitely check out the 100s, for 80 year old pens they are amazing. Also, 120s from the 1950s or 60s are quite affordable and are nice user-grade pens IMHO.
The AG stands for Aktiengesellschaft, which is roughly the equivalent of putting Inc. after a company name, in the west.
I Didn’t know that paper towels can leave micro scratches 😮 thanks for the tip. I imagine that a soft toothbrush will do the same?
A fine choice, my good sir as I have thoroughly enjoyed my own 400NN Tortoise (rounder butt), but same amount of cap bands on body and hood as you have. The ridges on the feed are 90 degrees off compared to yours.
As always, Pelikan M series pens are wonderful. It seems like you certainly have a winner.
Thanks for the review.
Thanks for a great video db! I've been looking for a vintage Rotring 600. I have the rollerball, but I would love to have the fountain pen version. It's a nice heavy pen with six facets. The nib on the 600 is a strange bird. But anyway, thanks for the tips.
That is a beautiful pen, and to get one with a Broad nib is great (this gives one more options if future alterations of the nib is desired). My Pilot Elite pen is awesome!
Pelikan M400 got the trim rings with the souverän-line redesign of 1997, the trim rings were exclusive to M600 Old Style (basically a bling bling version of the m400, two tone 18 carat nib (or 14c for models produced in 1988/89) and extra trim) and above, so your model is probably a model from 1991-1997
I have the same era OBB that you missed out on, as well as a fir-tree OBB from the 1960s on a 400NN; and I would strongly suggest that you save your money for the latter - the '60s nib is a supple semi-flex with less bulbous tipping, and so gives finer cross-strokes for more noticeable line variation.
Another great informative video from Doodlebug. Thank you. BTW, there’s nothing wrong with vintage FrankenPens. My MB has an newer nib in an older body. It writes wonderfully and has true vintage looks.
That is a very nice pen 🎊 🎉
From Wikipedia - AG means Aktien-gesellschaft, a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, ...
Early 80s pens just had Germany (no W). That's true of Montblanc too. Later 80s changed to W Germany. I have two Montblanc 144s from the 80s; the earlier one has the older feed and plastic under-body and says Germany; the second has the newer feed and metal under-body and is marker W Germany.
it is celluloid not actual tortoiseshell, obviously.
Nice walk through. Impressive. I was particularly interested in your pen wipe comment. Cloth only. I cringe when I see toilet paper, Kleenex, or worse yet, paper towels being used. Ragged t-shirts are better, or micro-fiber best. I used to clean my glasses with soft tissues. Scratches by the thousands. It's like using sandpaper on glasses. No longer. Micro-fiber is now my only "go to" for lenses and fountain pens.
As usual, thank you for the great video experience.
Please try Click Aristocrat and there student fountain pen and tell should we buy 1 ???
That's so nice. Thanks for doing these types of videos. We all can't just go out and spend hundreds (or more) on new pens. Not if we want to, like, live indoors. I just finally got my E95S yesterday. It's my first gold nib. I'm going to have to start buying used if I want more gold nib pens.
@11:32 @doodlebud that looks like a price tag? 210 Deutsche Marks. Not from Germany though, not sure what 'unverb.' stands for.
Unverbindliche Preisempfehlung. The German equivalent to MSRP.
@@murkser4149 ahh, thank you, always enjoy learning something new
"AG" means Aktiengesellschaft, a company that is available on the stock market
DM on a small paper piece/etiquette is I believe price in Deuche Mark.
Day 9 of saying
as always a great review
Thanks 👍😁
I have few vintage M400N and NN 👌
several 400N? where did you get them, aren't they super rare?
Hey DB, could you say how much did you paid for it? I found one in good condition for 179 Euro. Is this price ok or ist it too much?
@@e.meisner3824 Mine was $195 USD
I can assure you it is not real tortoiseshell! I am pretty sure Pelican has never used the real thing in its history - and anyway the real thing is not stripped liked that - it has blotches.
Nice pen.
Paper often has micro-contaminates that are harder than you might expect. That being said, I think he was talking about not scratching the body, but i could be wrong.
AG means Aktiengesellschaft. Basically saying it is a publicly listed company, owned by its shareholders.
DM 210 is the price in Deutschmarks
One EUR is equivalent to 1.95583 DEM.
I have yet to buy a vintage fountain pen so I am a little nervous 😬 I feel overwhelmed when researching and feeling I will miss out but after you mentioning to take your time, I am more at ease. Thank you 🙏 Doodlebud for your tips and demonstrating your quality check.
Congratulations on your tortoiseshell Pelikan M400 -- it is beautiful!
Why not put Baystate Blue in it? lol
No particular reason I can think off..... oh wait!
Today I received my first eBay purchase pen. A 1955 Pelikan 400.
It was advertised as a M, and you were not able to see the engraving on the pictures. But unfortunately I received an OF.
Which per se is nice for most people, but I’m a lefty and obliques are not that easy for me.
But I still can write with it so not a total writeoff (hahahaha)
If anyone maybe want to swap nibs? I’m based in Germany.
Too bad that you don't have a time machine so that you could take a trip to Germany and go fountain pen shopping. Older Pelikan fountain pens have wonderful nibs.
If I had a time machine I'd use it to do a little more than buy pens LOL
Complete pen is from 1980-ies
210 deutche marks.. its the price tag
What that USD?
@@stephanieperry1119around 100$
Now that you have the body, you might be able to find that OBB as a stand-alone nib...
Noice
Paper scratches gold? Really?
It can. This is why you won't see jewlers wipe down rings etc with tissue paper etc. You can dab/blot and won't have issues, but wiping it down can cause micro scratches.
I find eBay almost useless. The descriptions are pathetic, no understanding of year, little description of pen quality or health, or even if the thing works. I am looking for vintage gold nib Parker 51s. All I see are red herrings… 😢
It takes time, research, patience and sometimes you need to message the seller, but I've have great experiences on ebay