The second release of "Originals of their Time" was a re-edition of the model 101, and is called "1935 Green"⁽¹⁾.

 

The original model 101 was introduced in 1935 (Pelikan Schreibgeräte).  ​As the colorful pens were not popular with conservative German consumers, the model 101 was destined mainly for the export markets, especially for the South American countries and Portugal (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). The model was characterized by the colored cap and sleeve made of the same material (celluloid), and named the model 101. The lineup were as follows (cap / sleeve):

• red / red

• green / green

• blue / blue

• lizard / lizard

• ​turtles shell (brown) /turtles shell

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Returning to the modern 1935 Green, the cap and sleeve of are made of marble green celluloid. It is not surprising that Pelikan's iconic green color was chosen among five colors as above for the re-edition. Notably, according to the catalog as of 1998, the two cap rings are made of 14 carat gold⁽²⁾. As those of the original was gold-plated, this was obviously a upgrade for a limited edition (Pelikan-collectibles). Other than that, the nib unit and filling mechanism are the same as 1931 Gold. I don't have the original 101 Green, so I can't compare, but side by side they would look very similar in appearance. 4,000 pieces were produced (Pelikan Schreibgeräte).

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I actually got this pen recently, from a Japanese Yahoo flea market site. I had heard bad rumors about 1935 green for a long time (although the seller's comments didn't say anything about it), and when I saw the fountain pen that arrived, I could tell that the rumors were true (万年筆おやじの備忘録, 万年筆評価の部屋). Fortunately, my pen did not leak ink when I removed the cap, but there was a recognizable bumps on the beautiful green marble sleeve. I had seen this on several well-known Japanese fountain pen websites, so I thought it might be due to Japan's unique hot and humid climate, so I contacted Rick. He told me that the same phenomenon had occurred to his pen in the warmer climate of San Francisco, and that it was not due to the climate but to the celluloid material used. In researching the celluloid used for this purpose, I learned a number of things. According to Pelikan Schreibgeräte, "celluloid is highly flammable during the manufacturing process, and the German safety regulations are very stringent." and "considering the cost of the investment to the limited edition that require high levels, Pelikan subcontracted the befriended foreign company to  manufacture the cap top, cap tube, and sleeve." Pelikan Schreibgeräte does not say which company was contracted for the job, but it is an open secret that Visconti used their own celluloid and assembled Pelikan's limited edition fountain pens (Rick Propas (personal communication), PenCluster). Unfortunately, Visconti was notorious (at least at that time) for their materials handling and celluloid made in the 1990s were reported to disintegrate extremely quickly (万年筆評価の部屋)⁽³⁾. Visconti's feed was also made of ebonite at one time, so it is likely that Visconti's ebonite was also used in this Pelikan limited edition fountain pen (万年筆評価の部屋). Perhaps Visconti used celluloid that had not been sufficiently matured (or "aged") for this Pelikan limited edition fountain pen. This would have caused the celluloid to shrink unevenly and become uneven. This celluloid shrinkage was especially noticeable on the sleeves. Also, either the section was too large for the cap due to a manufacturing precision problem, or the celluloid of the cap tube shrank, causing the cap to be too snug and/or the ink to leak when the cap was removed. Some might think that this is a unique phenomenon of celluloid itself, but since Pelikan produced many fountain pens using celluloid for over a decade starting in 1931. Pelikan must have been accustomed to handling celluloid at that time, and looking at so many model 100s with their flat sleeves that remains today after more than 90 years, it is unlikely that the problems that occurred frequently in the 1935 Green occurred (although of course we cannot dismiss the possibility that only pens without problems have survived to the present day). So, it is unlikely that there was a problem with the celluloid itself, and it is likely that there was a problem with Visconti's celluloid after all⁽⁴⁾. Please see the description by PenCluster, where the 1935 Green is described as “a nostalgic gem with the aroma of celluloid camphor. This rather suggests that the celluloid is still evaporating, and that the celluloid has not yet fully aged. In fact, this pen also has slightly uneven sleeve.

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I tried to find out when these 1935 celluloid shrinkages began, but could not be certain⁽⁵⁾. However, there are many similar problems reported in a Fountain Pen Network thread started in 2010, so the celluloid had shrunk within just a little over a decade after the 1935 was made. At the time Pelikan planned the next celluloid model, the 1935 Blue, this problem did not seem to be apparent. Pelikan again commissioned Visconti to assemble it using their celluloid. Unfortunately, the same problem occurred with the 1935 Blue. From reading this thread, it seems that Pelikan was flooded with complaints about the celluloid sleeve shrinking. Pelikan then offered to refund the pen or exchange it for another limited edition pen of the same price, but would not replace or repair the pen (it seems that even if they wanted to, they could not).

 

There was another problem with 1935 green. There seemed to be some cases where turning the turning knob did not suck ink, or the ink turned to the back of the piston seal. It seems that there was a problem with the piston seal used as the cause. The nib and collar of the M200 and M400 were used, but instead of the white translucent piston seal, a reddish brown, probably rubber, piston seal was used only for this limited edition. It is unclear whether the durability of the reddish-brown piston seal was a problem or whether the outer diameter of the seal did not match the inner diameter of the celluloid barrel, but it is reported that some of the piston seals were torn off during use (筆記具工房).

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As you can see, this pen has many problems, but it is a beautiful pen if you can put up with the uneven sleeve. If the cap is too snug, a gentle rubbing of the section with a very fine sandpaper will solve the problem. And if the ink leaks easily, making vent holes in the cap, as Pelikan did 80 years ago, will solve the problem (though most pen owners may not want to do either).

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Then, as mentioned above, the 1935 Blue was released in 2001. Many Pelikan fans were hoping for the 1935 Red next, and Pelikan had plans to do so, but due to the deteriorating relationship between Pelikan and Visconti, the 1935 Red eventually never materialized.　Only a prototype of the 1935 Red remains at the Pelikan headquarters (PenCluster). Pelikan then started re-editioning the 101Ns from 2011, but perhaps they learned their lesson from this and no longer use ebonite, let alone celluloid.

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When I saw this fountain pen, I was reminded of the phrase “The Decay of the Angel”. The Decay of the Angel is the English title given to 天人五衰, the fourth volume, of 三島由紀夫 (Yukio Mishima)'s tetralogy, 豊饒の海 (The Sea of Fertility). In the tetralogy, Mishima describes the reincarnations of the protagonist, and as the story progresses, we see that pure passion and beauty of the protagonists ultimately submerged into nihilism and death, as it were anti-"Bildungsroman". Just on the day the final draft of “The Decay of the Angel” was submitted, Mishima committed suicide by seppuku at the Ichigaya Camp of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (三島事件) (1970). I was intrigued when I happened to see a article with this title in timezone.com. ​The part II describes how the great watch brand Vacheron Constantin, once a master of haute horlogerie, has gradually stagnated in concept and declined in craftsmanship after several acquisitions and quartz shocks since the 1970s, focusing on its calibers. The so-called “ballpoint pen shock” that Pelikan and other fountain pen manufactures suffered would be compared to the "quartz shock" that Vacheron Constantin and other Swiss watch manufacturers suffered. While many fountain pen manufacturers went out of business or were merged into other manufactures, Pelikan found a way to make a living by producing fountain pens for school pens (Pelikano model 1), and also struggled to diversify its business. However, the business stalled and the company was forced into bankruptcy in 1982. However, the M400 saved the company, and Pelikan was revived like a phoenix. The M800, which became the flagship of the company, followed, and Pelikan recovered enough to produce a series of limited edition fountain pens in the 1990s and 2000s. Was that Pelikan's last peak? Vacheron Constantin, now as a part of Richemont as you know, is one of the most prestigious watch companies in the world. Meanwhile, Pelikan has fallen on hard times again and, as we all know, was finally forced to sell itself to Hamelin and is in danger of shrinking its business (Pelikan’s Perch). As an outsider, I do not know why this happened. Looking at this fountain pen retrospectively, one might say that Pelikan has failed to reissue the model 101. Although this does not necessarily mean that Pelikan's technical capabilities have declined, the result is everything. To the average user who does not know Pelikan's inner workings, Pelikan would have been perceived as no longer being able to do today what it was able to do 70 years ago. In the final scene of "The Decay of the Angel", the Mishima's last novel, the following phrase appears:"衰亡はおもむろに進み、終末はしづかに兆してゐた (Decay advanced gradually, the signs of the end appeared quietly)". Even when Pelikan was seemingly doing well in the late 1990s and 2000s, it might have begun to show signs of "decay". 

 

I may be too harsh on Pelikan in this article. And I may have exaggerated (minor) flaws. Probably I am. However, today, Pelikan's limited edition fountain pens are much more expensive than they used to be, and the 1935 Green and Blue are no exception. This is ironic given Pelikan's current situation. Some sellers are selling at reasonable prices, while others are charging exorbitant prices, so I thought I would write this article to give readers some background on the 1935 before they buy one at an exorbitant price.

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Note;⁽¹⁾According to the catalog, the name of this pen is "Originals of their Time 1935", and although it does not have "Green", it is customarily referred to as "1935 Green" or "1935 Jade" for the sake of convenience to distinguish it from the 1935 Blue.
⁽²⁾However, according to the catalog as of 2002, the cap rings are made of 18 carat gold. Which is correct?
⁽³⁾In the beginning, Visconti outsourced the production of celluloid fountain pens to the Japanese Kato Seisakusho Company (加藤製作所). At that time, there were no problems with celluloid (万年筆評価の部屋). It is ironic that Visconti started to have many problems with celluloid fountain pens when it started to make its own celluloid fountain pens. To Visconti's credit, Visconti now seems to have overcome the material handling problem and continues to produce excellent fountain pens.
⁽⁴⁾There have been many reported cases of celluloid-based fountain pens with shrunk or disintegrated shafts, not only from Visconti, but also from other makers of Italian fountain pens (万年筆評価の部屋).

⁽⁵⁾The problem of ink leakage when the cap is removed was already reported in 2006 (Fountain Pen Network​).