This time, I’d like to focus on the M800 Green Transparent, which was released in 1992.
 
In 1991, customers in the United States requested that a transparent green M800 be produced⁽¹⁾(Pelikan Schreibgeräte). A total of 3,000 units were manufactured and released on the U.S. market in 1992 as a “Collectors’ Edition” (Pelikan’s Perch). A smaller number were also produced and supplied to Italy and France (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). These fountain pens were not assigned serial numbers. For this reason, this fountain pen is not generally referred to as a limited edition. However, the U.S. distributor issued certificates at their own cost stating that this was, indeed, a limited edition. These certificates noted that only 3,000 of these fountain pens exist and provided the pen's unique “registration number.” By doing so, the U.S. distributor sought to enhance the value of this fountain pen (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). 

This is not the first time a fountain pen has been produced in limited quantities. As far as I know, the M760 and M750 were released in 1988 to commemorate Pelikan’s 150th anniversary, and their barrels were engraved with 5- or 6-digit serial numbers; however, even by looking at those serial numbers, I cannot tell how many were made or what number the pen is in the series. Additionally, the Souverän M800 released in 1989 to commemorate the 120th anniversary of Maruzen—one of Japan’s leading bookstores and stationery retailers—and the Souverän M800 released in 1990 to commemorate the reunification of East and West Germany were likely produced in limited quantities, but despite my research, I was unable to determine the exact production numbers (I have a Souverän M800 commemorating the reunification of East and West Germany, but neither the pen nor the certificate lists the production number or serial number) . Additionally, the M900 released in 1991 was initially named the “Toledo M900 Collectors’ Edition” and produced in a limited number of 500 pens for the North American market. The certificate included the production number of 500 and the pen’s unique “registration number,” but the pen itself did not have a serial number. Ultimately, since the M760, M750, M800, and M900 all continued to be manufactured as regular models thereafter, these fountain pens were likely not considered limited editions.

The transparent green M800 appears to have been well-received in the U.S. market, so Pelikan decided to produce a limited-edition fountain pen targeting a specific customer segment with high purchasing power, leading to the release of the Blue Ocean in 1993 (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). The Blue Ocean features a serial number engraved on the pen body itself, in the format xxxx/xxxx, on the crown of the cap top (Pelikan’s Perch). Because of this serial number, the Blue Ocean came to be known as Pelikan’s first limited-edition fountain pen. Thus, the M800 Green Transparent missed out on becoming Pelikan’s first limited-edition fountain pen.
 
Now, back to the M800 Green Transparent: while the pen body retains the familiar M800 shape, it is made of transparent green material. This fountain pen is also known as the M800 “Green Demonstrator”⁽²⁾, and its piston mechanism and cap structure are clearly visible. The regular Green Stripe model consists of two parts: the section and the barrel. The barrel, in turn, is made up of an inner transparent tube (acrylic resin) and an outer translucent green and black striped layer (cellulose acetate). The M800 Green Transparent is also composed of two parts—the section and the barrel—but the barrel appears to be made from a single piece of green acrylic resin. This leads me to suspect that the production cost for this model might actually be lower than that of the M800 Green Stripe. I wonder if that’s actually the case? All the trim is finished in gold. Like the M800 from the same period, the cap top is engraved with a logo of two chicks. The cap ring (and the ring on the piston knob) appears to be two separate pieces, but upon closer inspection, you can see they are connected on the underside. The resin between the two rings wraps all the way around the cap, leaving no visible seams. I’m not exactly sure how these rings are integrated into the turning knob and the cap, but they are undoubtedly crafted with great precision. The grip section features a metal trim. While it has been noted that this metal is prone to corrosion from ink over many years of use, when viewed through the transparent section, the metal part of the collar is positioned directly beneath the section end. Since this area bears the greatest force when writing with strong pressure, this trim ring is likely necessary for reinforcement of the section. The turning knob features a gold-colored disc set into it, in keeping with the style of the era. Furthermore, when viewed through the transparent cap tube, you can see that when the cap is posted, the portion of the barrel closest to its rear end aligns directly beneath the cap rings. This ensures that the barrel and cap tube make face-to-face contact, securely fastening the cap to the barrel. Since the cap is not held in place by the turning knob or the corner of the barrel, it is less likely to wobble, and both the barrel and the inside of the cap tube are less prone to scratches. Needless to say, since force is applied to the rim of the cap tube, the cap rings serve to prevent the rim from cracking. Disassembling the filling mechanism provides a clear understanding of its evolution. In inhalation mechanisms prior to the Souverän series, the spindle was fixed to the rotation knob, and a mechanism in which the piston rod moved up and down along the spindle when the turning knob was turned was used for over 50 years from the model 100 to the model new M/MK series. With this design, forcing the turning knob to turn could cause the spindle to snap, and repairs were likely difficult. In the new inhalation mechanism, the spindle is not fixed to the turning knob. Combined with improvements to the seals, this is likely why failures in the inhalation mechanism have become less frequent. Even if a failure did occur, repairs (or replacements) would likely be easier. Like the M800, the M800 Green Transparent also uses metal for the piston guide. Since it has a transparent barrel, metal looks better than the plastic parts found in the M600 and lower-end models, so I think it was a good choice to use metal. Appearance aside, I had assumed that metal was used for the piston guide in the M800 and higher models (M900, M1000 etc.) because they are higher-end models and metal offers superior durability compared to plastics. However, after reading a recent blog posts (万年筆評価の部屋, スティロ プリュム) stating that the early model of the Pilot Custom 67 had a metal balancer inserted at the rear end of the barrel, I began to wonder if Pelikan uses metal in this area not only for durability but also because it serves as a balancer. Opinions on the weight and balance of the M800 series vary from person to person; I personally like it. Of course, the idea that it functions as a balancer is solely my own opinion. However, if Pelikan were to switch this part to plastic in the future as a cost-cutting measure, I truly believe it would mark the beginning of the end for Pelikan. What I realized upon closely examining this fountain pen is that the M800 is a fountain pen in which its design and functionality are highly integrated.

This fountain pen was manufactured from 1991 to 1993 (Fountain Pen Network) and appears to have been sold from early 1992 through 1994 (万年筆評価の部屋). The cap band on my fountain pen is engraved with PELIKAN SOUVERÄN GERMANY. According to Pelikan’s Perch, some pens are engraved “W.-Germany” (in fact, there was a post from an owner of a “W.-Germany” pen)(Pelikan’s Perch). Therefore, it is believed that the “W.-Germany” engraving was used during the very early stages of production. Considering the production period of the M800 Green Transparent, it would be generally common for its nib to be engraved with “PF” (regardless of the presence of a hallmark). But, the nib of my pen bears an “EN” engraving and a hallmark, which likely indicates that it is an early-production nib from the “W.-Germany” era, one generation prior to that of “PF” nib. I purchased it from Martiniauctions, which is a reputable webstore, so I believe this nib was originally fitted to this pen (though there is no certificate, and my pen appears to be from a batch supplied to Italy and France). Upon further inspection, I noticed that the piston rod was engraved with “011,” which indicates a manufacturing date of November 1990. As you can see, since the cap rings, nib, and piston guide of my fountain pen were manufactured at different times, I am unable to narrow down the exact date of production. My guess is that Pelikan suddenly had to produce 3,000 fountain pens, and since they couldn’t meet the deadline with newly manufactured parts alone, they likely scraped together deadstock parts to assemble the 3,000 pens.
 
This fountain pen is absolutely stunning when it’s brand-new or filled with just water. However, when you actually use it, you’ll find a few minor drawbacks. No matter how carefully you use it, ink seeps into the inside of the inner cap and between the inner cap and the cap tube, creating an unsightly mess. Ink also tends to accumulate on the screw threads. Furthermore, perhaps because the original piston seal has deteriorated, ink has seeped past the seal into the rear space, further marring its appearance. The fact that these normally hidden parts are now visible serves as a reminder that this has both positive and negative aspects. It’s often said that one of the advantages of these transparent (or “demonstrator”) fountain pens is that you can see the ink level at a glance. However, in my case (I use Pilot Blue-Black ink), the ink tends to coat the entire inside of the ink reservoir during regular use, so whether the pen is nearly full or almost empty, it looks pretty much the same. Consequently, I can’t really tell the ink level at a glance (though if filled with yellow highlighter ink, it would be obvious). Even so, this fountain pen does make it far easier to gauge the ink level than other fountain pens. For these reasons, it’s only natural that some people choose not to use their transparent fountain pens, but instead display them as decorative items. Since demonstrator fountain pens (although the M800 Green Transparent isn’t strictly speaking a demonstrator fountain pen) were originally intended for display as well (Vintage Pelikan Pens, Modern Pelikan Pens), enjoying them in this way is certainly one of the legitimate ways to use them.
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Note;⁽¹⁾At the time, transparency was all the rage in the United States. Back then, they even sold clear Coca-Cola (Tab Clear)(Pelikan Schreibgeräte).
⁽²⁾ The M800 Green Transparent is more commonly referred to as the “Green Demonstrator” in Japan.
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