Interesting find: Pelikan 120 Merz und Krell - striated green barrel, new variation?

[piscov]

Hello all,

This is a very interesting find for me and I have never seen this pen variation before.
Please note that cap and barrel were bougth in diferent ocasions to diferent sellers!!

Recently I bought a barrel on ebay that was advertised has a Pelikan 120 or possible 400 barrel. Although very suspicious about the authenticity I decide to take a chance and go for it. It ended up relatively cheap around 40USD and I was fortunate to won that auction.

At first glance I had never seen that barrel anywhere, but at the same time it looked like a Pelikan 120 green Merz und Krell barrel but with a big striated inkwindow.

Yesterday I received it and after some closer inspection it turns out to be indeed a Pelikan M&K 120 barrel. I had a cap for the Pelikan 120 M&K pen that I had acquired some time ago in bulk parts buy and tried it on and it fits perfectly.

I also have a Pelikan 400NN M&K and so I took the nib unit and tried it on the barrel and it also fits perfectly. It is worth to say that parts from regular Pelikan 120 are not interchangeable with this later 120 M&K production. All threads are different ( cap, barrel, nib unit)
The color green in this barrel is different from the regular Pelikan 120 Green and is exactly the same as the Pelikan 120 M&K green I have seen before. The green in this striated inkwindow is a perfect match to the rest of the green found in the barrel.

Also, this barrel is perfectly built and too perfect to be machined, It is an industrial production, I believe, and with molded parts, not machined parts, not something that a person would produce to have a " false prototype". Also the price of 40USD I paid for it would take any interest in taking the time to produce it.

So I do believe this is an original Pelikan 120 M&K production barrel, It has the shape, the color, the threads and mechanism I know from the regular green with short green inkwindow but it is a long striated inkwindow barrel and a new variation to me!

My questions are:

Has any one ever seen this barrel? I only seen the green with short green inkwindow and black with short green inkwindow

Can anyone point me to a similar barrel pen?

Here is a link (http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/262657-cracked-120-section/) to FPN where a member there shows his pen. I have used it to compare and my barrel is a perfect match.

Here are the pictures along side with a Pelikan 120 and a Pelikan 400 M&K.

The Pelikan 120 Merz un Krell with striated long inkwindow
http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0236_zpsc6e82390.jpg

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0237_zps4f075ccb.jpg

Fitted with the regular Pelikan 120 nib

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0238_zps9449345e.jpg


Side by side with a Pelikan M&K 400NN: Notice the different nib unit threads when compared to the earlier Pelikan 120 production. Also both barrels are identical except the section part. Mechanism looks to be the same ( I did not open any of the pens)

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0232_zpsa35ed4da.jpg

Side by side with Regular Pelikan 120 ( 400NN M&K nib unit installed)

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0231_zpsce4a23f8.jpg


Notice the color difference between the two 120 versions

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0229_zps05d51df2.jpg

Using Flash

http://i1330.photobucket.com/albums/w580/Vasco_Correia_Pisco/Pelikan%20120%20Merz%20und%20Krell%20Striated%20gr een%20barrel/IMG_0225_zps7a720db9.jpg

[tandaina]

Interesting. I've never seen anything like that before either.

[Jeph]

I have never seen that, but it looks too long to be a 120. Maybe M&K made a 300? They were 400 sized. It could even possibly be some 500 variant. I am very interested to hear the big boys chime in on this one.

[piscov]

I have never seen that, but it looks too long to be a 120. Maybe M&K made a 300? They were 400 sized. It could even possibly be some 500 variant. I am very interested to hear the big boys chime in on this one.

This barrel with the 120M&K cap is 13,2cm, exactly the same length has the all black 120 M&K pictured in FPN´s post Jos replied. I got this information just now from him at FPnuts.

The 120M&K its much longer that the earlier Pelikan 120

[Jeph]

That make pretty solid proof that it is a M&K 120 variant. And, one that so far we can't find anybody else that has ever seen. Even if it was export only you would think others would have surfaced. Maybe this post will summon more out into the light. But it appears safe to say that it is pretty rare even if a couple more turn up. It looks like you snagged yourself another Sumguai! Nice catch.

[piscov]

Thanks Jeph!

I think this is probably a test/prototype barrel that Pelikan made to observe any technical detail or too decide what colors/ink-windows to produce in accordance with a test group preference.

Best Regards,

Vasco

[Frank]

Thanks Jeph!

I think this is probably a test/prototype barrel that Pelikan made to observe any technical detail or too decide what colors/ink-windows to produce in accordance with a test group preference.

Best Regards,

Vasco

I would ask Rick Propas about this pen. He would most likely know about it's origin!

Regards,
Frank

[piscov]

A kind pen friend send this thread link to Mr. Werner Ruettinger, co-author of the Pelikan Schreibgeräte -Writing_Instruments 1929-2004, who consulted with Mr Jurgen Dittmer ( also Co-author of the previously mentioned Pelikan book) and they say that this pen is a completely unknown model to both of them and that they consider it to be an original Merz&Krell and most probably a prototype or test series.
Mr. Werner allowed me to mention him as the source of this confirmation in this post. I am grateful to both experts and to my friend.

Interesting find I got I believe!! Now I need a proper nib and feed to have the prototype working!!