Pelikan Souverän M800 40th Anniversary: A Special Edition With Real Charm and a Few Trade-Offs

Introduction

Special editions usually fall into two camps: meaningful anniversaries and marketing exercises. Pelikan’s Souverän M800 40th Anniversary manages to feel like a bit of both, and that tension is exactly what makes it worth a close look. It is a limited run of 888 pieces built around the M800, one of Pelikan’s most comfortable pen sizes, dressed up with extra gold plating and a distinctive green and black striped barrel.

The pen is priced at 1,595 euros, roughly 1,750 US dollars, so this is firmly a collector-oriented release. After spending time with it, here is how it breaks down: what makes it special, how it writes, and the trade-offs you should know about before committing.

Design and Special Edition Details

The M800 40th Anniversary arrives in a substantial presentation box with an elaborate opening mechanism, and the package includes a bottle of limited edition Pelikan 4001 Dark Green ink. That ink is part of the story, though the pen itself is the main event.

Compared to a standard M800, the anniversary version is noticeably more ornate. There is an additional gold ring at the middle of the barrel with diamond-cut ribs, gold plating on the piston turning knob, and a gold-plated section. The familiar green stripes are back, but here they alternate with black stripes rather than translucent ones, which changes the character of the pen considerably. The center band reads “Pelikan 40 Years” and the finial carries the lacquered logo, while the clip retains the long-running stylized pelican design.

One practical note: each pen is individually numbered, and the unit shown here was 814 of 888. The number eight is a deliberate nod to Asian markets, where it is associated with prosperity, and the 888-piece run plays directly into that symbolism. Pelikan also chose the M800 rather than its larger M1000 flagship for this edition, which is arguably the right call since the M800 fits a much wider range of hands.

Writing Performance

The nib is a medium 18 karat gold unit with a 40 Years engraving, a small pelican and baby motif, and an 18K/750 gold content marking. As a writer, it delivers what you would hope for from Pelikan: a very smooth, pleasantly balanced medium line with nice wetness and some modest line character.

Two things are worth flagging. On coated paper, the nib showed an occasional hard start or small skip, which may suggest a slightly over-polished nib or ink drying during pauses. In normal continuous writing, that issue largely disappeared, and a low-pressure start test showed the nib recovering most of the time. Second, reverse writing is possible and transforms the medium nib into roughly an extra-fine line, a fun bonus for those who enjoy that trick.

The pen is not a flex nib and is not marketed as one, so expectations should stay realistic there. It also posts securely, and the overall length is similar to a standard M800, just a bit girthier thanks to the added metal.

Things to Consider Before Buying

The most significant drawback is the barrel construction. Because the stripes here are green and black rather than green and translucent, the M800 40th Anniversary is simply not translucent. For a piston filler, that means you have no way of seeing how much ink remains, which feels like a genuine oversight in a pen at this price. The black stripes arguably make the pattern look more even, but they sacrifice a practical feature the standard version retains.

Weight is another consideration. All the added gold plating makes this noticeably heavier than a regular M800. If you enjoy heft, this reads as a plus; if you are used to the standard M800’s balance, it may take some adjustment.

Finally, there is a small aesthetic quirk: uncapped, the alternating gold and green bands look well balanced, but once capped, the central gold ring sits off-center relative to the stripes, which some will find slightly distracting once noticed.

Buying Advice

At 1,595 euros, this pen is prohibitively expensive for most buyers, and that is the honest starting point for any decision here. The core pen, however, is excellent: the M800 is a size that works for a lot of people, the nib writes beautifully, and the green stripes are exactly the classic Pelikan identity most collectors think of.

If you are a Pelikan enthusiast or a special-edition collector, the anniversary details, the numbered limited run of 888, the included dark green ink, and the added gold trim give it genuine appeal. If you simply want the writing experience, a standard M800 delivers much of the same at a considerably lower price, and it keeps the translucent barrel that makes a piston filler practical. Knowing which buyer you are is the key to deciding whether this anniversary model is worth it.

Conclusion

The Pelikan Souverän M800 40th Anniversary is a beautifully made, comfortable, smooth-writing pen with a distinct green and black striped finish and generous gold detailing. The loss of translucency, the added weight, and the premium price are real trade-offs, but for fans of the brand looking to mark the occasion, it is a compelling piece.