Pelikan history

All company anniversaries are therefore based on this date.1842: On the 15th of June, Hornemann purchased some property in the Hainholz area of Hanover.

The idea was to start production on a larger scale after previously having to cook and press the ink in a farmyard 30 km away from Hanover.1863: Günther Wagner obtained the position of chemist and plant manager.

It was only by the Trademark Protection Act of 1874 that was in effect throughout the German Empire, that Günther Wagner was able to secure the monopoly right for the earlier developed Pelikan pictorial trademark.

1878 Günther Wagner registered a Pelican (from his family emblem) as one of the first German trademarks.

In order be able to deliver to Austria, which at the time controlled parts of northern Italy, Czech Republic, Hungary and Croatia, a factory was built in Eger in Northern Hungary but that factory moved later to Vienna.1881: The Hanover production halls were enlarged.

Fritz Beindorff married Günther Wagner’s oldest daughter in 1888 and took over the company, and introduced a new line of copying, stamping, sticking and erasing products.

The first poster competition of 1889/99 is a resounding success for the company, over 500 designs were submitted.

In 1895 he purchased the company and became the owner of Pelikan.

Due to the vast additions to the assortment, the production halls underwent large expansion.1896: Pelikan started to produce Indian ink.

In 1898, the iron gall ink 4001 was introduced to the market.

1901 Pelikan's most famous ink series 4001 was first presented this year.

As early as 1905 Evelyn Andros de la Rue developed a piston filler but, according to Andreas Lambrou, it was a cumbersome device that did not catch on beyond the firm’s own products.

Pelikan had a branch office in New York that opened circa 1911.

The turnover had doubled to DM 2m or £10m in today's money.1912: The art magazine 'Der Pelikan' was published for the first time in 1912.

Since 1921, Der Pelikan magazine, has been supporting painting and drawing lessons in schools for years.

The company first acquired the patents for the Pelikan fountain pen (using solid ink) from the Croatian chemist Slavoljub Eduard Penkala, and in 1925 acquired the patent of Hungarian engineer Theodor Kovacs for modern fountain pens with a differential piston system.

Beginning with Sheaffer in 1926, celluloid came to dominate the manufacture of pens until after World War II. From the start, Pelikan had used celluloid for the Bindes of most of their non-metal pens.

By 1927, however, the Mosters were in financial difficulties and Kovacs sold his patent to Günther Wagner.

In 1929 Pelikan started producing fountain pens with its piston filler, later known as the Model 100, the first Pelikan fountain pen.

In the upper price segment, Pelikan brought out the first Toledo fountain pen in 1931.

With these successes, beginning in 1934 Pelikan expanded.

The JUBILEE FOUNTAIN PEN is based on the original design of the 101N Lizard of the year 1937.

As early as 1938 the German government began limiting the use of gold and forcing export trade for the purpose of securing hard currency.

They did produce a milled celluloid knob for a few years before introduction of a 100 model with the smooth knob (often erroneously designated the 100C), but by 1939, except for foreign production, hard rubber was gone from Pelikans.

Parker, of course, was one of the most successful with its “51” model introduced during the war in 1941.

Also a new fountain pen was released, the model 100N. 1950 At this time Pelikan released a new fountain pen, the model 400.

Like many others, such as Parker, Pelikan was slow to introduce its “Roller,” the ballpoint accompaniment to the 400 series, which came only in 1955.

In 1956 the last of the postwar Pelikan models was introduced and would stay in production for seven years, the 400NN. The 400NN, which kept the same barrel as the 400, was made in all the colors of the 400.

Plug-in nibs since 1958

Alongside the P1 Pelikan launched a broad range of models, the most successful of which was a new school pen, the Pelikano, first sold in 1959 and made to this day.

1960 A new school fountain pen was introduced into the marketplace, named "Pelikano". It was at the first time a cartridge pen.

Despite the fact that the company continued under the ownership of the Beindorff family, in 1963 for the first time the family turned to outside management from Hans-Joachim Götz.

1965 Pelikan purchased the manufacturer Greif in Goslar.

Imaging Systems Corporation was founded in 1967 by Eugene L. Doemling and Harold B. Mays.

1973 The facilities on the Podbielskistraße could no longer be expanded.

He would come to join Pelikan in 1977 and held various positions over his many decades of employment.

Up until today, Pelikan pens, painting and office Products are still produced there.1978: The companies legal form is changed from a GmbH (Ltd Co.) into a AG (PLC). The shares were divided within the Beindorff family and 46 other owners.

December 3, 1981 – A press conference is held, attended by Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander, where the merger of Imaging Systems Corporation of Derry, PA and Graphic Ribbon, Inc. of Franklin, TN is announced.

Barras, serving as chairman of both boards, indicated that the merger would take effect as of January 1, 1982.

That agreement would be formally signed on May 11, 1983.

March 13, 1984 – A ground breaking ceremony is held at the Franklin plant which will see the building’s footprint expand an additional 50,000 square feet bringing the plant’s total size up to 140,000 square feet.

In early June 1986, Pelikan announced that they would be accepting applications to replace the jobs of the striking workers.

June 1987 – The Derry, PA plant experiences extensive damage when a 3,000 amp box in the service entrance of the plant malfunctions, briefly shutting the plant down and resulting in several thousand dollars’ worth of damage.

Photo by Bill Easley and published in the 3/16/1988 edition of “The Tennessean”

Bizmart, an office supply store, advertises Pelikan fountain pens and ballpoints in an August 21, 1989 ad which appeared in “The Arizona Republic.” Today the M400 gift set pricing would be ~$264.66 and the M800 would be ~$421.80 when you factor in the rate of inflation

In 1990, Pelikan took over its competitor Geha in Hannover and some production was moved to Pelikan.

March 1991 – A jury in Nashville, TN awards the Smith Corona Corporation $1,670,000 in damages due to Pelikan’s infringement of three of the company’s patents.

Supportive evidence for this comes by way of the M800 Transparent Green Collector’s Edition released in 1992.

1993 The first Limited Editon (based on the 800 series) is released under the name "Blue Ocean". It was made in a blue transparent coloring.

In July 1994, Pelikan signed a letter of intent agreeing to sell its imaging products (Hardcopy) division to Nu-Kote for $100 million.

The acquisition tripled Nu-Kote’s size and allowed sales to climb from $151 million to $193 million in 1995.

Pelikan, Inc. had ceased operations in March 1996 and had no offices or employees at the time of the litigation.

They would lose $40 million in 1997 and have to contend with a lawsuit by shareholders over an alleged mishandling of the acquisition.

November 6, 1998 – Nu-Kote Holding, Inc. and six of its subsidiaries file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

September 30, 1999 – Nu-Kote sells several subsidiaries to Pelikan Hardcopy Europe Limited, a Scottish corporation, for $16.5 million.

A closeout sale open to the public occurred late in the year 2000, just before Chartpak would assume the role of distributor, a position that they’ve held for the past 19 years.

In 2001, Chartpak, Inc. became the exclusive distributor for the Pelikan brand in the United States as well as Mexico and Canada.

In doing so, Pelikan yet again began selling products representing all individual areas of its core competence.2003: On the 17th of March the company moved to its new office building on the Werftstrasse in Hanover.

That mission was accomplished in 2007 with the reacquisition of Pelikan Hardcopy Holding AG. The Pelikan brand would finally be reunited and under singular control bringing a full assortment of products for education, office, and home back to the company.

2008 Pelikan is celebrating in this year the 170 year anniversary.

Since 1st January 2011 Pelikan took over the production and sale of the fine writing instruments from the Porsche Design luxury brand.

Since March 2013, the colorful fountain pen and the rollerball pen of the series Twist have pepped up everyday school life.

With effect from March 1, 2014, Pelikan Holding AG has taken over the German and Austrian distribution company Herlitz PBS AG. The business will be run by the sales company Pelikan Vertriebsgesellschaft mbH & Co.

The renowned French magazine "LeStylographe" awards the Sourverän® fountain pen M600 Pink by Pelikan the highly coveted award "Trophée du stylo Féminin 2016". The prize is awarded to the most beautiful, feminine fountain pen.

On March 29, 2017, Pelikan Tinten Turm (ink tower) is opened to the public, in the historical Pelikan district of Hanover.