Grail unlocked: Pelikan M800 Tortoise!!

Hello, beautiful..

I just achieved my first-ever holy grail pen! It required sacrifice and tears, but the loss of my beloved Visconti Skeletor (to a very good home) is worth it to unlock this epic level-up.

The Pelikan M800 Tortoise was rereleased in 2013 as a limited edition, and quickly sold out. They now regularly sell for $1k+ and rarely sit long on the resale market even at those prices. This beauty has been gently used and is in impeccable condition, coming with original box and papers. The nib is also rare, the discontinued Italic Broad.

Upon receipt I immediately inked up with J. Herbin Lie de Thé, an ink that had previously proven so dry that it would not flow through a Pilot EF nib, but which came into its own through the generous italic broad nib and feed of the Tortoise. I have zero italic skills to speak of so simply played around with lettering on the page, trying different angles of hand and handwriting, seeking the sweet spot and some harmony between my writing style and the pen.

I wouldn't mind getting an EF nib for the pen so that I could use it for daily writing, but then again I have several great daily writers and something this rare should probably be kept something like in reserve and protected from the daily grind. Either way this is a pen I shall cherish for years to come.