Pelikan Auch

In German, ‘auch’ means ‘also’, ‘too’, or ‘as well’.

I’m told that Pelikan made their first branded fountain pen back in 1929. Then in 1934 they introduced their first mechanical pencil. Like the fountain pen it was also a Pelikan, hence its model name ‘Auch’ Pelikan 200 – the ‘Also’ Pelikan, or the Pelikan ‘Too’, model 200 mechanical pencil.

A while back one of my Scandinavian friends, a fellow who in the tradition of nicknames or ship-names I have named Manuka Pooh, went a-Viking and returned home with pocket loads of Pelikan plunder. Being a generous fellow he thought I might be interested in a Pelikan Too too and sent one down to me on the far side of the globe.
The web tells me that Pelikan made these green and black Auchs from 1937 to 1951 and this particular Auch supposedly dates from 1938 although I’ve no proof of that claim. It is in extremely good condition, virtually ‘as new’. There is no brassing or corrosion on the metal trims. The plastic body is in great condition. The wording ‘AUCH Pelikan D.R.P.’ is engraved into the top section of the pencil. Apparently D.R.P. stands for ‘Deutsche Republik Patent’.
The push top mechanism is quite stiff and clicky compared to most modern mechanisms, but this could be from age rather than design. Back in the day, this was quite a modern and sophisticated mechanism – many (or most) pencils were still using screw type mechanisms back then. The lead is 1.18mm. It tends to chew leads a bit, perhaps modern leads are not quite to this old birds taste.