Pelikan Souverän M400 Fountain Pen — Black-Green

The Pelikan Souverän M400 in Black-Green is the piston-fill fountain pen for the lawyer who wants the Souverän's gold nib in a pen that fits a jacket pocket. It is the 1950 Model 400 at its original size — 12.7 cm capped and 14.9 grams, with a 14-karat/585 two-tone gold nib and rhodium trim, finished in the same individually striped, diamond-cut cellulose acetate as the M800, a material that takes months to produce and is polished to a final luster by hand; the gold nib is polished and tested by hand as well. Pelikan's own catalog still calls the black-green 400 its flagship. It is the entry to a gold nib here, and the one to start with.

The piston draws about 1.3 ml from the bottle, which is days of notes before you think about ink. The "S" body is the reason to choose it: it is the Souverän for the hand that found the M800 long or heavy, and for the pocket the M800 would not fit.

Specifications

• Maker: Pelikan, Hannover, Germany
• Model: Souverän M400 fountain pen, "S" size
• Size: 12.7 cm capped; 11.7 mm diameter; 14.9 g
• Filling: Piston, ≈ 1.3 ml capacity
• Nib: 14K/585 two-tone gold with rhodium trim; Fine or Medium
• Body: Individually striped, diamond-cut cellulose acetate — Black-Green
• Trim: 24K gold-plated
• Origin: Made in Germany
• Warranty: Three years from Pelikan, plus our Thirty-Day Assurance

We stock the M400 in Black-Green alone, the finish of the 1950 original, and in both nib widths — it is bought as a first gold nib, and the width is the one decision that matters.

Questions we are asked

M400 or M800? Hand and pocket. The M400 is the "S" size at 12.7 cm and 14.9 grams; the M800 is the "L" at 14.2 cm and 28.2 grams, with an 18-karat nib in place of the 14. If the M800 felt long in the hand or heavy in the pocket, this is the pen. If it felt right, buy the M800.

Fine or Medium? Fine for the margin note and the redline; Medium for the signature block. The Field Guide below settles it in five minutes.

Which ink, and how is it cleaned? Any bottled fountain-pen ink; a piston filler does not take cartridges. Cleaning is water drawn and expelled through the piston until it runs clear, at a sink, without tools.

Is there a matching ballpoint? Yes — the Souverän K400, in the same black-green acetate and gold trim, is the push-button ballpoint to this pen.

Is the Pelikan warranty valid in the United States? Yes. Pelikan's three-year warranty against material and manufacturing defects has no geographical restrictions, and it covers the Souverän and Classic series. A defect is repaired, or the pen replaced, at Pelikan's choice. Claims go through us as the retailer, or to Pelikan directly with proof of purchase, and the details are in our Warranty Policy.

Deciding on nib width? Read Fine Nib, or Medium?

Built for the hand that found the M800 heavy, not for the desk. For the "L" size, see the Souverän M800; for the same piston under a steel nib at a lower entry point, see the M200.

See the rest of our fountain pens for lawyers, or the full Writing Instruments collection.

Barrister & Bespoke Curated Collection — hand-selected from Pelikan, the Hannover house that has built piston-fill fountain pens since 1929, for its craftsmanship and fit within our world. Curated pieces carry their maker's own identity rather than ours; our house collection, designed and branded exclusively for Barrister & Bespoke, is marked separately throughout the shop.

Warranty. This Product carries Pelikan's three-year warranty against manufacturing defects, and Barrister & Bespoke's own Thirty-Day Assurance for the first thirty days after delivery. Full terms, including how to make a claim, are stated in our Warranty Policy.

Returns. A fountain pen may be returned within thirty days if it is unused and in its original packaging. Once a pen has been inked it is Final Sale and cannot be returned or exchanged, except where it arrives damaged, defective, or materially different from its description. Fill it after you have decided to keep it. Full terms are in our Returns & Exchanges Policy.