Pelikan's Maki-e Unique Collection consists of one-off pieces decorated by renowned Japanese maki-e artists and never part of a regular Pelikan collection. After a first run of auctions in the autumn of 2012, a further seventeen unique pieces came under the hammer from November 2014, one after another in week-long auctions on a platform the manufacturer set up for the purpose. Opening bids in 2014 ranged from 1,000 to 18,400 euros.
These pens are recognised by the red name seal of the artist who made them, which sits below the signature and confirms that the pen belongs to the Unique Collection. Maki-e is an elaborate Japanese lacquer technique: lacquer together with gold and silver particles is applied in many layers and polished repeatedly until a sculptural sense of depth emerges. Only a handful of artists worldwide have mastered it, and learning it takes years. That, along with their one-off character, explains the high prices asked for maki-e fountain pens.