Looking Back at 10 Years of LAMY Special Edition Fountain Pens

Over the past few years in the fountain pen community, it seems as though we have become overwhelmingly obsessed with yearly limited and special edition pens and inks. Big names like Pelikan and Sailor have jumped on the bandwagon of doing limited editions, as well as smaller custom makers, like Edison.

But really, where did this craze for limited edition pens come from? The quintessential limited edition that really kicked it off in the pen community is the yearly release of the LAMY Safari. They are affordable and reliable, making them some of the most collectible pens on the market. So how about we take a stroll down memory lane and look back at some of the highlights of the past 10 years of LAMY Special Edition Safari fountain pens!

First Generation

The first generation of the LAMY Safari was launched in 1980 with 3 color options available. Those 3 colors were Terracotta Orange, Savannah Green, and Charcoal Black. They all came in textured finishes, with the classic LAMY faceted grip section and stainless steel LAMY nib (for the fountain pen version). 

While these were not technically the “limited edition” Safaris that we all know and love today, they are worth mentioning, as they were what started LAMY’s longstanding tradition of limited edition Safaris. 

2014 - Neon Coral 

In 2014, LAMY continued their trend of bright neons with a glossy pinkish-orangey neon coral. This special edition fountain pen had a silver steel nib and silver clip. 

2015 - Neon Lime

The last in the series of bright Safaris from LAMY was the Neon Lime fountain pen. This special edition pen had a glossy, neon yellow-green cap and barrel with a silver steel nib and silver clip. It also came with matching neon lime bottled ink and cartridges. 

2016 - Dark Lilac

After a few years of releasing neon finishes and bright colors for their yearly limited edition Safaris, LAMY decided to step up their game by introducing the Dark Lilac Safari, one of the all-time favorite limited editions of any brand in our community. It is a gorgeous, deep, dark purple color with a black clip and black nib. 

Additionally, after many years of glossy-finished limited editions, the Dark Lilac came equipped with the very classy textured finish that LAMY offers on some of their Safaris. Many people prefer the textured finish, as they think it makes the pen look nicer and feel better in the hand. Plus, the texturing doesn’t get nearly as slippery as the glossy Safaris do after longer writing sessions. 

2017 - Petrol

Another crowd favorite, the Safari Petrol was a dark, teal color leaning more on the blue side. Again, it came with the black clip and black nib, keeping with LAMY’s understated and simplistic design principles. With such understated designs, LAMY has really mastered the art of restraint, which I think shines through especially well with the simple, dark color of the 2017 Safari Petrol.

2018 - All Black

The All Black special edition of 2018 was a classic-colored fountain pen. This featured a matte black barrel and cap and came with a black clip and a black steel nib. 

2019 - Blue Macaron, Mint Glaze, and Powder Rose

2019 was the first year that LAMY introduced not one, not two, but three fountain pens for their special edition release. These colors were known together as the Pastel collection. 

Blue Macaron had a glossy pastel blue cap and barrel and came with a silver clip and a silver steel nib. 

Mint Glaze had a glossy pastel green cap and barrel, and it came with a silver steel nib and clip. 

Last but not the least, Powder Rose featured a glossy pastel pink cap and barrel and also came with a silver steel nib and clip. 

2020 - Aquamarine, Mango, Violet 

Collections became popular during this time, so it was no surprise that in the year following the Pastel collection’s release, LAMY had another for us: the LAMY Safari Candy Fountain Pens. They came out with three vibrant special edition colors for 2020: Aquamarine, Mango, and Violet. 

The Mango had a yellow-orange barrel, cap, clip, and finial and came with a silver steel nib. There was also a matching yellow-orange ink that was available in ink cartridges and bottles. 

The special edition pen in Violet had an all-purple body, clip, and finial, and it came with a silver steel nib. 

Lastly, the the aquamarine version had an aqua turquoise body, clip, and finial. The pen also had a silver steel nib. 

2021 - Savannah and Terra

To bring it around full circle in 2021, LAMY announced the re-release of their original colors, the Savannah and the Terra! Upon making the re-release a reality, there were a few differences made apparent between the new Safaris and the first generation. 

The colors of the pens are just slightly different, along with the names. Instead of being “Savannah Green” and “Terracotta Orange, ” they now have the sleeker, more modern names seen above. I think LAMY really hit it out of the park with this year’s limited editions, making it even more difficult for them to one-up themselves next year, as they seem to do every year!

2022 - Strawberry and Cream 

For dessert lovers, there’s nothing better than LAMY’s 2022 special edition release of the Strawberry and Cream line. The fountain pen features a matte red body with a matching red clip. It comes with a steel nib. The cream version, on the other hand, has a matte ivory body with a matching clip and also comes with a silver steel nib. 

2023 - Aqua Sky, Light Rose, and Spring Green

LAMY churned out another set of pastel colors for 2023: LAMY Safari Deelittle Fountain Pens in Aqua Sky, Light Rose, and Spring Green. Each pen has a glossy pastel resin cap and barrel, matching trim, and is fixed with a silver steel nib. They are similar to the 2019 special editions but are more saturated and vibrant in color.

2024 - Blackberry Violet and Pink Cliff

The special edition LAMY Safari Kewi Fountain Pens for 2024 are quite unique as they feature different-colored grip sections. The first is Blackberry Violet, which has a glossy dark purple cap and barrel with a light purple section and finial. Pink Cliff has a matte blue-grey cap and barrel with a pink section and finial. Both these pens come with black trim and a black clip. These pens were also released with matching inks (Blackberry and Cliff). 

The Bottom Line

All in all, the fountain pen community certainly seems to have enjoyed collecting these special editions pens. LAMY always finds a way to create something new and exciting that gives the community something to look forward to and anticipate going into the new year. What have been your favorite LAMY Safari limited editions over the years? Or perhaps you simply have a list of the top LAMY fountain pens for writers that you want to share? Please let us know in the comments below!

Written by EndlessPens Blogger Ramona Kabigting