Pelikan Toledo fountain pens

The Toledo M900 was first introduced as a Limited Edition of 500 units for North America. It has the cap inscription: W-GERMANY. These specimens had an 18 carat gold nib.

After the success of this Limited Edition the Toledo model was listed amongst the M800 in the catalogue. In the beginning the Toledo had a 20 carat gold nib (proportion of gold 933/1000), later changed to a 18 ct gold nib.

Weight	Total Length	Barrel Length	Cap Length	Diameter	Ink Capacity
1.38 oz	5.55 in	4.13 in	2.64 in	0.51 in	1.35 ml
39.0 g	141 mm	105 mm	67 mm	13.0 mm

Precious artwork in Spanish style

The embellish of metal goes back thousands of years. The Toledo pens were decorated by engraving of a pattern into the surface. Next, a thin sheet of gold is placed over the pattern and is embossed deep into the material with the help of a little hammer. In order to show the newly filled pattern, the object is then heated to approximately 800°C. The intense heat oxidised the steel surfaces and turns them black, while the gold starts to shine. This technique traveled with the Arabs into Spain and has been perfected throughout the centuries, particularly in the famous Spanish city of Toledo.

In 1931 Pelikan adopted this technique for the Toledo model with so much success that the design has remained virtually unchanged throughout the years. Today the decorative sleeve is made of one piece in Sterling Silver. It is treated carefully in various different steps until the motif is covered with a layer of gold (or palladium to obtain a silver surface). Every Toledo fountain pen is made in Germany as a unique piece, because the tiny engravings in the motif are made by hand, making each Pelikan feather come alive. Due to the high amount of work only 200 pieces can be created each month. The cap and section as well as the end piece are made of black high-quality resin.