This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
This is not a Grail Pen. It is not rare, nor is it hard to find (not really), and it is part of the Pelikan line-up. This is a quest pen. A pen involving a journey.
13 years ago, I made the life-changing decision to study abroad in Germany for one year. I went to the international office at my school and with my only pen at the time, a Parker Frontier, I signed the papers and started the process of moving across the world. In short, my life was changed and I would never again be the person I was nor see the world in the same way ever again. I stayed for another year, the maximum time allotted by my university that I could study and still get a degree.
Why is this important? Well, for starters, I had to save a lot of money to pull off the trip in the first place and even with state-sponsored aid (thanks Baden-Württemberg!), I often didn’t have a ton of extra money (the majority of which was spent on travel when I could afford it). My second year was spent working in a kitchen making juuuuust enough to scrape by. This means that, aside from a few knick-knacks, I didn’t really have any proper souvenirs from my time there, just a beer mug I received as a Christmas gift from a friend’s father (every man needs a good mug, you see).
Flash forward to this time last year. 10 years since I was last in Germany (and, indeed, on a vacation that didn’t involve seeing family), I got my chance. A discount on tickets meant I could afford the flights and pay for somewhere to stay. Excellent.
This time I was determined to get something to commemorate my 10 year return and to finally get that trinket of my time there. I had a small pen fund going (don’t we all?), but no direction. After surveys (thanks everyone!) and much deliberation, I landed on this pen, the Pelikan Toledo. Its made in Germany and I was already a long-time fan of the brand. I knew that it was the perfect pen to celebrate trekking back to the place I buried a part of my being and will always consider my home.
So here it is: the Pelikan Toledo, M700. The barrel which is made of solid 925 silver that has been hammered to form, covered in gold using a technique that harkens back centuries to Spain (hence Toledo), and then engraved by hand into the gold. One pen takes over a month to produce. Why the 700, you may ask? Why not the 800 size M900? Three reasons, I can drop vintage nibs into the 700 if I wish, the grip sections lacks the troublesome gold ring near the nib, and the clip and finial also sport a rather unique matte finish that I find lovely. Simple, yeah?
So there it is. A Grail? Perhaps. Something I will deeply cherish? Absolutely.
Without further ado, the Pelikan Toledo:
https://i.imgur.com/u1O70dh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/9iEQ0ml.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/ZnVyDJs.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/FrvcejV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JwJv4wf.jpg
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Beautiful pen. I would really like one of these...
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Aw, nice story behind your quest pen. Congratulations! Use it in good health.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Very beautiful pen. It is my opinion that these pens surpass in beauty and tradition all of the limited edition and special edition pens made by anybody.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
This is not a Grail Pen....
Perhaps, but they're quite nice because of the traditional handwork.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Thanks all!
The "this is not a grail pen" is a general stab at the use of "grail" that I broadly disagree with. It is a very beautiful and well made pen. The craftsmanship that goes into them is a big draw to me.
Besides, a boring title wouldn't be any fun, now would it? ;)
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
Thanks all!
The "this is not a grail pen" is a general stab at the use of "grail" that I broadly disagree with. It is a very beautiful and well made pen. The craftsmanship that goes into them is a big draw to me.
Besides, a boring title wouldn't be any fun, now would it? ;)
That's a great title and an even greater pen.
The Toledo is one of my dream pens. I'm glad you got it for the perfect reason.
If you fit a vintage nib that has a lot of character on it, that will make it worthy to be called "grail" pen indeed.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
penwash
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
Thanks all!
The "this is not a grail pen" is a general stab at the use of "grail" that I broadly disagree with. It is a very beautiful and well made pen. The craftsmanship that goes into them is a big draw to me.
Besides, a boring title wouldn't be any fun, now would it? ;)
That's a great title and an even greater pen.
The Toledo is one of my dream pens. I'm glad you got it for the perfect reason.
If you fit a vintage nib that has a lot of character on it, that will make it worthy to be called "grail" pen indeed.
At this moment I have a flexible medium from a 400 (thanks VertOlive!) that I could swap in or an 18ct from the Old-Style M600 which was introduced with the same nib that came with the first model M700s that is also quite nice. I will be keeping my eyes peeled for a stellar flex nib to swap in.
Then again, I might have the nib that is on it ground to a cursive italic. :D
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Love those pelikans-in-relief - I didn't realize they were there (but I don't know much about the M700's).
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Robert
Love those pelikans-in-relief - I didn't realize they were there (but I don't know much about the M700's).
They are worth reading about. They were originally offered as far back as the 1930s, but those are rare and hard to find.
Then there was an entire kerfuffle regarding the M900 (M800 size) that was originally going to be an exclusive limited release that eventually became part of the line-up, much to the chagrin of the original m900 buyers.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
...thanks for sharing. beautiful. and glad that you have apparently rather fond memories of my home state, or "land", Baden-Württemberg.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Very nice and an interesting story. I love that pen and has great value too on the craftsmanship. I love all the quality of Pelikan. Personally I have lot of other pens but only one Pelikan and believe me it is the most inexpensive pen in the Flock. ( it is m200 with a flex steel ni) I love that pen and I am sure I'll get some higher level in to my collection.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Cyril
Very nice and an interesting story. I love that pen and has great value too on the craftsmanship. I love all the quality of Pelikan. Personally I have lot of other pens but only one Pelikan and believe me it is the most inexpensive pen in the Flock. ( it is m200 with a flex steel ni) I love that pen and I am sure I'll get some higher level in to my collection.
To be totally honest, the M200 is a stellar pen. I obviously have more expensive Pelikan pens, but the M200 has a steel nib on it that is, IMO, unmatched in terms of quality.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
I have always admired the Toledo series, enjoying the history and craftsmanship of the company. A while back a 800 series in Green stripe with a juicy F nib was purchased and so far is the best in my small collection.....
As far as a "Grail Pen" is concerned, it will be someones!
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
...to the place I buried a part of my being and will always consider my home.
Thank you for a lovely writeup on a beautiful pen. As someone who's been studying in Germany for a few years now (also in Baden-Württemberg!), this statement above hit so close to home for me :)
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
spiritstampede
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
...to the place I buried a part of my being and will always consider my home.
Thank you for a lovely writeup on a beautiful pen. As someone who's been studying in Germany for a few years now (also in Baden-Württemberg!), this statement above hit so close to home for me :)
Thank you for the kind words! Where in Germany are you currently studying?
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
Thank you for the kind words! Where in Germany are you currently studying?
I'm in Ulm. Not a lot of stationery shops around here I'm afraid. Best I could find was some shop selling Pelikan M200. Well, the higher models are out of my budget anyway but I would love to test out the Toledo someday if I can find a demo :)
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
spiritstampede
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
Thank you for the kind words! Where in Germany are you currently studying?
I'm in Ulm. Not a lot of stationery shops around here I'm afraid. Best I could find was some shop selling Pelikan M200. Well, the higher models are out of my budget anyway but I would love to test out the Toledo someday if I can find a demo :)
You're in luck! Depending on the adventure you want to take, this pen was purchased from Fritz-Schimpf in Tübingen. In case you need an excuse to go to the Schwarzwald and have some good Schwäbisches Essen.
Re: This is not a Grail: The Pelikan M700 Toledo
Quote:
Originally Posted by
AzJon
You're in luck! Depending on the adventure you want to take, this pen was purchased from Fritz-Schimpf in Tübingen. In case you need an excuse to go to the Schwarzwald and have some good Schwäbisches Essen.
Thanks. I'll look up the shop, sounds like a good excuse for a trip :)
