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Pelikan T111 Toledo (ca.1933)
Model T111 Toledo was introduced in 1931 at the price of 27 Reichsmark (RM)⁽¹⁾. The model was characterized by pelican motifs on the sleeve, a pelican head motif on the clip, and two milled cap rings. Other specifications were same as model 100 (ca.1931).
Dimensions;
The handicrafts inlaid with gold and silver with skillful techniques made in Toledo has been called "Damasquinado". The name comes from the city of Damascus. Damascus fostered the finest decorative arts in the Islamic culture, from where the crafts spread eastward to China and westward to Spain. Especially, in Toledo, which was strongly influenced by Islamic culture, thought, and religion from the 8th to the 15th centuries, inlay work developed on jewelry, furniture, paper knives, armor, swords, frames, plates, jugs, and vases (Damasquinado) (in Japanese).
From the 1910s to the 1930s, in the midst of Art Deco, several pen manufacturers adopted the Toledo technique to decorate their fountain pens (please see below).
To return to this model, the sleeve was made of one piece steel⁽³⁾. The motifs (e.g. pelicans, leaves) on the sleeve were carved in relief using a corrosion method (etching). Deep areas ("troughs") were burnished⁽²⁾, while the more prominent motifs ("peaks") were gold-plated. Some of the line drawings were then re-engraved by hand (PENEXCHANGE, Pelikan Schreibgeräte). This model is said to have been named after the "Toledo" technique. However, despite its name, Pelikan Toledo was not made in the strict sense of the Toledo technique⁽⁴⁾. Of course, this does not in any way diminish the value of this pen.
The model was also characterized by a pelican head motif on the clip. The clip was engraved with the head and beak of a pelican facing sideways. Two milled cap rings were made of 14 carat gold, as was model 111. Any variants without any special ornamental rings and clip never existed (PENEXCHANGE).
The precious metal models or “luxury models” (model 110-112) including model T111 Toledo were still on the 100th anniversary catalog (1938), but no longer on the corresponding export catalog (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). By the end of March 1939, all precious metal models for the domestic market were discontinued (Pelikan Schreibgeräte). Model T111 Toledo was replaced by model 100N Toledo that was introduced in 1938.
Judging from cap top and section, my pen can be dated ca.1933 or after, belonging to the fourth generation. This model is heavier than model 100 because of the sleeve.
Model T111 Toledo was reissued as "Originals of their Time 1931 Toledo" in 2003.
Note;⁽¹⁾"In former days the Toledo was never the masterpiece within the range of products, rather more a fountain pen priced in the upper middle-class, which is proven by its former sales price of 27 Reichsmark compared to the golden Pelikan 112 at 40 Reichsmark (PENEXCHANGE)".
⁽²⁾After burnished, steel gains black color through a chemical process.
⁽³⁾Today, the sleeve of Pelikan M900/M910 Toledo is made of one piece sterling silver.
⁽⁴⁾In the classic Toledo technique, a thin golden thread is hammered into grooves or lines to get an almost even surface, again. This kind of work is known as exchanging/compensating. In Pelikan Toledo, this decisive process was not carried out (PENEXCHANGE, Pelikan Schreibgeräte).
⁽⁵⁾Model T111 Toledo was seen in Pelikan catalog No.70 (1938) (described as "100 Toledo"), but not in the corresponding export catalog (Pelikan Schreibgeräte).
Other "Toledo" style pens
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