Last evening, fine writing enthusiasts were excited to see the M800 Cream Blue, Pelikan’s first original M800 since 2019. In a surprising move, Pelikan’s vendors today announced a second new model coming out this fall, the M910 White, introducing a new color to the old Toledo design. The Toledo first appeared in 1931 as the 111T and the concept was revived in 1991/92 as the M900/M910 model lines. The Toledo is considered a grail pen by many with an appearance so alluring that it has seen few variations over the years. The newest version features white resin and a sterling silver sleeve in the traditional Damascene style. It will launch in October and be available for a limited time only. Keep reading to discover more about this new addition to Pelikan’s lineup.
The newest Toledo pays homage to the traditional Damascene style, which was perfected in Spain over thousands of years. The Arabs brought the art of damascening to Spain in 711 after invading the Iberian Peninsula where it complemented and enriched the traditional relationship between Toledo and the steel of its forges. The city of Toledo became renowned as a European hub for such embellished items. With the art of Damascening, a motif is etched onto a piece of metal and then meticulously detailed by a goldsmith to create intricate and expressive designs.
Built off of the M800 chassis, the M910 features a sterling silver sleeve finished with a palladium coat. The sleeve features two pelican motifs surrounded by ornamentation. One design shows a smaller pelican looking up at a larger one with outstretched wings, while the other motif features a pelican with an open beak. These decorations have been featured on all of the Toledo models since the 1990s.
That decorative sleeve is enhanced by white resin components including the cap, piston knob, and section, with a smoke colored ink window behind the section. This model features the standard Souverän trim with two rings at the piston knob, two cap bands, a beak clip, and a single ring on the section. The Pelikan Toledo M910 White is equipped with an 18C-750 gold nib and is available in EF, F, M, and B widths. Each fountain pen is handmade in Germany and arrives in a white piano lacquered Toledo gift box. It has the same dimensions as the M800 but weighs a hefty 1.36 ounces (38.6 gm).
The Toledo M910 White fountain pen features hand-etched elements on a sterling silver sleeve, contributing to its high production costs. With a US MSRP of $2,500, you can expect a retail price of around $2,000, making it a pricey option regardless of where you purchase it. As such, it may have to be relegated to grail status for many.
The Toledos have always been my favorite pens. The Toledo M910 White fountain pen is impressive, with palladium plated furniture complementing the sterling silver sleeve and an ink view adding to its appeal. I also find the old style, separate trim rings to be a plus here. However, the risk of staining with white resin is a concern. Despite this, it is a stunning pen that takes a hallowed design and dresses it in a new color. The proximity of this release to the M800 Cream Blue may impact sales, but at this price point, it may not be a major issue. What are your thoughts on this new Toledo? Will you be adding one of these to your collection or is it an easy pass due to its exorbitant pricing? Let me know in the comments below.
That is simply a gorgeous pen. Not affordable (for me), but gorgeous.
Gorgeous indeed. These Toledos never fail to take my breath away. I’ll taken them over a Raden or Maki-e any day.
MSRP IS $2,500.
MSRP of cream/blue is $840.
Yup, as reflected in each post. Thanks! Expensive beauties, both of them.
I love it, but it’s an easy pass for me at that price. I got my M910 Toledo new from an authorized dealer for under $1000 just 3 years ago.
Yes, I feel that. Older Toledos can be had for roughly $1100 to $1250 if you’re astute and keep your eyes peeled and are patient. This will be well above that and I’m not at all confident that the price will come down over time. Conversely, I could see this one elevating the price of those older models.
Another white pen. Good for my bank account 😎. Hope they get this out of their system. Just not fond of that style.
Pelikan has really embraced the white resin, especially with the M6xx lines, and I think it can be done well and add a nice effect but there are plenty of other colored resins that they could play with too that might run a smaller staining risk.
Muy bien, fabuloso, excelente! Sadly, out of my financial reach.
I believe that will be the case for most people which is why I’m curious as to just how many of these were made.
Still, it’s a very nice looking fountain pen. I’m not necessarily a fan of white fountain pens, but I have to say that I prefer them in monochromatic trim (e.g. the white M605 with silver colored trim, AKA “The Ghost”). I think that silver colored trim, and the actual silver finish on the barrel go hand in hand. I have to admit it, but I can’t stop admiring it (at least based on the pics released on the web). A very nice pen indeed.
So glad to see that Pelikan is on a roll with two new pens in as many days. Wow.
I have several older Toledos, including the red and yellow ones, and I love the feel of the added weight in my hand.
The new one is indeed a stunner. Not sure yet if it’s a must-have for me, but I definitely want to see it in person.
The red and yellow ones are by far my favorites, especially the M910s. Love the look, size, and weight.
I’ve wanted a Toledo forever, but I’m not crazy about the white. This may inspire me to check for a vintage Toledo if it can be had for less. Will the prices be lower if ordered from a European seller?
You definitely can find a vintage one for less but you have to keep your eyes open for a deal. These tend to keep their value.
As far as lower prices from Europe, it is possible. The floor on this one is likely going to be in the neighborhood of $1585 when the VAT is excluded. Still quite pricey.
An M910, black, just sold on eBay for…
…$910.
If all the white resin were black, I’d be in on it.
They’ve done black so much though, I think the white is what sets this one apart but white on a pen is polarizing, for sure.
I shall cease King Lear ravings over white grips and learn to be a more effective filler. Obviously, Pelikan has made their decision.
All the best
Yes, they’ve embraced the white resin but I can only assume that is because they have reams of market research and sales data that have rewarded them for dosing so. One can only guess that is why we are seeing so much of it in the last few years.
I have lots of whites but I always worry when using them that I will stain them. To the point that I bought two lilacs so I could use one without worrying about it. I like the 710 700 and 900 Toledo but I’m just not sure about this one.
In the lilac that you “don’t worry” about, have you had significant issues with staining. I am careful with my white pens but I don’t think fanatically so. I wipe up ink when I see it and choose my inks carefully but, nothing special beyond that and I haven’t had significant issues with staining.
There must have been a sale on white resin. I don’t get this one at all. I love my Toledo but this one hurts my eyes – ugly!
The Toledo of the ’90’s was elegant, the nib was flexible and the etchings were deep and unique. By contrast, the big, multi-colored Toledos seem artistically uninspired and generally disappointing for a once revered company. I can’t say I’m the least bit tempted.
I can’t disagree that the earlier Toledos are truly works of art. Still, for something different, I think this pleases. I do think that there is more they could have done with this one but I think that for most of their releases. Sadly, they’ve never solicited my opinion.
I have a red 710 Toledo. The color and size are the only things I would change. I like this much better but at the price, I’ll stick with what I have.
Poor me.
I think this price will have a lot of people on the sidelines unfortunately. It does have me wonder if we might see future Toledo release like we have with the Maki-e and Raden models.
It looks really sharp.
I already own a black M910 Toledo and it’s my favourite pen (including other brands) by a long stretch. The firm “very fine” nib is part of the reason for this as it suits my handwriting. Also I love the weight, quality and beauty of the pen. I see from Appelboom’s website that the black pen’s price has been jacked up to EUR2,000 to more or less match that of this white version. Ursssh! When I bought my M910 it cost me less than half of that. (I realise how lucky I was to snag it).
Maybe aggressive increases to RRP is a key part of the new owner’s strategy. I think that will be a hard sell as most repeat Pelikan customers will remember the much lower prices that they bought at originally and unless Pelikan offer something really profoundly different then they may see little need to “add another to the flock”.
The new CEO has probably been looking at Montblanc’s super premium pricing. And while I am not a fan of most of their incredibly garish and expensive special editions, I can at least acknowledge that at least superficially there is a lot of customisation that goes on for the various historical figures celebrated. (Once you’ve seen a few, however, you start to see that even these pens are variations of a new basic pen designs with various bits stuck on).
As well as the M910, I own an M805. While I could afford EUR2k on another pen, this one is not sufficiently different to my two M800 derivatives to spend that kind of money. Instead I’ll be keeping the cash available for an M1000 Raden or a custom M800 modified by a pen turner.
I have not seen large price hikes as of yet, nothing more than the usual upward trend. I think there is a limit at which point Pelikan will see a diminishing return but I don’t know where that breakpoint is. I don’t think the new owners are going to try and use the fine writing division like a cash cow but more of a line to add a little cachet to the brand.
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Hello!! I have a question regarding the white Toledo. You think the engraving was made by a real person? I think it is machine cut. When you hold older Toledos they feel different. You have any comment, Thank You (it is a lovely pen, I am just curious…)
Pelikan contends that all of their Toledos are hand engraved by a goldsmith. My take on it is that these are certainly finished by hand and that the expressive elements are added manually. I’ve seen videos of the work. Each pen takes about 1 hour for the artist to complete. That’s not to say that the overall motif isn’t machine cut. That is likely the case with the finishing details applied manually.