Silvexa - Name Or Description?

[Ernst Bitterman]

Another round in my struggle to comprehend Pelikan models of the 1960s, and I once again stagger over to the ropes to seek help. Looking at the cap of what I will call an M20, the impression reads PELIKAN 20 SILVEXA. While scraping around for information on the model, I start to get a sensation that "silvexa" is less a model name and more a descriptive of the finish on the cap, but the various little dribs and drabs I encounter are somewhat indirect on the topic. In hopes of abolishing that indirect, uncertain sensation, I pose the question directly and I welcome all the citation you wish to throw at me.

[sargetalon]

I too have an M20 silvexa and it is a wonderful pen, an underrated gem from the 1960's. The cap is alloy and the body is acrylic. The pen came in both cartridge (P20) and piston filler (M20) variants. It has been my understanding (always open to correction) that "Silvexa" was Pelikan's trade name for the matte finish of the cap, as you suspected. I've thought this similar to Parker's convention of "lustraloy" caps and "octanium" nibs. I'm afraid that I don't have a definitive reference on this for you though.

[Ernst Bitterman]

One of the things that got me pondering this was that googling brought up a quantity of MB references in addition to Pelikans. I have to say that it's a dirty trick to stamp it onto the cap as if it were part of the pen's model designation-- an extra hyphen wouldn't have killed them.

[Eyedoc]

Thank you for explaining that Sargetalon. I have recently been hunting through Silvexa models on eBay and Martiniauctions with increasing confusion as to the model numbers. I wanted to try the hooded nib as something new in the Pelikan range and now have a P1 on its way. If will be interesting to see how it compares to the Lamy 2000.

[sargetalon]

  On 8/12/2013 at 11:35 AM, Eyedoc said:

Thank you for explaining that Sargetalon. I have recently been hunting through Silvexa models on eBay and Martiniauctions with increasing confusion as to the model numbers. I wanted to try the hooded nib as something new in the Pelikan range and now have a P1 on its way. If will be interesting to see how it compares to the Lamy 2000.

 

Your welcome. I have not had a chance to play with a P1 but it looks like an excellent pen. My M20 is beautiful and the nib is definitely smoother and more enjoyable than my Lamy 2000 (not that the Lamy is a slouch in its own right). Enjoy your purchase.

[MarkTrain]

  On 7/18/2013 at 10:31 PM, Ernst Bitterman said:

Another round in my struggle to comprehend Pelikan models of the 1960s, and I once again stagger over to the ropes to seek help. Looking at the cap of what I will call an M20, the impression reads PELIKAN 20 SILVEXA. While scraping around for information on the model, I start to get a sensation that "silvexa" is less a model name and more a descriptive of the finish on the cap, but the various little dribs and drabs I encounter are somewhat indirect on the topic. In hopes of abolishing that indirect, uncertain sensation, I pose the question directly and I welcome all the citation you wish to throw at me.

 

You are probably correct. My P482 reads simply 'Pelikan = Germany' on the cap band. This pen was from the 80's and think "Silvexa" was no longer a new thing. Also, this pen is marked 'Germany', not W. Germany, even though it is from cicra 1985.

[Ernst Bitterman]

  On 8/12/2013 at 3:25 PM, MarkTrain said:

 

You are probably correct. My P482 reads simply 'Pelikan = Germany' on the cap band. This pen was from the 80's and think "Silvexa" was no longer a new thing. Also, this pen is marked 'Germany', not W. Germany, even though it is from cicra 1985.

Does yours have a rectangular clip or a highly-impressionistic version of the bird-face? I ask because I've got what I assume is a '70s version of a couple of pens in the same family, both of which still trouble to include "Silvexa" in their imprints, and I have a notion from looking at Werner's site that there was a transition from one clip shape to the other as time went by.

 

I had noticed but hadn't really registered the lack of the initial in front of "Germany", even on the MK10 and M20 which were firmly embedded in the Cold War, and it's jolly interesting. I wonder if it was fatalism or optimism regarding reunification?

 

edit to add a picture of what I mean by "highly-impressionistic bird-face"

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Pelikan-0471c.jpg

Edited August 12, 2013 by Ernst Bitterman

[Readymade]

My impression is that "Silvexa" serves both purposes -- an exotic name to an otherwise prosaic alloy. A bit like what "Nikargenta" was to the Aurora 88.

[MarkTrain]

  On 8/12/2013 at 8:13 PM, Ernst Bitterman said:

Does yours have a rectangular clip or a highly-impressionistic version of the bird-face? I ask because I've got what I assume is a '70s version of a couple of pens in the same family, both of which still trouble to include "Silvexa" in their imprints, and I have a notion from looking at Werner's site that there was a transition from one clip shape to the other as time went by.

 

I had noticed but hadn't really registered the lack of the initial in front of "Germany", even on the MK10 and M20 which were firmly embedded in the Cold War, and it's jolly interesting. I wonder if it was fatalism or optimism regarding reunification?

 

 

Hi,

 

My pen has the squarish clip with the Pelikan logo on the upper part of the clip.

[elysee]

My Pelikan Silvexa 555 ballpoint pen and my Pelikan Silvexa 550 pencil both have the classic Pelikan bird-clip; the bands on each are inscribed with Pelikan Silvexa 555 and Pelikan Silvexa 550, respectively. All the Silvexa's that I have seen have the metal top/cap; some have a metal body and others, like mine, have the resin body.

Edited August 14, 2013 by elysee

[Ernst Bitterman]

I've got another item for this thread that may be definitive. An M30 I got more recently has a cap marking configured in the same manner as described in the thread-opener, but the important bit reads PELIKAN 30 ROLLED GOLD. I don't think any of us would argue that "Rolled Gold" is the name of a model, so it's at least highly likely that "Silvexa" is a material rather than a model.

[Rick Propas]

  On 7/19/2013 at 11:53 AM, sargetalon said:

I too have an M20 silvexa and it is a wonderful pen, an underrated gem from the 1960's. The cap is alloy and the body is acrylic. The pen came in both cartridge (P20) and piston filler (M20) variants. It has been my understanding (always open to correction) that "Silvexa" was Pelikan's trade name for the matte finish of the cap, as you suspected. I've thought this similar to Parker's convention of "lustraloy" caps and "octanium" nibs. I'm afraid that I don't have a definitive reference on this for you though.

For what it's worth, that is my understanding as well.

[joss]

  On 7/19/2013 at 11:53 AM, sargetalon said:

I too have an M20 silvexa and it is a wonderful pen, an underrated gem from the 1960's. The cap is alloy and the body is acrylic. The pen came in both cartridge (P20) and piston filler (M20) variants. It has been my understanding (always open to correction) that "Silvexa" was Pelikan's trade name for the matte finish of the cap, as you suspected. I've thought this similar to Parker's convention of "lustraloy" caps and "octanium" nibs. I'm afraid that I don't have a definitive reference on this for you though.

 

  On 10/9/2013 at 11:48 PM, Rick Propas said:

For what it's worth, that is my understanding as well.

 

just an update on the topic 'Silvexa': Silvexa is an alloy of silver with another metal so a Silvexa cap is definitely a silver cap.

 

Werner Ruettinger calls these caps 'argentan' which also refers to the silver finish of the cap:

http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-pelikan-modell-cartridge.html

 

EDIT: it is definitely not silver; please read the comments below

Edited July 16, 2014 by joris

[MarkTrain]

  On 7/15/2014 at 1:03 PM, joris said:

 

 

just an update on the topic 'Silvexa': Silvexa is an alloy of silver with another metal so a Silvexa cap is definitely a silver cap.

 

Werner Ruettinger calls these caps 'argentan' which also refers to the silver finish of the cap:

http://www.ruettinger-web.de/e-pelikan-modell-cartridge.html

My understanding is that silvexa is nickel silver, aka argentan, or German silver, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc, but no silver.

Edited July 15, 2014 by MarkTrain

[joss]

  On 7/15/2014 at 9:49 PM, MarkTrain said:

My understanding is that silvexa is nickel silver, aka argentan, or German silver, an alloy of nickel, copper, and zinc, but no silver.

 

Your comment surprised me so I searched the net and you are right.

 

Silvexa is indeed a copper alloy with nickel and silver. It is called "nickel silver" so I figured that the alloy also contained silver but it does not. As can be read in detail here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel_silver

 

Thanks for correcting me.

I slightly edited my previous comment.

[Ernst Bitterman]

Interestingly, while creeping about the net trying to get a better grip on Silvexa or Silvex (as it appears on the P1 caps), I found that it's being used as a replacement for lead in bullets: "Silvex is a patented, non-toxic, tungsten-based material manufactured by a patented process."

 

Probably not the same composition....