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I recently bought a used Parker Centennial Duofold in Blue Marbled pattern. Upon receiving, I noticed that it looks a bit different than my Parker Duofold Centennial Big Red in several ways. As I am no modern Parker expert, and own a few bought from trusted source, this is the first time I bought a Parker from a local auction. The notable differences of the blue marbled Parker vs. my Big Red: 1. The clip and cap rings on Blue Marbled are rather flat, vs. Big Red raised/rounded; 2. Imprint on Blue Marble: position is just below clip and above cap rings on the cap, rather faint. (Date code IF) Vs. Big Red imprint on black blind cap at end of barrel (date code IIIL) Note/Edit: Date code could be an IE, very faint, hard to read. 3. The silver part of the nib, namely the “feathers” of the “arrow” on Blue Marble is more of a sort of gun metal finish, rather similar to ruthenium finish. Vs. Big Red rhodium plated, I assume. First I thought is this a fake Parker? But the nib looks rather good, does not attach to magnet and writes like a typical Parker Centennial nib. I also looked up on the internet and found there are several versions like this sold on Peyton Street and Chatterley etc. Indeed I now have seen a raised version and a flat version of this Blue Marble finish on the internet. So my worry is a little less. But then again, it does look different in detail than my Big Red. Are both raised and flat versions legitimate? Any additional information? I would much appreciate knowledge and opinion on this pen. Many thanks as alway. Kind regards, como

TL/DR version: Do knockoffs of black Montblanc pens ever have the characteristic wine red glow to the resin? Longer version: I recently bought a Montblanc at an antique store: Black with silver-toned (likely platinum) trim.13.7cm long capped; 15 cm long posted. Nib=18K, unmarked but apparently EF Cartridge/converter fill. Lousy pic quality available or I'd post. Comparing it to a current production model, it looks identical to the Meisterstuck Platinum-Coated Classique, which has a 14K (not 18K, as mine) nib. This was a one-on-one sale; the stall owner seemed to know very little about FPs. Too much detail to provide here, but everything about the interaction and her stall gave me every reason to believe that she believed this to be an authentic Montblanc. In other words: if this is a fake, she was duped; I don't believe she was trying to dupe me in any way at all. I can't identify the pen. Called Montblanc and the serial number doesn't correspond with a FP in their records (though maybe with a ballpoint). Was told I could go through the process of sending it in for authentication. After detailed review of things to watch for in knockoff Montblancs, everything about this looks legit to me (clip shape, Pix, band with engraved SN and "Germany," quality of the snowflake emblem, springiness of gold nib, weight/balance, quality of the screw-in convertor, quality of engraving of Montblanc name, and the reddish/wine-colored tint of the black precious resin). If this is a knockoff, it is of incredibly high quality. Part of me wants to know if this is authentic. Part of me doesn't care. I'm inclined not to go through the trouble of sending it in for authentication; I'd rather just enjoy it. (The feed needs another good soak, but it is in excellent condition otherwise.) It seems to me that the color of the resin would be incredibly hard to knock off. So what I'm curious about is: are there known instances of the wine-tinted black resin being present in knockoffs? Or is its presence an indicator of the real deal? Searched the forums for related info, but didn't find anything. Thanks for any info/advice!