Tips on How to spot a fake Mont Blanc

[sheafferkid]

I searched laiton on dictionary.com and found it to not only mean "brass" but illegal, illegitimate, wrongful, etc. I have a feeling though, that the clip is not gold but brass. What does pix mean on the real MBs?

[Dave_g]

Hi,

 

Can anyone tell me if the Montblanc von Karajan has a serial number on the pen?

 

Dave

[ptitmax]

Ptitmax, my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Le Grand has a serial number and "Laiton" too! I sure hope mine isn't a fake; I paid good money for this pen. I had to pay for half of it for my own bday present! Ptitmax, what kind of Mont Blanc do you have that has Laiton? Mont Blanc experts, please help us!

 

Evan

 

 

 

---------------

 

 

I send it to Monblanc for a nib repair they probably will tell me about that too ;-)

 

I keep you posted...

 

Max

 

P.S. Sorry, I'm still learning this "quote" thing

Edited February 21, 2007 by ptitmax

[Nikolaos]

QUOTE

Hi, Can anyone tell me if the Montblanc von Karajan has a serial number on the pen? Dave

 

Hi Dave,

there is no serial number engraved on my von Karajan and i did buy it from a MB boutique so i am certain of its authenticity

thanks

Nikolaos

[Dave_g]

Hi Nikolaos,

 

I'm crazy. I found a MB on the web in Hong Kong. The guy said it didn't have a serial number on the pen. I guess he was telling the truth. Said it was new and perfect.

 

I will see when the pen comes.

 

If it comes???

 

Thanks for the note.

 

Dave

 

 

[Kalessin]

It's important to remember that genuine MB's made previous to about 1990 will not have any serial number, or any words on the back of the clip. There are many thousands of these genuine MB's out there.

 

It also seems that there are MB models made post-1990 that don't have serial numbers or other secret marks.

 

Probably only MB company organizations have definitive guides, and they don't talk to us mortals.

Edited February 22, 2007 by Kalessin

[greencobra]

The following is the text of a post I made a while back concerning serial numbers and the PIX logo. The info was obtained from MB in Bethlehem, PA. Some might find it useful and I repost it from time to time when the subject comes up.

 

Just to bring you up to speed, I was trying to determine if 2 146's I got in a trade last year were indeed genuine. Some people on the boards told me there were a certain amount of digits in a MB serial # which didn't match what I had, that's why I'm talking about the digit count. And as for the PIX, well, I thought that was "THE FAKE" tipoff before I knew better. When I took my pens to a store to have someone look at them, he told me they were trained in MB fakes and there are seven items they look at closely. He wouldn't tell me what they were but he spent a lot of time on the nib and the star with a glass. Of course he looked at the middle band and did something I thought was strange, snapped at the cap and body with his fingernail, almost as if it produced a certain sound. He also told me the fakes he had encountered screamed fake. That is, if you knew even a little about a MB you could tell the difference instantly. I don't know about that, never seen one in person.

 

 

"I have more information on MB's I'll share just in case anyone is interested. I talked to a nationaly known pen shop as well as Montblanc again this morning regarding my serial numbers and other issues regarding my recent trade for a couple of older Le Grand's. Both were on the same page.

 

Serial #'s don't have a specified number of digits. Older models will most likly have fewer digits than current production. Some of the #'s started with GE or GER on the first pens to be produced with serial #'s in 1991. There is no database at Montblanc of serial #'s except for limited editions. Serial #'s are now being reissued or reused, so the same # might be found on 2 different pens made years apart. The logo "PIX" was introduced on the underside of the clip in 1997. And lastly, Montblanc does not confiscate counterfeit pens. They said that is not company policy. At the Boutique they will hand them back over and if you send it to the factory service center, they will send back your pens and a letter stating either way if your pen is genuine or fake.

 

The person I talked to in Bethlehem, PA was super. If she didn't know the answer, she went and got it. The "PIX" logo was in question here with mine. And hey, she even got out her own pen and counted digits! (7 in case anyone's interested )

 

So after all this, I'm pretty much convinced my pens are genuine after a brief scare. I intend to send them off to get the letter and put to rest the doubt."

[ptitmax]

QUOTE (ptitmax @ Feb 21 2007, 06:16 PM)

Ptitmax, my Mont Blanc Meisterstuck Le Grand has a serial number and "Laiton" too! I sure hope mine isn't a fake; I paid good money for this pen. I had to pay for half of it for my own bday present! Ptitmax, what kind of Mont Blanc do you have that has Laiton? Mont Blanc experts, please help us! Evan --------------- I send it to Monblanc for a nib repair they probably will tell me about that too ;-) I keep you posted... Max P.S. Sorry, I'm still learning this "quote" thing

 

My pen was repaired at Montblanc (great service). So I guess it means it's not a fake one. They would'nt have repaired it, and put their name on the reparation if it was a fake.

Edited March 3, 2007 by ptitmax

[sheafferkid]

Thats good to hear. I hope mine is also a real MB. I'm fixing to send mine off to their PA location this week. I'll keep ya posted.

 

Evan

[alphaceo]

Gees, you guys are the best! I just went & pulled a MB Meisterstuck apart that I've had put away in a drawer for years believing it to be a fake. Well, blow me down, if it isn't authentic and now I dont' have to go in to the oh so snooty boutique here and make a complete a$$ of myself whilst they raise their eyebrows disapprovingly at that "ebay" word lol.

[Shangas]

This is a wonderful guide for buying MBs off the 'net!! Just wonderful! My compliments to the man who wrote it.

[penmanila]

my 1980's 146 has no "pix" but does have a serial number--and nothing under the clip.

 

So is it possible that a MB have a serial number, but not the "pix" trademark ? As they seems to have appeared at the same time, I wonder. I have bought one on the internet look quite authentic, with a serial number, but under the clip it's written "laiton", and not "pix". Can someone help me ?

 

[John the penmaker]

my 1980's 146 has no "pix" but does have a serial number--and nothing under the clip.

 

So is it possible that a MB have a serial number, but not the "pix" trademark ? As they seems to have appeared at the same time, I wonder. I have bought one on the internet look quite authentic, with a serial number, but under the clip it's written "laiton", and not "pix". Can someone help me ?

 

I also have a MB from the 80's, but mine is a 144. I've done a lot of research both here and in other places and the pix and serial number didn't show up for a while later.

[pilgrim]

How to spot a fake montblanc

very detailed for different MB models - in german language but with lot of pics.

[uc2it]

Well, let me say to all the respondents a big thanks. I've bought and sold many authentic Montblanc's on eBay over the years. That was many years ago too. My expertise is generally in watches, because my Grandfather was an old world European watchmaker. PK, back to the Montblanc's. I have mainly sold rollerballs and fountain pens. I recently bought a pair of Montblanc Meisterstuck 164 Ballpoint Pens. One is black and one is burgundy. I looked under the clip for the telltale 'pix' trademark, which isn't there. I've had older ones missing this, so I know it's not foolproof identification. I also did the light check, and they are translucent. I looked at a grade A fake I have, and it's not translucent. Here's my question. The refills are changed via unscrewing the tip, and not in the pens mid-section. I can't remember from the last 164 ballpoint pens whether they were unscrewed in the middle, or on the end piece? Also, when you pull apart the ballpoint pen they don't have threads in the center and inside is a white plastic top and bottom (at mid-section) with a center metal section. This is obviously not the cap but on the bottom half of the pens in the center when taking apart. I have only a knock-off Rollerball and a few real Montblanc's, but none of are ballpoints. The top says: GERMANY, and DC150802. The center: -MONTBLANC-MEISTERSTUCK-> So, that's the $64,000 question! Thanks, a million.

Edited September 14, 2007 by uc2it

[JCC123]

164 ballpoints unscrew from the middle. no threads for the refill, just drop in.

[Ernst Bitterman]

If I can afford it, it's a fake. That's pretty easy.

[uc2it]

Thanks, for the reply. I found out the model that MB made in the 80's like the 164 model, was

the 784 that unscrewed near the tip. I wrote to about 10 power sellers on eBay, with 10,000

plus feedback. I heard back from all of them. A few said "unscrews for refills at the tip. The

middle section twists, but does not unscrew". That was for one for sale now on eBay with the

following item #320158215307. The newer model 164 screws in the middle, and as I said they

had a model #784 that unscrewed at the tip. I sent pictures of it to all the sellers, with many

close-ups and they all agreed it was authentic. I knew it was resin and not plastic, but I wasn't

sure about the refill. It's a standard MB ballpoint refill. Which I have many of! Thanks, a million!

 

UPDATE- THEY ARE WRONG! THE 784 DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE 164! I JUST FOUND ONE!

REGARDING FAKES FROM THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE FAR EAST. I HEARD THE SAME

STORIES ABOUT WATCHES TOO. I HAVE YET TO SEE A BREITLING OR ANY OTHER HIGH

END CHRONOGRAPH, I CAN'T SPOT A MILE AWAY. ESPECIALLY ANYTHING MADE OF TITANIUM.

I HAVE ABOUT 10 MB'S, BUT NO BALLPOINTS EXCEPT ROLLERBALLS. THEY ARE ALL WITH

PAPERS, BOXS AND WARRANTEE'S, ETC. I'VE SEEN MANY HIGH + LOW END FAKES OF MB's

+ THEY ALL HAD OBVIOUS FAULTS. EITHER IN THE CUTTING OF THE LETTERS AND NUMBERS,

OR JUST THE FEEL AND THE MATERIAL. SO, YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THAT. IF YOU LOOK AT

THE DESIGNER PURSES SIDE BY SIDE WITH THE REAL ONES, IT'S USUALLY EASY TO SPOT

A KNOCK OFF LOUIS VUITTON OR A PRADA TOO. I JUST REMEMBER HAVING A BALLPOINT

MANY YEARS AGO THAT WAS IDENTICAL TO THE 'CLASSIC' 164 WITH A SCREW OFF TIP!

I APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HELP. I'LL DIG A BIT FURTHER..

Edited September 15, 2007 by uc2it

[Titivillus]

Dear Colleagues,

 

I have just perused ebay in the UK and I am surprised at the amount of fakes being brought over from Dubai and the Far East and then sold without 'box and papers'. So I am offering the following tips ( which I hope are useful ) and would welcome any additions ( I have also attached pics of some fake mont blancs bought in New York on my trip from the UK so that you can get a feel for a fake ):

 

If you can feel the pen the fakes are just wrong feeling. I can't say it better but they are just not quite right.

 

T

 

[jacquelining]

I bought 2 mont blancs on ebay. one is a meisterstuck and the other a starwalker.

1. the meisterstuck look authentic except it doesn't have anything inscribed under the clip. It does have that red glow when light is shined through the resin.

2. I'm returning the starwalker b/c it has all the tell tale signs of being fake. The core is black plastic which doesn't have the red glow. It also doesn't have anything written under the clip. the serial number is printed on the clip near the ring. That German guide was helpful especially with the pics provided.

 

Thanks everyone! Next time, I'll buy a mont blanc from the mont blanc store to avoid frustration and uncertainty.