Marked W Germany

[manuscrit]

Hello - excellent info on the forum.

 

I have a Montblanc 149 marked W Germany on the gold band on the cap. Is this an older model? Any significance to a pen marked this way?

[Zenistar]

If it is marked with W Germany it has to be pre 1991 as Germany was reunified towards the end of 1990, after this point the bands just have Germany on them. I believe W Germany was only used from the 80's onward though, but someone with more experience is likely to respond.

Edited July 16, 2014 by Zenistar

[Mr. Pink]

There is a thread here somewhere - you can do a search - that tells you when they marked "W Germany" My 149 is marked "Germany", and I bought it in the early 80s or late 70s.

[sd10521]

There is a thread here somewhere - you can do a search - that tells you when they marked "W Germany" My 149 is marked "Germany", and I bought it in the early 80s or late 70s.

 

I remember the thread you are talking about but couldn't find it, I wanted to do a proper quote but this is what I have in my notes:

 

 

"Germany was used on Montblanc pens during the 60's, 70's and 80's. W-Germany was only used for a short period between when Germany recognized that East Germany existed and reunification. Then back to Germany."

[jar]

I remember the thread you are talking about but couldn't find it, I wanted to do a proper quote but this is what I have in my notes:

 

 

"Germany was used on Montblanc pens during the 60's, 70's and 80's. W-Germany was only used for a short period between when Germany recognized that East Germany existed and reunification. Then back to Germany."

 

 

Yup, that was one of my posts. For a long time E. Germany was not recognized as existing outside the USSR.

[Mister Mont Blanc]

I have a Bordeaux Classique ball point marked W.-Germany and I think it adds a nice character to the pen. This was really the only reason I bought it and it even had a W. Germany marked ink refill still in it!

 

It tells you a definitive time of when the pen was produced and there are more produced outside of that time frame than within it. This is also around the same time when the company started using serial numbers.

[manuscrit]

Thank you all for your input. I consider it fairly unique to have one marked W Germany.

[Says]

Ahhhhh darn looks like i missed out on a good deal... well next time...

Thanks for your help!!

[Dhara lekhni]

I was pleasantly surprised when I acquired a Hemingway with an oblique medium nib last year. However, what caught my attention was the outer white box OM sticker that indicated W. Germany, which seemed unusual to me. After all, the pen was released in 1992.

[soapytwist]

On 4/3/2024 at 8:46 AM, Dhara lekhni said:

I was pleasantly surprised when I acquired a Hemingway with an oblique medium nib last year. However, what caught my attention was the outer white box OM sticker that indicated W. Germany, which seemed unusual to me. After all, the pen was released in 1992.

 

It's only a guess, but it *might* be something to do with the Allied Forces not finishing their withdrawal until 1994. I'm wondering if something marked 'W Germany' got a tax exemption for any military personnel buying things to take home with them, and if it was marked just 'Germany' it wouldn't? Modern Germany is the FRG with the GDR having been dissolved and the latter re-incorporated into the former, so W Germany would still technically be correct.

Or maybe the sticker manufacturer was just lazy? Or wanted to ensure that buyers knew that the pens were manufactured in what was formerly West Germany and so were of better quality than if they'd been made in the former East?

[CS388]

Is it the oval gold sticker?

 

Excellent theory from soapytwist. Distinct possibility.

I'd also concur with his latter option.

 

Montblanc has a history of using older ancillary components (clips, nibs, feeds, etc)  on newer models, until stock is exhausted - could be extended to stickers and packaging?

It makes business sense, why waste a perfectly good component - although it can cause confusion in dating the pen. (First world problems!)

 

Congratulations on your Hemingway! A grail pen, to me,