Montblanc Hallmarking

November 14, 2014

Hi, I'm new to FPN so thought I'd do my first post on a subject that seems to be a regular on the Montblanc forum and one that causes many sleepless nights for avid collectors and writers alike.

I'm not a collector but I do own a small number of Montblancs. I'm more of an appreciator of fine things. I would definitely love to own more beautiful pens when my bank balance allows. I don't ever expect to own one of the mega expensive limited editions or Hommage pens, but who knows.

I recently purchased a Meisterstuck 1441 Solitaire Doue on eBay and though the photos were indistinct the seller was reputable and there was enough specific info about the pen to be confident of its authenticity. I still got the jitters after I won the item and paid for it. When it arrived I checked all the various aspects of the pen, packaging and paperwork to assure my self all was above board.

Well my worries were put to rest. The pen is in excellent condition and having never been inked.

The precious resin has a lovely wine red translucence to it when I shine a bright light through the body, which I believe is a good sign of authenticity.

The silver cap has all the correct markings on it. These include the Pix under the clip, the serial number, GERMANY, METAL2 etched on the top cap ring, and most importantly 4 Hallmarks on it.

Rather than try and take a poor photo of my pen I found this great one of the hallmarks on FPN. They include the Ag925, which indicates Silver of 92.5% purity. This mark is only valid if the correct hallmarks are included, such as the International Common Control Mark (925 in a set of jewellers scales), or the Assay Office stamp (in MB's case always a Bears Head in a Hexagon, which is the Swiss Assay mark)

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4135/4775679016_2ef924ef46.jpg

For all precious metal MB pens I will only accept them as genuine if they have 4 marks; the Swiss Assay Office stamp and the International Common Control Mark, the Ag925(or equivalent) etching and the StOD makers mark on them.

I'm unsure about the markings on the Solid Silver Vermeil pens, the solid Gold and the solid Platinum pens but I suspect they will have the relevant precious metal ICCM stamp and the Swiss assay office marks on them.

There is a pinstripe Solitaire Vermeil pen on ebay at the moment, which I have serious doubts about though the seller has had lots of positive feedback and another Solitaire Doue Le Grand with similar positive feedback. Neither of them have the Swiss Assay office or ICCM hallmarks and so are very suspicious.

If anyone has pictures of the other precious metal variants and their relevant assay marks it would be very interesting and helpful for future purchases.

Cheers

November 14, 2014

I have four Montblanc pens on the table at the moment and have just checked the hallmarks.

The vermeil deskpen has 925 Stod (with a line through the o). The burgundy vermeil bears exactly the same. Charles Dickens has the same with the addition of the letters AG before the 925 marking.

The silver Doue has AG 925 Stod then a mark having a set of scales and 925 in the middle and also the mark I have featured below. Looks like a dog with a star tattoo to me but probably isnt.

Edited November 14, 2014 by Pen Nut

November 14, 2014

Hi, I'm new to FPN so thought I'd do my first post on a subject that seems to be a regular on the Montblanc forum and one that causes many sleepless nights for avid collectors and writers alike.

I'm not a collector but I do own a small number of Montblancs. I'm more of an appreciator of fine things. I would definitely love to own more beautiful pens when my bank balance allows. I don't ever expect to own one of the mega expensive limited editions or Hommage pens, but who knows.

Cheers

Never say never. ;-)

November 14, 2014

I have a Vermeil 146 Pinstripe that I purchased at the Sydney MB boutique in 2002. It's marked only with "Ag925" above the StOD.

November 16, 2014

I have four Montblanc pens on the table at the moment and have just checked the hallmarks.

The vermeil deskpen has 925 Stod (with a line through the o). The burgundy vermeil bears exactly the same. Charles Dickens has the same with the addition of the letters AG before the 925 marking.

The silver Doue has AG 925 Stod then a mark having a set of scales and 925 in the middle and also the mark I have featured below. Looks like a dog with a star tattoo to me but probably isnt.

The stamp is actually a Bears Head and it is the official Swiss Assay Office stamp. The little star in the Bears neck indicates it was assayed at Basle, Switzerland. There are other variations on the Star for the other Swiss Assay offices. That is a genuine hall mark and it appears on my MB Solitaire Doue silver pinstripe, too.

My theory is that MB produce the pens and during shipping if they pass through certain countries, like Switzerland, the UK, etc, they may well be stamped up with that countries hallmark. It would be interesting to know if the importer of the pens sends them to an Assay office or whether MB does. I suspect it is the importer rather than MB as many pens reputedly genuine only have the 925, Ag925 and the StOD markings, which without an Assay office stamp are not guarantees of the product being silver, gold or platinum.

These discrepancies lead to a flourishing Fake market.

November 16, 2014

I have a Vermeil 146 Pinstripe that I purchased at the Sydney MB boutique in 2002. It's marked only with "Ag925" above the StOD.

That's really interesting and as I expected it indicates that the genuine article doesn't necessarily pass through a precious metal Assay office. It costs money to have items assayed so I guess importers often don't bother. The fact you bought your pen through an MB outlet means you have the paperwork to back up the authenticity. The owners manual with the sellers stamp and the original box all help with a future sale. Having had an avid interest in antiques I know that without an assay office hallmark an auctioneer will not describe the item as a particular precious metal. Even if the item is solid Gold, without a hallmark, the auctioneer will only describe it a yellow metal.

The problem is buying pens second hand without the supporting paperwork. For me they are just that bit too risky even with ebay and paypal protections.

November 16, 2014

Never say never. ;-)

I'll have to get saving or sell my house!

I've taken a hankering for the 'skeleton' fountain pens as they have an Art Nouveau style about them and I've always admired the art and design from the 1900's. MB skeletons are way out of my league though. At the moment I'm keeping my open for reasonably priced alternatives.

November 16, 2014

These discrepancies lead to a flourishing Fake market.

Really ! I just cant agree with you on this. I have owned many Montblanc silver and gold pens and it has never been a concern of mine that the metal is anything other than that it is claimed to be.

I just cannot see the profit in making a Montblanc copy out of some fake metal then stamping it to sell it on as gold or silver.

Please post any pictures of any Montblanc fakes made out of anything other than resin, precious or otherwise, as I woild be really interested in viewing them.

November 16, 2014

I think we get a bit too carried away with worrying if our MBs are fake or not. Yes, of course, there are fakes about but they are a lot rarer than some would lead us to believe. When I was in Rome a few years ago there was a man selling MB 146 pens and a certain Swiss watch brand for around 3 euros each. I wonder if they were fakes? I was impressed with how fast he could run when the police turned up.