A Testament To The Quality Of Vintage Mb Fountain Pens

[denbuh]

First a brief story...well...I will try to make it brief.

 

The past few days have been quite exciting for me fountain pen wise! It all started when my grandmother called me on my birthday. She slipped a 20 into my birthday card and asked me what fun things I would spend it on (I'm 33 and she still feels the need to slip me some money...she is a really sweet woman!). I told her that I had recently set a goal to improve my handwriting and to also do what I could to preserve the written word by writing letters and do better at my journal writing...this lead me to getting into fountain pens, ink, and nice paper. I told her that I planned to purchase a German fountain pen (Kaweco) knowing that she would enjoy that (she was born and raised in Germany and immigrated to the US when she married my american grandfather in 1960). I told her how much I enjoy writing with fountain pens and my love for different ink colors. She then shared with me that she had a fountain pen. She received the pen from her employer when she worked in Germany before she met my grandfather as a 5 year anniversary gift, sometime in the mid to late 1950s. It has her name and employer's name engraved on the cap. She told me great stories about how fountain pens were the only pens that were available to use during her school years and early working years. She reminisced about getting ink on her fingers and going to the local office supply store to purchase different nib sizes to swap out on her office pen. I have always loved it when she told stories of her years in Germany! Anyway, she said she would gladly give me the pen if I was interested. I was ecstatic and told her I would gladly take the pen use it and care for it as best I could. She made comments about how she wasn't sure if it still worked and that it likely still had ink in it and that she hadn't used it in over 50 years. No worries I said, I am sure we can clean it and get it working. We chatted a bit more and then ended our conversation.

 

A few days later I got to thinking that it would be interesting to research this vintage pen, so I sent her an email asking her if there was any identifying information on box or pen that would indicate the brand or model of the pen. She just called me tonight and told me that it was a Montblanc pen, no information on the box other than her doodles and her signature scribbled all over it! She pulled out a magnifying glass and said that along the gold band around the cap it had the number 254 on it and on the nib it had 14c and 585 on it. I am still in the process of researching to find out what this all means, but that was not the exciting part. As I was chattering away, I heard her say, "oooh the ink is a pretty green, and WOW it is a beautiful writer!" I paused for a moment while I processed what she was saying. I asked, "did you just clean and re-ink the pen?" "No" she replied. "I don't have any ink, I just opened up the pen to see if it still worked, and it does!" I had to re-clarify..."ok, so let me make sure I heard you correctly. You just uncapped the pen, put the tip (I kept on calling it a nib and that was confusing her) to paper and it just started writing?...just like that?" "Yes" was her simply reply.

 

Now, is it common for a pen to be inked and left for over 50 years and write so easily? In my noob fountain pen mind, I was anticipating ink all dried up and caked on the nib and in the barrel, but that was definitely not the case. I am not an expert on this brand, or on vintage pens, or even fountain pens in general since I am still quite new to it all, but I thought that this was quite interesting and I have been dying to share it with people who would enjoy and understand. Thanks for letting me share!

[PerryJ]

Wow !!! What a great story, please keep us posted. I would have thought that the ink would have dried up too especially since that age Montblanc has breather holes in the cap.

Edited December 29, 2014 by PerryJ

[camoandconcrete]

Great story! I too am surprised that it wrote after all those years. I have never left a pen inked more than a couple of weeks so I can't offer any information as to whether one of my vintage MBs would write after years. But, its great that it did! The 254 is a great pen, and I hope you enjoy it.

[jar]

You have a real winner there. It does have one weak spot and that is it is subject to cracked cap lips. Don't post it and be gentle capping it.

 

http://www.fototime.com/4D404D7D012C8F0/large.jpg

http://www.fototime.com/39B407DBA58FDF2/large.jpg

Bottom pen:

http://www.fototime.com/ECFA82AA8F830AE/large.jpg

[LeonW]

Pictures please when you are gifted with the pen. Also of the box cover.

[denbuh]

Wow !!! What a great story, please keep us posted. I would have thought that the ink would have dried up too especially since that age Montblanc has breather holes in the cap.

Thank you! I am glad that I was not alone in my shocked state! I was not aware of the breather holes in the cap, that is great information, thank you! I will be sure to keep everyone posted once I actually acquire the pen. I live in a different state about 3 hours from family. With the heavy snow we just received and sub-zero temps on the way, I wont be able to schedule a visit anytime soon, but hopefully within the next couple of months.

 

Great story! I too am surprised that it wrote after all those years. I have never left a pen inked more than a couple of weeks so I can't offer any information as to whether one of my vintage MBs would write after years. But, its great that it did! The 254 is a great pen, and I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you! I plan to quite enjoy the pen! I am just so tickled that that she is giving me HER pen. She has done so much for me and has influence me in ways that have shaped me into the person that I am today, and having something that I can use daily to remind me of her makes me happier than words can express.

 

You have a real winner there. It does have one weak spot and that is it is subject to cracked cap lips. Don't post it and be gentle capping it.

Bottom pen:

Thanks for sharing your great pics! It is great to know what the pen will look like. In my preliminary research, I came across your pics and comments on a different post. I think I recall you mentioning that you quite enjoyed the way it wrote! This has me very excited! Thank you for the heads up about the weakness in the cap. I never post my pens (not even my tiny Kaweco sport), but knowing that I need to be careful when capping the pen is superb information.

 

One question about about the piston mechanism...do I need to put a lubricating ink in the pen occasionally to keep the piston working correctly, or should I not need to worry about that? I have no experience with vintage pens or piston filling pens and I want to be sure that I care for it properly. TIA!

Edited December 29, 2014 by denbuh

[denbuh]

Pictures please when you are gifted with the pen. Also of the box cover.

Will do!

[chunya]

A fantastic story, and they are lovely pens.; I managed to buy one earlier this year and it is a beautiful writer. I'm as puzzled as you are about the ink. I have, in the past, unearthed a pen that I know that I hadn't used for at least five years, and after soaking the nib and feed clean I was amazed that the ink started to flow. Is it possible someone else has used it in recent years?

Keep us updated when you receive it, and enjoy it.

[jar]

One question about about the piston mechanism...do I need to put a lubricating ink in the pen occasionally to keep the piston working correctly, or should I not need to worry about that? I have no experience with vintage pens or piston filling pens and I want to be sure that I care for it properly. TIA!

 

 

It wouldn't hurt but is also not necessary.

[JLS1]

 

 

It wouldn't hurt but is also not necessary.

 

+1 for the above. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is probably good advice when dealing with vintage pens...

[kagesama]

Such a beautiful pen... Enjoy it mate... MB has always been a joy to use and own. It has been a favourite brand of mine that now i have close to 7 MB of various models and age.

[Toll]

Thanks for sharing such a wonderful story! I look forward to hearing more once you have this special pen in hand.

[chunya]

Such a beautiful pen... Enjoy it mate... MB has always been a joy to use and own. It has been a favourite brand of mine that now i have close to 7 MB of various models and age.

"close to 7 ..." is that 6 with something in the post perhaps?

[JLS1]

"close to 7 ..." is that 6 with something in the post perhaps?

 

...or 1 on the workbench?