1980's Identification

February 13, 2018

I met my best friend Fred in 1983. Later in the 80's, Fred's Mother brought back matching Montblanc fountain pens for us. Fred really liked pens. Sadly, he died unexpectedly, so I am no longer able to ask him questions like "what model pen is this". I currently have both pens and am trying to identify the model number of the pen.

The NIB is gold and says 585, so that is easy. There are no identifying marks that I can see on the pen, the container, or the box that contained the pen.

Most of the pen's that I see have a very rounded top, but these do not. Any help that you can offer is greatly appreciated.

February 13, 2018

Your pen appears to be a Montblanc 320, a model from the mid to late 1970's, but which was commonly available through the 1980's.

They styling is similar to the 12/22/32 styling of the 1960's, but MB sold these at a more affordable price point.

February 13, 2018

Thanks, I really appreciate the feedback.... I will label the two that I have. I am going through the fountain pens that I have and trying to categorize them. I have some older pens used by my grand parents, I will probably post something about those in a different forum.

Thanks again, very useful!

February 14, 2018

The nib looks like it may be an oblique medium (OM) tip. If so, these are relatively uncommon and add something to the market vale, should you choose to sell.

February 15, 2018

The nib looks like it may be an oblique medium (OM) tip. If so, these are relatively uncommon and add something to the market vale, should you choose to sell.

+1.

February 15, 2018

The wing shaped opening of the nib section and the double cap bands makes me think this is a 221P (the "P" designating it as a cartridge filler). I have one and it is a nice, light weight pen that writes beautifully.

The nib sections and connectors for these pens are a tad bit fragile so don't apply a lot of pressure when writing or disassembling for cleaning.

Enjoy your memento!

February 16, 2018

I wondered what the P meant when I saw it...

Good catch on the wing shaped opening, until you mentioned it, I had no idea.

I need to look up the differences in the NIBs to understand oblique medium (OM) tip.

Thanks for the warning about applying pressure.

I used mine a lot when I first received it. Of course, I had no idea that it was anything other than a $10 fountain pen. When I figured out years later that it was worth "real" money, I was very surprised.

I have not used the pen early 90's. I have been using cheaper Parker pens instead. I should fire this pen up again, now that I know more about it. For me, I always preferred the cheaper Pilot because it just flat out wrote better. Someone told me it was because the Mont Blanc had a Left Handed NIB. I never knew if the guy who told me this was spinning tales or not (he was that kind of guy) and I never pursued it.

Even though I did spend some time looking for an answer recently, I never did find anything I considered very relevant.

February 16, 2018

Here's a great article written by a member that fully explains nibs. It includes a section on oblique nibs.

http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/nibs/primer.htm

February 16, 2018

No that is a good article. I will be reading this carefully tonight or tomorrow...

You guys have been so helpful I am giving away a few extra pens in the PIF, no, not a mont blanc, just some pens that I have a bunch of (Hero pens).

I really appreciate the link. I am learning a lot about pens here.

February 17, 2018

If I'm not mistaken, by the 1980s, Montblanc was selling this pen under the name of "Classic." They also produced a burgundy/bordeaux version. I have one in black that has a wonderfully soft, springy nib. However, two hairline cracks have developed on the cap where the clip is from pulling it out and putting it in a pocket.