Vintage Spanish Mbs

November 17, 2018

I just received these Spanish-made MBs from the 1950s. The colour is quite lovely! I am impressed with how the celluloid has held its colour over time. The rest of the pen is rather modest in terms of furniture and finishing - these pens were meant for the lower end of the market and to be cheaper than German-made pens. Let me share with you what Ive learned from the book Montblanc Pens Made in Spain, by Guillen. But first, a few pics:

Enrique Wiese started the production of MBs in Spain, post WWII. It is speculated that domestic production was taken up at that time because the Hamburg factory could not meet demand after its bombing in 1944. Also, trade controls mandated by the Spanish dictatorship made it difficult to import pens at that time. Some assert that labour and parts were cheaper in Spain, and so MBs would only be affordable in the country if produced there. This makes sense, because it seems that Spains production of MBs stopped once injection moulding technology was introduced in the late 50s and through the 60s - thereby reducing manual labour considerably and the cost of the pens too. The pens produced in Spain had one series that resembled the design of the 34x of the 1950s. They were numbered as 4x and came in four colours - grey stripe, brown stripe, green stripe, and black. These pens have a special imprint on one side fo the cap Fabricado en Espana por E. Wiese.

The pens in the picture are the 44 in grey striped and 42 in brown/golden stripe, both piston fillers and identical in shape but different only in size and colour. The single brass cap ring and poor quality plating on the furniture (since it is quite weathered) shows the modest quality of materials used to make these pens. Also, the celluloid body and cap, while beautiful in colour, do not have the same thickness and richness as the green or grey striated 14x series from Germany. I really do appreciate the visible ink window even when the cap is on.

Edited November 17, 2018 by siamackz