My Vintage Mb Collection

[Cordovian]

Very nice setup!

[prashant.tikekar]

Thanks for sharing your awesome collection. Waiting for more.

[Tom Kellie]

~ siamackz:

 

Your fountain pen photography beguiles me.

Lingering on each photo, appreciating the details, is pure bliss.

My heartiest appreciation for the careful planning to present your pens in such an attractive way.

The style, the clarity of explanation, the luminosity, it's all delightful.

With Happiness,

Tom K.

[zaddick]

Where did you see the 14x series pens started in the 1940s? I had thought they were all in the 1950s.

 

I also think your 149 may be a bit later than you think, or at least more towards the end of the range you gave. Earlier production has a longer ink window that showed with the cap on. From your photo I can barely see one, but maybe my phone screen is too small. Also that snow cap looks very white. Did you look to see if it is a resin replacement? I think some people preferred the white look and swapped caps. Of course we now all like then decayed, ambered look so go figure.

 

None of my comments, of course, affect the joy or usability in the pen. Enjoy them for many years.

 

By the way. Do you know if your 149 has a cork or the later polymer seal?

[Pointyscratchy]

What Tom said. A really interesting glimpse of the why's and wherefores of the fourteen series.If were to ask you to improve upon perfection I would have loved an anecdote chucked in about how you acquired the pieces and some idea about costs.I imagine there are prices you buy for and then there are restoration costs, not to mention time spent scouring the places these things are found.Did you do any traveling or was it all searched out on the computer?Have you had any big disappointments?

 

I like that the model numbers are printed on the side.I had my name printed on mine and thought this might be gauche- now that I know Wolf had his done too all those years ago and I am obviously very much in the mainstream tradition of cool calamophiles.(I love this new word by the way, a few more uses, and the search engines pick it up and next thing it's a question on quiz shows.Q This word means A.a fondness for disasters B a pen collector ans

[KAC]

Indeed, the green striated 144 is a special pen! It's most unfortunate that MB no longer makes simple, classic, appealing pens like that one (the 14X series being an exception). Your collection is as exquisite as the pens that comprise it.

[desidude02]

This is beautiful, you have captivated my undivided attention.

 

Eagerly waiting for your next installment, feels like I am at the MB museum.

 

MB for the win! Forever love.

 

Steve

[siamackz]

Where did you see the 14x series pens started in the 1940s? I had thought they were all in the 1950s.

 

I also think your 149 may be a bit later than you think, or at least more towards the end of the range you gave. Earlier production has a longer ink window that showed with the cap on. From your photo I can barely see one, but maybe my phone screen is too small. Also that snow cap looks very white. Did you look to see if it is a resin replacement? I think some people preferred the white look and swapped caps. Of course we now all like then decayed, ambered look so go figure.

 

None of my comments, of course, affect the joy or usability in the pen. Enjoy them for many years.

 

By the way. Do you know if your 149 has a cork or the later polymer seal?

Hi Zaddick, thanks for your questions, and please do help me correct my information if needed in this and subsequent posts.

 

1. Why did I say 14x production started in 1940s? Because from what I understand the 146 was made in c. 1949. Is this inaccurate?

2. My pen has the cork seal

3. The cap star is not the stark white colour like todays MBs. But its also not like the material on the 142/4/6. Its colour is off white, but it doesnt have the same depth as the 142/4/6. I have seen this on a 144G earlier too. I feel like maybe different materials were used during that period?

4. The ink window is not as long as my 146G. With the cap on proper, my 149 ink window will not be seen - it will just about cover the window.

5. The feed, nib, cork seal made me think it might be an earlier to middle production pen. But I wont be surprised if it is a late-1950s model instead. Especially given the ink window is not the medium length one found in older models. I will correct this. Thank you!

[siamackz]

This is beautiful, you have captivated my undivided attention.

 

Eagerly waiting for your next installment, feels like I am at the MB museum.

 

MB for the win! Forever love.

 

Steve

Indeed, the green striated 144 is a special pen! It's most unfortunate that MB no longer makes simple, classic, appealing pens like that one (the 14X series being an exception). Your collection is as exquisite as the pens that comprise it.

Thanks for sharing your awesome collection. Waiting for more.

Very nice setup!

Thanks so much friends!

[siamackz]

~ siamackz:

 

Your fountain pen photography beguiles me.

Lingering on each photo, appreciating the details, is pure bliss.

My heartiest appreciation for the careful planning to present your pens in such an attractive way.

The style, the clarity of explanation, the luminosity, it's all delightful.

With Happiness,

Tom K.

As always, Tom, your comments are truly very kind and encouraging. Thank you!

[siamackz]

What Tom said. A really interesting glimpse of the why's and wherefores of the fourteen series.If were to ask you to improve upon perfection I would have loved an anecdote chucked in about how you acquired the pieces and some idea about costs.I imagine there are prices you buy for and then there are restoration costs, not to mention time spent scouring the places these things are found.Did you do any traveling or was it all searched out on the computer?Have you had any big disappointments?

 

I like that the model numbers are printed on the side.I had my name printed on mine and thought this might be gauche- now that I know Wolf had his done too all those years ago and I am obviously very much in the mainstream tradition of cool calamophiles.(I love this new word by the way, a few more uses, and the search engines pick it up and next thing it's a question on quiz shows.Q This word means A.a fondness for disasters B a pen collector ans

You are right, I should throw in some more anecdotes. Good suggestion Putting prices in there would be a bit awkward/embarrassing

Edited December 20, 2018 by siamackz

[BillH]

Excellent once again. Thank you so much for the fine photography and the information. And thanks for sharing your collection... you are blessed.

[siamackz]

Excellent once again. Thank you so much for the fine photography and the information. And thanks for sharing your collection... you are blessed.

Thanks Bill, you are too kind

[zaddick]

Hi Zaddick, thanks for your questions, and please do help me correct my information if needed in this and subsequent posts.

 

1. Why did I say 14x production started in 1940s? Because from what I understand the 146 was made in c. 1949. Is this inaccurate?

2. My pen has the cork seal

3. The cap star is not the stark white colour like todays MBs. But its also not like the material on the 142/4/6. Its colour is off white, but it doesnt have the same depth as the 142/4/6. I have seen this on a 144G earlier too. I feel like maybe different materials were used during that period?

4. The ink window is not as long as my 146G. With the cap on proper, my 149 ink window will not be seen - it will just about cover the window.

5. The feed, nib, cork seal made me think it might be an earlier to middle production pen. But I wont be surprised if it is a late-1950s model instead. Especially given the ink window is not the medium length one found in older models. I will correct this. Thank you!

Thank you for your responses.

 

Frankly there is no way to date some of these MB models overly specifically. The window length is a subtle hint, but I think there is easily variation. Also we cannot account for mixed parts from the factory or early repairs. Id be happy to say mid 1950s due to the feed and cork, but not early 1950s. Does you clip have the XX on the underside? If so you have a genuine 1950s clip.

 

I'm not a 146 expert so I will try to do some research when time permits. Like you I seek to expand my knowledge so thank you for giving me a little homework (with no assignment due date!) For the holiday break.

 

I'd like to also echo some other points made here that what would make this thread even more valuable is the human interest side of your journey. Facts and dates are all interesting, but sharing why you went on this journey, what moves you about each pen, what it taught you about what you like, etc. is far more valuable to me. This is clearly a journey of passion and love and I'd like to hear more about that if you are willing.

[siamackz]

Thank you for your responses.

 

Frankly there is no way to date some of these MB models overly specifically. The window length is a subtle hint, but I think there is easily variation. Also we cannot account for mixed parts from the factory or early repairs. Id be happy to say mid 1950s due to the feed and cork, but not early 1950s. Does you clip have the XX on the underside? If so you have a genuine 1950s clip.

 

I'm not a 146 expert so I will try to do some research when time permits. Like you I seek to expand my knowledge so thank you for giving me a little homework (with no assignment due date!) For the holiday break.

 

I'd like to also echo some other points made here that what would make this thread even more valuable is the human interest side of your journey. Facts and dates are all interesting, but sharing why you went on this journey, what moves you about each pen, what it taught you about what you like, etc. is far more valuable to me. This is clearly a journey of passion and love and I'd like to hear more about that if you are willing.

Thanks Zaddick, the 149 clip does not have the xx. Good point. I never considered that for some reason. It does seem like maybe the clip was replaced with a 60s clip.

Yes, about the personal connection with the pens - good point. Will be sharing that in subsequent posts.

Thanks for reading and for the feedback

[Pointyscratchy]

I don't tell people how much my pens were.(149-£675) (JFK-£600)(GBS 3set £1100) (Starwalker pen £110-Costcodeal)(Inks £28 times ten).

My wife does however and volunteers the information quite readily and the reaction from others is usually either ridicule or disbelief.Mostly good natured.

 

I was wondering/being nosey, because the ones you feature are quite rare if you are paying more than the cost of new ones and if so by what kind of factor?How many excellent condition 139's are there likely to be in the world? Less than fifty?More than a hundred?

 

I have a friend and nearly forty years ago he bought a 2/3yr old Ferrari.He'd just recovered from a heart attack and decided life was for living.It left him skint-30k a fortune at the time- and the garage didn't even put any petrol in it for him.I suppose the logic was it was his dream, and if he did die his widow could always sell it.He's still around and sold it this summer gone for 300k

[siamackz]

PART 2B - 14x Celluloid v/s 14x Modern

 

Welcome to the fourth post in this series! In my previous posts I had presented my 13x collection and my vintage 14x collection. Today, I would like to share with you the more modern 14x series (post 1960s) and compare them to the celluloid 14x series. From left to right below are the 149 from 1970s, 149 from 1990s, 147 from 2000s, 146 from 1970s, and 144 from 2000s:

 

The 14x series has undergone some small design changes over time. The body material changed to “precious resin” from the beautiful celluloid it was earlier. My personal preference is the celluloid. There is a certain romantic element to knowing this celluloid pen was handmade using relatively manual processes by expert craftsmen 70 years ago! The resin pens don’t evoke such imagination - they are rather sterile to me. The cap top star material changed from casein to some sort of resin - it is a stark white now instead of ivory/off white. It lacks the depth and character that I see in the celluloid pens.

Left to right - stark white modern 14x star v/s ivory colour casein star on celluloid 14x

 

Another change was the move from ebonite feeds to plastic feeds. Some insist that this has negatively affected ink flow capabilities of the nib, but I haven’t practically noticed it myself. Again, this might be just me, but the perfect finish of the plastic feeds makes it lack the character of the ebonite feeds for me. Also, I do heat set nibs sometimes, and I find this quite a useful trick for improving flow. Plastic feeds don’t allow for such tinkering and tuning.

Left to right - ski slope feed (146G from 1950s), solid ebonite feed (149 from 1970s), split ebonite feed (146 from 1970s), plastic feed (149 from 1990s)

 

The telescopic piston was replaced by a more consistent performing and easier to service piston system that went through iterations over time. But, I have to say that - problems and all - the telescopic piston is my favourite filling mechanism of all time. Everytime I disassemble the pen and look at the piston I am inspired by the engineering spirit that led to its innovation. Not every innovation is practical or convenient or easy to maintain, but that’s OK (especially since I don’t use these pens for their convenience). Also, notice changes like the plastic piston threads on the 149 from the 1970s v/s the brass threads of the 1990s model. Changes like this affect the balance of the pen. I don’t have a strong opinion about this

Top pic - we see the two stages of the telescopic piston opening up, making more room within the barrel to allow for a larger ink fill.

 

149s from left to right - 1950s telescopic piston, 1970s plastic threads non-telescopic, 1990s, brass threads non-telescopic

 

Another change over time is that the piston seals today are silicone/plastic instead of cork. I love the cork seals because they force me to service them every now and then. When I carve out a piece of cork and spend an hour trying to sand it, test it, then bathe it in beeswax, etc. this tremendously fulfilling ritual makes me feel like I am contributing towards the performance of the pen in my tiny way! It reminds me of when I owned a 900 CBR Honda motorcycle from the early 1990s (before fuel-injection technology), which would require a service that included the manual cleaning of the carburettor. My mechanic would allow me to help. Every time I revved that bike after service I felt like I had a hand (literally) in its performance! It is very satisfying.

From top to bottom - Cork v/s silicone seal

 

Below you will see how the ink window transformed over time, from the yellow window with dyed lines in the ‘50s to a blue window without lines in the ‘70s-early ‘80s on the 146 to the plastic lines designed into the barrel of the 149s from the ‘60s (which were later also adopted by the 146). Personally, I prefer the celluloid with dyed lines. Why? Because it seems like a more time consuming, effortful, and delicate process than having a machine bang out a mould with the resin stripes built in perfectly. It is in these inefficiencies that lies a sense of luxury we just don’t experience in the world today. Also, as a collector of these vintage instruments, I am fascinated by the concept of wear that these pens experience. I don’t want the ink window to be perfect

Left to right - Plain blue ink window without stripes (1970s 146), stripes painted (1950s celluloid 14x), stripes design built into resin body (modern 14x)

 

The nibs too went through changes. Early nibs in the ‘50s were tri-coloured and often had some flex. Also, the sharpness (almost cursive) grind of the oblique broad nibs of this era is special to me. The ‘70s 149 shows a nib with long tines allowing for some softness. The 146, on resuming production in the ‘70s, came with a monotone gold nib (still retaining some softness while writing). More modern 149s and 146s switched to two-toned nibs that are rigid.

From left to right - 146G (1950s) two-tone, 146 (1970s) mono tone, 147 (2000s) two tone, 149 (1950s) tri tone 18c, 149 (1970s) two tone, 149 (1990s) two tone

 

The size of the pens changed over time as well - they got longer and fatter. Personally, I prefer the older, more modest sizes. The modern 146 is said to have increased its size in order to keep up with its cartridge filling cousin - the 147 (?). Notice how much longer it is than the older 146 because space was needed for its cartridge system and this eventually forced MB to make the modern 146 longer to match the 147’s size. Even the 149 increased in length and girth. Personally, I prefer the size of the 146 and 149 from the 1950s - in fact the perfect sized pen for my handwriting is the 146G. See pics below:

From left to right: 146 (1950s), 146 (1970s), 147 (2000s), 149 (1950s), 149 (1970s), 140 (1990s)

 

In my next post, I will be presenting my Spanish and Danish produced Montblancs. Thanks for reading!

[KAC]

Fascinating post on the evolution of the 149 series. You share my aesthetic sensibilities on fountain pens. Again, a fine collection and an interesting thread!

[siamackz]

Fascinating post on the evolution of the 149 series. You share my aesthetic sensibilities on fountain pens. Again, a fine collection and an interesting thread!

Thanks KAC!

[siamackz]

PART 3 - Spanish and Danish Designs

 

So far, I have presented my 13x collection, celluloid 14x collection, and a comparison of the more modern 14x series with the celluloid ones.

 

Moving on to the second shelf in my display, here we have three sets of pens:

Left - Spanish produced MBs from the 1950s

Centre - Mix of series from the 1930-70s

Right - Danish produced MBs in the1950s

 

 

Lets look more closely at the left and right of the display in this post, starting with the Spanish collection:

 

 

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 local and international demand after its bombing in 1944. Also, trade controls mandated by the Spanish dictatorship made it difficult to import pens at that time. 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 of the cap Fabricado en Espana por E. Wiese. I have a 44 and 42 in my collection. See pics below:

 

The 44 in grey striped colour is a middle sized pen from the 4x series, slightly larger than the 42. Both are piston fillers, as opposed the the 2x series which were identical looking but button fillers. The single brass cap ring and poor quality plating on the clip are quite weathered and shows the modest quality of materials used to make these pens. I really do appreciate the long ink window that is visible even when the cap is on. The colour of these pens is truly beautiful - bright and deep. Also, they have aged very well - there is no visible oxidization like one sees so commonly on the grey or green striped 14x Meisterstuck which cost several times more than the humble Spanish pens.

 

If you can read Spanish and would like to learn more about MBs from Spain then do visit Albert Ds article on it (I bought my pens from him). Its on his website here http://www.barcelonantiques.es/montblanc-espanolas. I didnt know anything about Spanish MBs before I saw one of Alberts listings on eBay - it was a 42 in golden brown. I had seen this listing for several months but ignored it because it was too expensive at the time and I didnt know anything about the Spanish production. Then, I noticed a book on sale in our FPN classifieds section - it was about Spanish MBs. I thought it would make a nice addition to my MBs in Denmark book and my Collectible Stars book. After reading it, I began to appreciate the history and design of these pens and thats when I connected with Albert and started exploring his rather unique collection.

 

While there is quite a variety of Spanish-made pens, I feel quite content with my collection for now. At the most, I might look out for a 23x with the green or red diagonal criss cross stripes.

 

Now, lets start with a closer look at my Danish-manufactured MB collection...

 

Alfred Oberg was Montblancs official distributor in Denmark from 1921 to 1991. But, in 1939 his company also started designing and manufacturing MB pens for the domestic market. In fact, in 1944 when the Hamburg factory was bombed by allied forces, the Denmark factory was the only one in the world producing pens. It seems the MB factory in Denmark made pens for other brands too, often using the same materials and even designs as MBs own line. One example is the Skribent Super 4 in coral red, to the extreme right of the pic above - this pen is near identical to the MB 214, and is said to be produced by MB for Skribent at the MB factory of its Danish manufacturer and distributor. The Skribent is to the far right in the picture below:

 

 

My Danish collection just happened to come together - it wasnt a conscious curation. I am drawn to colourful vintage MBs and so the coral red and marble green were obvious attractions. They happen to be made in Denmark. Interestingly though, my first few Danish MBs were not coloured ones, and this makes me realise that its not just the colour of the Danish pens that I like but also the other design elements like the bandless flat cap on the No. 1 and the point cap crown of the 244. Lets look at each of the MBs in this section more closely:

 

The No. 1 button filler with its cute little size 1 oblique nib has some flex and is a lovely writer! I adore these flat tops. This is the first Danish MB I bought. The caps without any bands are relatively rare. I also find the tear drop clip quite elegant. This pen was produced in the late 1930s. The cap top and blind cap are ebonite, while the rest of the pen is celluloid. A very understated and inconspicuous design which make the pen rather elegant and classy. Pics below:

 

The 224 is a button filler in beautiful coral red colour! I like the unique design of the pointy cap star! This one has a 4 size nib as it should. The Danish produced nibs show the size in the centre of the star imprint on the nib. I find that these nibs are more flexible than the German nibs from the same period, but they also seem to have less thickness of material or seem more fragile than the German nibs. I believe this pen was made between 1941 - 1954 parallel to the piston filling 24x which was identical except for the filling system. I bought this pen off a friend that deals in antiques when he was visiting India recently. He told me he would bring down some interesting MBs for me and when he pulled out a red pen I was so excited! Pics below:

 

The 244 piston filler in light green marble colour is the most valuable pen in my Danish collection. Its design is quite similar to the 224. I like how the ink window can be seen even when the pen is capped. This pen has a 4 size gold nib and so it was probably a post war production made between 1946 - 1954. The nib has HAMBURG inscribed at the bottom. I have never seen that on any other of my pens. Note that the Danish 244 cap top is designed differently from the same model introduced by the German factory in around 1952. The Danish one has a pointy cap crown and a prismatic or diamond style clip, while the German version has a rounded cap crown and a spade style clip. I had seen the green marbled 244 for sale on eBay and other websites but could never afford it. Then one day, an FPN member that bought these pens from an antique market wished to sell it for a reasonable price because the piston was seized. He made a post asking for suggestions on how to repair it. I made him an offer to buy the pen via PM. He agreed at a reasonable price. This was a huge risk for me because I had never repaired such a piston. But, with a little courage and study, I took it apart and fixed it. I have posted about the repair on FPN. Pics of the pen below:

 

This 244 in black very similar in design to the 224 and 244 in green. This one has a lovely OB steel nib and hence it dates back to the war time period of 1941-45 when gold could not be used. These mid-sized 2xx pens are well balanced, nicely sized pens. Pics below:

 

My Danish collection feels quite complete to me. The only model I would like to add here is a No. 25 with the 12 sided faceted design in marbled green or brown colour. These are rare and very expensive when found, so who knows when/if this pen makes its way into my collection.