Montblanc 254

[penman88]

so i came accross this nice little montblanc 254, I believe from the 50's or 60's. so I looked around and I cant seem to find much information on the pen? any reviews, advice, info or opinions are most welcome and of course the contentious issue of pricing any help would be great

[CS388]

They're great pens. The wing nibs are butter smooth and they hold a boatload of ink. Mid 1950's to early 1960's.

They have a slip-on cap - which tends to crack.

There was only a short run of this model (possibly due to the caps cracking, which was a design fault)

Came in three sizes 252, 254, 256.

 

However, cracked caps are common, so look very carefully. I've never seen a 25x series cap successfully repaired, so a replacement would be the only option - and they're not easy to find.

 

All that said, if you can get a good one, I'd highly recommend it.

Good luck.

[penman88]

at 170$?

[OMASsimo]

CS388 described it perfectly well. This is one of the very few Montblancs I ever liked to write with, the nib is just fantastic. My 254 has no cracks but the finial is damaged. Spare parts are basically non-existent.

 

$170? No way I would pay that for this pen, but that's only my personal opinion. I think than many vintage Montblancs are grossly overpriced.

[CS388]

Hi penman88

Without knowing more, I'd try and haggle it down a bit?

A boxed near-mint example, with exactly the nib you want could go for $170 and beyond.

There's (still) currently one on eb*y at around $3.5k - which has the `(now ironic) cap instruction sticker intact.

But, I'd think of $170 as top money, so it would have to be a very good example.

 

Here in the UK (currently still Europe) Run-of-the-mill 254's can come under the £100 mark. But, are obviously becoming rarer - and prices are rising accordingly. Cracked capped pens can be priced slightly above parts pens.

 

OMASsimo is right about the MB vintage prices, but it's happening with all of the big brands, as the stock diminishes.

 

Do you have a picture, or more details?

 

I bought two 254's in NYC in the early 2000's. One was a flea-market bargain and the other was way overpriced.

Win some, lose some.

Great pens, though!

 

Enjoy.

Edited February 23, 2019 by CS388

[siamackz]

If you have a good example with definitely no cracks in the cap (after checking with a loupe) then Id do it for $170. Sure you could get a $20-30 cheaper or higher price, but these are becoming rarer to find without cracked caps. I just bought a 256 a few months ago. If you are interested in my short write up about the 25x series then check this page out https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/342014-my-vintage-mb-collection/page-6

All the best

[penman88]

Thanks for all of the help guys, I did not mention price includes shipping, also pics available here in classifieds , looks clean, ink windows is clear and not stained but I still feel its a little high, I made a offer at 160 that was turned down🤔

[Bo Bo Olson]

 

This seems to be one of the few posts on the MB 254.

 

It's not my pen. I found out a lady at my old folks gymnastics liked fountain pens and had three from her father.

The Pelikan didn't work, so I took a look at them.

A old Pelikan 400(needs gasket and feed cap), a light and nimble semi-flex 22 that is probably from after '55 in it's gasket is fine (I have a 32), and a 254, which is the same size as a Pelikan 100. It too looks like it has a 1.0 Gasket from before 1955. Ink in the cap and at the piston cap.

It has quite nice balance. Not quite so 'good' as the '48-60 medium-large 146.

 

(I find the large 70-now 146 to be just a hair big and less nimble than many of the medium-large pens. Stately, not nimble compared to the medium-large 146. whose balance lays a tad on the stately side than the nimble. A great balanced pen.)

 

The 254 is a pen I'm now going to put on my watch list.

This one has a whole cap.

I'd say it balances better than the Pelikan 100.

 

Anyone with one, has a fine top ten semi-flex pen.

I'm sending those two off to Francis.

 

She still has a couple modern Lamys, but I've given her a nice assortment of papers, and when I get the pens back, start her voyage into the Golden Age of Inks.

 

The poor dear, has been stuck in the old German blues.