The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[max dog]

I recently did a search online for a new 149 Calligraphy Flex pen, and given Montblanc discontinued them, they are very hard to find.  On EBAY I found a seller with a brand new unused 149C selling for $7500USD!  I saw a few more "pre-owned" 149Cs up for sale going for about half that at $3K to $4K.  Back in 2020 when I bouught mine, it cost me around $1300 CAD (approx $1K USD), so that is a 300% to 400% increase in value if I decided to sell mine today, though I will never sell it.  Could our 149 Calligraphy Flex pens, the iconic 149 fitted with a factory incredible flex nib, over the years become some of the most collectible and expensive 149s ever produced?

[fpupulin]

Hi @max dog, we will have to wait a little while to understand if the values you are talking about really represent an appreciation of that "good" or if it is pure speculation.

 

Something similar is happening with the 149 celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Meisterstück. Since Montblanc is slow in producing it and getting it to stores, and since it is practically certain that production will be suspended at the end of the celebratory year, you can find on Ebay and elsewhere various speculators offering this pen (1250 Euro in Boutique) at prices ranging between 1800 and 2200 dollars. Of course, with a little patience, you can still find it in stores, sometimes even with a small discount!

 

In the meantime, I take this opportunity to show a text, a "fake certificate", which I made using both pens in question, my legendary 149 Calligraphy Flexible and the new 149 The Origin with a broad nib.

 

 

The scripts are Copperplate (with the flexible nib) and the Rotonda Italiana, made with the broad nib. The text, in Italian, reads more or less like this:

 

"This Certificate is hereby given

to Mr.
Franco Pupulin
conferred to him by himself due to the pernicious
Waste of time
which he is often subjected to in the vain exercise of
Calligraphy"

[Carrau]

1 hour ago, fpupulin said:

Hi @max dog, we will have to wait a little while to understand if the values you are talking about really represent an appreciation of that "good" or if it is pure speculation.

 

Something similar is happening with the 149 celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Meisterstück. Since Montblanc is slow in producing it and getting it to stores, and since it is practically certain that production will be suspended at the end of the celebratory year, you can find on Ebay and elsewhere various speculators offering this pen (1250 Euro in Boutique) at prices ranging between 1800 and 2200 dollars. Of course, with a little patience, you can still find it in stores, sometimes even with a small discount!

 

In the meantime, I take this opportunity to show a text, a "fake certificate", which I made using both pens in question, my legendary 149 Calligraphy Flexible and the new 149 The Origin with a broad nib.

 

 

The scripts are Copperplate (with the flexible nib) and the Rotonda Italiana, made with the broad nib. The text, in Italian, reads more or less like this:

 

"This Certificate is hereby given

to Mr.
Franco Pupulin
conferred to him by himself due to the pernicious
Waste of time
which he is often subjected to in the vain exercise of
Calligraphy"

 Beautiful lettering.  The serifs and joiners written with the “Origin” broad nib show a good bit of line variation.  Is that a plain B nib with which you are working your magic, Franco, or does it have some stubbish character?  

[fpupulin]

1 hour ago, Carrau said:

 Beautiful lettering.  The serifs and joiners written with the “Origin” broad nib show a good bit of line variation.  Is that a plain B nib with which you are working your magic, Franco, or does it have some stubbish character?  

 

This is a "plain Broad" installed by Montblanc on my pen, @Carrau. Now, on my experience, all the B and BB nibs by Montblanc have a "stubbish" nature that makes them very helpful tools to render the normal handwriting more "personal" and interesting. 

[Carrau]

Grazie, Franco.  Writing lowercase “f,” “g,” and “p”  in cursive always gives me joy when I can get the curve of the serif just the way I want it.  The “q” I always have trouble getting to my satisfaction, alas.

[sav]

On 10/12/2024 at 11:40 PM, max dog said:

I recently did a search online for a new 149 Calligraphy Flex pen, and given Montblanc discontinued them, they are very hard to find.  On EBAY I found a seller with a brand new unused 149C selling for $7500USD!  I saw a few more "pre-owned" 149Cs up for sale going for about half that at $3K to $4K.  Back in 2020 when I bouught mine, it cost me around $1300 CAD (approx $1K USD), so that is a 300% to 400% increase in value if I decided to sell mine today, though I will never sell it.  Could our 149 Calligraphy Flex pens, the iconic 149 fitted with a factory incredible flex nib, over the years become some of the most collectible and expensive 149s ever produced?

They are not happy with how the Curved nib successor is selling, so they might be considering bringing back the flex, I heard from the dealer.

[singlechange]

On 10/13/2024 at 12:40 AM, max dog said:

I recently did a search online for a new 149 Calligraphy Flex pen, and given Montblanc discontinued them, they are very hard to find.  On EBAY I found a seller with a brand new unused 149C selling for $7500USD!  I saw a few more "pre-owned" 149Cs up for sale going for about half that at $3K to $4K.  Back in 2020 when I bouught mine, it cost me around $1300 CAD (approx $1K USD), so that is a 300% to 400% increase in value if I decided to sell mine today, though I will never sell it.  Could our 149 Calligraphy Flex pens, the iconic 149 fitted with a factory incredible flex nib, over the years become some of the most collectible and expensive 149s ever produced?

The 149 Çalligraphy Flex from 2019-2020 come up for sale if you are looking for an used one. Late last year one was up for sale on one of the pen forums for less than $1,000. I saw an used one, 2019 date on the box, for sale for $1,600. Recently I did see a new Legrand Flex for $900 in Pakistan, though the shop was not an authorized Montblanc dealer.

[Keyless Works]

I have had this pen for some time and I want to ask what people think of the tip shape. It is sort of a brick shape instead of the more rounded shape I am used to. Would it be wrong to have the tip rounded out by a nib meister?

 

The reason I say this is that my old 1960s 149s are just as flexible but write much more smoothly (or at least in a way that I perceive to be more smooth), and that is saying nothing of proper vintage flex nibs. 

[fireant]

On 10/15/2024 at 5:17 PM, singlechange said:

The 149 Çalligraphy Flex from 2019-2020 come up for sale if you are looking for an used one. Late last year one was up for sale on one of the pen forums for less than $1,000. I saw an used one, 2019 date on the box, for sale for $1,600. Recently I did see a new Legrand Flex for $900 in Pakistan, though the shop was not an authorized Montblanc dealer.

 

I found several on Stilograph Corsani's website in 2022. Who knows, more might shake loose there. 

 

[singlechange]

13 hours ago, Keyless Works said:

I have had this pen for some time and I want to ask what people think of the tip shape. It is sort of a brick shape instead of the more rounded shape I am used to. Would it be wrong to have the tip rounded out by a nib meister?

 

The reason I say this is that my old 1960s 149s are just as flexible but write much more smoothly (or at least in a way that I perceive to be more smooth), and that is saying nothing of proper vintage flex nibs. 

In 2022 I purchased a brand new Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex. I wouldn't characterize the nib writing as smooth. I don't think you should alter the nib on your 149 Calligraphy Flex. It would devalue and, most importantly, take away the unique characteristic of this rare Montblanc effort. You should look for another pen that meets your preference for the smoothest writing nib, like the smooth writers David Isaacson suggests in the 1950s Sheaffer Triumph and Sheaffer PFM. Let us know what you end up doing and what pen you find.

[Keyless Works]

1 hour ago, singlechange said:

In 2022 I purchased a brand new Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex. I wouldn't characterize the nib writing as smooth. I don't think you should alter the nib on your 149 Calligraphy Flex. It would devalue and, most importantly, take away the unique characteristic of this rare Montblanc effort. You should look for another pen that meets your preference for the smoothest writing nib, like the smooth writers David Isaacson suggests in the 1950s Sheaffer Triumph and Sheaffer PFM. Let us know what you end up doing and what pen you find.

Do you know why they made the tip shape the way they did. Is there a technical purpose I am missing? 

 

If I could make the pen write smoother I think I would enjoy it more. 

[fpupulin]

On 10/15/2024 at 4:59 PM, sav said:

They are not happy with how the Curved nib successor is selling, so they might be considering bringing back the flex, I heard from the dealer.

Why didn't they instead introduce a type of calligraphy nib that is deeply rooted in our historical culture, such as a formal and sharp italic of medium size, i.e. 0.6-0.8 mm? I am sure that this would be a great commercial success.

[Keyless Works]

43 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

Why didn't they instead introduce a type of calligraphy nib that is deeply rooted in our historical culture, such as a formal and sharp italic of medium size, i.e. 0.6-0.8 mm? I am sure that this would be a great commercial success.

I actually love the curved nib it is one of my favorite pens now.

 

That said, I've been wishing for a Montblanc sharp italic for a long time. I bought the Fritz Schimpf Italic Edge 149 and that pen was a disappointment as it was much more closer to a big stub.  

[fireant]

54 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

Why didn't they instead introduce a type of calligraphy nib that is deeply rooted in our historical culture, such as a formal and sharp italic of medium size, i.e. 0.6-0.8 mm? I am sure that this would be a great commercial success.

 

o tried the curved flex and disliked it intensely. I get that it’s a Naginata type nib, but it was just strange. 
 

I have several fountain pens with that grind that are honestly much better writers than the MB version.

[Keyless Works]

1 hour ago, fireant said:

 

o tried the curved flex and disliked it intensely. I get that it’s a Naginata type nib, but it was just strange. 
 

I have several fountain pens with that grind that are honestly much better writers than the MB version.

It's funny how we all have different tastes. I had a really nice Stylo Art with a Sailor Naginata Togi M and I just didn't get on with it but I'd put my Curved 149 nib in my top three favorite (non flex nibs) along with Aurora's factory Italic, and 50-70s 149 OBBs.

[fpupulin]

With just over two months to go until the end of the year of celebrations for the 100th anniversary of Meisterstück, I liked the idea of also celebrating my relationship with the pens of this series.

 

In the next two photographs, I bring together three of my favorite Meisterstück pens (Hemingway, which began as the "Meisterstück Edition", Calligraphy, and The Origin), emphasizing the persistence of their timeless aesthetic.

 

 

[fireant]

On 6/1/2024 at 3:57 AM, como said:

@digitorum As I understand it and the boutique in Zürich confirmed that there is no option of 3B and 3OB any more. I know that 3B was taken off the option since quite a few years now bur I don’t know since when they stopped 3OB too. 

 

Can it be ordered with (the nib exchange program) for an OBB nib?

 

[fpupulin]

Oh well, Montblanc has launched its celebratory pens to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Meisterstück, but the party is actually for all the pens (and not only) of this celebrated line. In this divertissement I used two of my most emblematic Meisterstück, the new The Origin with a (really broad) B nib and the trusty Calligraphy, which for the occasion has returned to present herself with the Golden Brown ink by Diamine. There is no doubt that true masterpieces cannot be improvised.

 

[fpupulin]

If any of the readers of these pages dedicated to 149 Calligraphy have had the opportunity to stick their nose into the "100th Anniversary editions" thread, they will certainly know that I am one of the happy owners of the 149 The Origin. For a lover of the form and perfect functionality of a 149, as I am, there was no way not to join the party with a 149 celebrating 100 years of Meisterstück.

 

That said, the 149 The Origin is a 149 with a luxury "body" and nibs that are standard for the Hamburg company, even if engraved with motifs alluding to the anniversary. A splendid automobile with a choice of "regular" engines.

 

The pen that we have been celebrating here, in this thread, for a few years now is exactly the opposite. It has the body of a "humble" standard 149, and an engine from another world, its fantastic Calligraphy Flex nib.

 

Since I find the 149 irresistibly beautiful in its classic livery, no matter if with silver rings or made of celluloid, with a one-piece or two-piece barrel, with an ebonite or plastic feeder, and a plastic or brass piston... well, for me the best celebration of Meisterstück is a humble 149, in any of its incarnations.

 

I understand that Montblanc must have thought that the eye wants its part, with the many colorful and ornate models they produced for the Anniversary, but if there is a pen that for me represents a true "celebration", an "ode" to Meisterstück, it is the regular 149 with a star nib like the Calligraphy, which is a real allusion to the Meisterstücks of the past.

 

[fireant]

Beautiful!