The Meisterstück 149 Calligraphy Appreciation Thread

[singlechange]

Very well said, fpupulin!  I believe there are very few fountain pen owners who are fortunate enough to find and own a writing instrument that really is "the one."  You got your first Montblanc 149 in Venice in 1980. Look how many years it took you to find and own this Montblanc Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition. Wow!

[fpupulin]

2 hours ago, singlechange said:

Very well said, fpupulin!  I believe there are very few fountain pen owners who are fortunate enough to find and own a writing instrument that really is "the one."  You got your first Montblanc 149 in Venice in 1980. Look how many years it took you to find and own this Montblanc Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition. Wow!

Thank you, @singlechange, you are absolutely right! It took me 40 years to move from a small bunch of beloved 149s to “the” 149 that I consider the best among those I owned. Admittedly, I never ventured in the realm of “very vintage” 149, those of the Sixties, of which I have always heard speaking as marvelous pens. But I do not feel in my comfort zone when I move to territories that can not be serviced by Montblanc’s contemporary assistance…

 

I said in several opportunities that the Calligraphy is my best 149, even though it is not my best “calligraphic” nib, as this title rests on a few of my Omas pens of the Seventies. But the Calligraphy nib is very, very close to those perfect nibs, and not only it is the only one that is mounted on the body of my preferred pen, a Meisterstück 149, but also the only calligraphic nib in my modest collection that can be assisted by an official Service center if and when I would need it. And this is not a trivial thing for me. 
 

Since almost five years now, my calligraphy has been in constant use. I do not remember any other of my pens of which I can say the same. For this reason I value this pen like a true treasure.
 

Thanks again for you thoughts.

[max dog]

On 10/13/2024 at 2:18 PM, 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"

 

On 10/15/2024 at 3:59 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.

 

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.

 

Hi Franco, you have the most wonderrful calligraphy penmanship, you do this legendary MB 149 Calligraphy flex pen amazing justice!  All I can say is, the 149C holds it's value and brings great return on investment, not that I would ever consider selling it, I will take it with me to my grave.  It's the best fountain pen I've ever owned, bar none!  Mine works and writes as good as it did day one, after using it every single day at work and at home, constantly inked.  In the photo, the ink used is MB Irish Green.  

 

Sav, that would be awesome if they bring the 149 Calligraphy flex back, I would buy another one in a heartbeat.  I did get the Burgundy 146 Solitaire Calligraphy flex pen, which has a different character compared to the 149C.  It is a wonderful extra fine nib for everyday writing, with wonderful effortless flex available on tap.  The MB 149C in comparison I find feels more like my vintage flex Waterman's 52V, very wet and responsive.  I love both pens, but the 149C has the edge.  It feels like I am writing with a flex dip pen, but with all the benefits of a modern practical pen.  I use it for work every single day for note taking, and it is flawless.  

 

Singlechange, I think the MB 149C will be one of the finest and most sought after Montblancs in history.  The iconic 149, with a wonderful flex nib!  What more can you dream of!  I have the Pilot Falcon 912 FA with an after market 3 slit ebonite feed which drastically improved it's flex and reliability.  I really enjoy this pen too, but man the Montblanc 149C is so much more refined!  I vote it's one of the finest fountain pens ever made!  After 5 years of use every single day, I really think it is.

[singlechange]

I am back to owning the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition.  This time she is an used one.  The owner said it wasn't taken out of the box much at all.  The original box has the date "07/19."  I am glad I found this particular one last month.

[fpupulin]

20 hours ago, max dog said:

Hi Franco, you have the most wonderrful calligraphy penmanship, you do this legendary MB 149 Calligraphy flex pen amazing justice!  All I can say is, the 149C holds it's value and brings great return on investment, not that I would ever consider selling it, I will take it with me to my grave.  It's the best fountain pen I've ever owned, bar none!  Mine works and writes as good as it did day one, after using it every single day at work and at home, constantly inked.  In the photo, the ink used is MB Irish Green.  

 

 

Dearest @max dog, it is always a great pleasure for me to find here, on this post of true enthusiasts of the 149 Calligraphy flexible, one of your contributions, enriched by a new image of your daily use of this unique pen.

I confess that our common appreciation of the 149 Calligraphy has allowed us to create a relationship of elective affinity with you, so much so that on multiple occasions I found myself with my finger ready to press the "buy" button of a Burgundy 146 Solitaire Calligraphy flexivble, because I read about it in your posts and because I hold your opinion in the highest esteem. A pen with a calligraphic nib that you like could not fail to please me too... The price made me desist, but who knows...

As you may have seen in the image above, my Calligraphy has had a "sister" in the 149 The Origin for a couple of months, which I wanted with a broad nib. It's a good pen, and a good companion for Calligraphy, although I would have preferred that the broad nib was "a little narrower".

Happy writing and I'll talk to you again on these pages.

[fpupulin]

8 hours ago, singlechange said:

I am back to owning the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition.  This time she is an used one.  The owner said it wasn't taken out of the box much at all.  The original box has the date "07/19."  I am glad I found this particular one last month.

 

I understand from your post, @singlechange, that you have previously owned the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition and that for some reason this pen had fallen out of your favorites.

Welcome back to the Montblanc flexo-maniac club! Your new pen looks absolutely mint!

 

I am sure that this time, the 149 Calligraphy will never leave the group of your select pens.

 

 

[singlechange]

45 minutes ago, fpupulin said:

 

I understand from your post, @singlechange, that you have previously owned the Montblanc 149 Calligraphy Flex Nib Special Edition and that for some reason this pen had fallen out of your favorites.

Welcome back to the Montblanc flexo-maniac club! Your new pen looks absolutely mint!

 

I am sure that this time, the 149 Calligraphy will never leave the group of your select pens.

 

 

Your persistence in keeping this Montblac 149 Calligraphy thread alive going for these many years has influenced me a lot. I bought my first 149 Calligraphy back in 2022 new.  After getting it,  I came to the conclusion that  it didn't perform well so I sold it soon afterwards.  Over the next years I kept thinking about the unique status in Montblanc's history of the 149 Calligraphy nib.  Three montths ago, I begin my search and last month this used one popped up on eBay and I jumped on it.  Though I paid a high premium for one used, I lucked out and it was in mint condition with box and papers. Best of all the nib performed so much better than my 2022 new nib.  As a bonus, the seller turned out to be a fountain pen collector and gave me the story behind his purchase and how he had cared for it and advice on how I should maintain it.  

[max dog]

On 11/11/2024 at 6:49 PM, fpupulin said:

 

 

Dearest @max dog, it is always a great pleasure for me to find here, on this post of true enthusiasts of the 149 Calligraphy flexible, one of your contributions, enriched by a new image of your daily use of this unique pen.

I confess that our common appreciation of the 149 Calligraphy has allowed us to create a relationship of elective affinity with you, so much so that on multiple occasions I found myself with my finger ready to press the "buy" button of a Burgundy 146 Solitaire Calligraphy flexivble, because I read about it in your posts and because I hold your opinion in the highest esteem. A pen with a calligraphic nib that you like could not fail to please me too... The price made me desist, but who knows...

As you may have seen in the image above, my Calligraphy has had a "sister" in the 149 The Origin for a couple of months, which I wanted with a broad nib. It's a good pen, and a good companion for Calligraphy, although I would have preferred that the broad nib was "a little narrower".

Happy writing and I'll talk to you again on these pages.  The 149 Origin collection looks really elegant and handsome

 

Hi Franco, thank you so much for your kind words!  I always check out this thread first whenever I jump into the forum, and always love admiring your calligraphy and insights into this and other pens.  

 

The new Origin Collection pens are gorgeous, love the vintage inscription on the cap and the stylish clip.  It all looks so elegant with a vintage flair.  I like the metallic ends too.  

 

I wish Montblanc will continue to offer their calligraphy flex nibs in their different pens, perhaps a special edition 149 or 146 Origin Calligraphy collection! 

 

I have to admit the Burgundy Lacquer pen is very gorgeous.  I always liked red pens, and the deep red gradient lacquering with a subtle metallic base underneath together is all quite stunning, that photos just don't do it justice.  I wanted a second MB Calligraph flex pen as a back up in case anything unfortuante should happen to the 149C, so a year and a half ago when I saw the Burgundy Solitaire with the flex nib at the MB website, and it happened to coincide wtih my 60th birthday, and my wife and family gave me some birthday money to get myself something nice that was just enough for this pen, it felt like that pen was meant to be for me.  Shortly afterwards, they discontinued the calligraphy flex nib on it, and offer a monotone medium nib now.  In a review they mentioned only 800 with the flex nib were produced.  I presume it's rarity will go up like the 149 Calligraphy flex. 

 

I recall you acquired a 2nd 149C flex, good for you!  The legendary 149 with a factory calligraphy flex nib is the KING!  The massive nib in monotone yellow gold with just the simple signature flex figure 8s inscribed exude an appealing vintage elegance to it I love.   The 149 is already an impressive iconic masterpiece for anyone who appreciates fine pens, but then when you uncap it and reveal a very rare and special factory flex nib, it takes it to another level of impressive.  

[fpupulin]

You do remember well, @max dog: another 149 Calligraphy Flexible Nib Limited Edition is still stored in her box, even though I checked a couple of times that the nib performed as supposed to do. In fact, the nibs of my two Calligraphy pens were indistinguishable.

 

Time ago, I had the luck that a dear friend loaned to me for a few days her 146 Calligraphy, which - I suppose - uses the same nib of your gorgeous Burgundy Solitaire. So I exactly understand your feelings about the two pens. The Calligraphy nib of the 146 requires a bit more effort to spread, but on the other side its springback is quicker. The easy way in which 149 Calligraphy nib flexes made it a pure joy to use for normal writing "con brio".  146 Calligraphy is perhaps the best choice for pointed nib calligraphy, as in my opinion it behaves more like a true calligraphic nib, with more "tension".

[fpupulin]

This year too, the trusty Calligraphy was the main pen in charge of writing our "electronic Christmas cards". The following is the version in Castilian, and the "signatures" are made with the broad nib of the 149 The Origin.

 

In the photograph, we pretended that the writer was the Solitaire Pinstripe, because the warm reflections of silver are appropriate for the festive period. In any case, only true maniacs like us can be interested in which pen we use to write our greetings...