Montegrappa Extra 1930 Marbled Green

[fpupulin]

As many of the pen pals on this forum will surely know, I am afflicted by a certain obsession with some of Montegrappa’s pens. The Extra 1930 and Extra Otto, as well as their predecessors the Classica (in celluloid and resin) and the Historia (the latter a limited edition pen), are irresistible to me. I am enchanted by their perfect shape and size, their noticeable weight, and the celluloids from which they are made, of which I struggle to define the most beautiful. The adventure that led to the Extra 1930 and its multifaceted sister, the Extra Otto (originally also produced in three different celluloids, all in a limited edition of 888 pieces), began in 1999 with the Classica and Historia, which in some ways defined the general look of these pens. In 2000 the Classica transformed into the Extra, with “enlarged” cap ring and nib, and an engraving on the barrel that reads “MONTEGRAPPA EXTRA”. This was already, in essence, the Extra as we know it today.

 

The colors of the first Extras are, for the most part, brightly Italian: red, turquoise, yellow, parchment (but also Midnight Blue and Carbon). The production of Extras in these colors lasted about five years. When, in 2005, Montegrappa passed into the hands of the multinational luxury group LVMH (one of the world's leading groups in high-quality products, with brands such as Chanel, Luis Vuitton, Christian Dior, TAG Heuer, Tiffany, Bulgari, Moët & Chandon and Veuve Clicquot, among others), the beautiful Extra was somehow internationalized. Renamed Extra 1930, the engraving on the barrel was erased (a venial sin, but a sin nonetheless) and the number of colors available dropped drastically from six to two, both new for the brand. Of these two new colors, “Turtle” would practically become the “flag color” of Montegrappa, which continued to produce the Extra 1930 in this celluloid even when the company returned to the Aquila family, and kept it in production almost unchanged for 18 years, until 2023, when this color was discontinued as an offering for the regular Extra 1930 (although it remains available for the customized version).

 

The fate of the other original Extra 1930 color, "Marbled Green", was distinct and shorter-lived. Unlike Turtle, Marbled Green was not a proprietary celluloid of Montegrappa. Other industrial manufacturers (for example Delta) and some more artisanal ones purchased some stocks of this beautiful celluloid and produced their own pens.

 

I have always had a weakness for Montegrappa’s “proprietary celluloids,” such as the Turtle, Black Bamboo, Red, Black and White, Yellow, Carbon, Shiny Lines, and Zebra, to name a few, celluloids of which the owners of Montegrappa purchased the entire production in order to “sign” their pens in a unique way. Over time, I have purchased almost all the Extras produced in these colors. I was missing, in particular, two that I appreciate very much. The Midnight Blue, of which a few examples occasionally surface for sale, has always tempted me. The temptation for this celluloid in this model has, however, somewhat diminished since a few years ago Montegrappa produced, with the same material, its non-limited edition Extra Otto, which sooner or later will be – I believe – my second and perhaps last Extra Otto. For my tastes, together with the Shiny Lines – which I already own – the Otto in Midnight Blue is the most beautiful and elegant of the Ottos; like Linee Brillanti, an “evening pen”, to go to the Opera.

 

But the other celluloid, Marbled Green, is in my eyes truly splendid and irreplaceable. Of course, having been produced for less than two years (2005 and 2006; already in 2007 it was replaced by Black Bamboo), a Marbled Green Extra 1930 is a real rarity. And there is more. In Marbled Green, an important part of the color is - practically - the natural opalescent straw color of the celluloid. This opalescent and creamy color ages, in contact with the hand and exposed to light, and takes on an amber-brown tone. There is nothing to be done: the process is impossible to avoid, unless the pen is not used and remains closed in a dark place. Neither of the two conditions is acceptable for someone like me, who uses his pens. But...

 

But, look, I would have liked to find an Extra 1930 in Marbled Green still intact, that would age, of course, in its own way that is at the same time inevitable and organic and almost alive, but that would age with the signs and shadows of my hand, rather than with those of someone else. A miracle happened this year, when I found and purchased the pen, new old stock, from an online retailer.

 

To say that it is beautiful is not an understatement, it is a stammer. Extra 1930 in Marbled Green is spectacular.

 

Here I present two photographs of it, one in a more classic setting, the other more tropical.

 

 

 

In Costa Rica, small green bananas are called guineos, a word that refers to an unripe, green banana, like the ones in the photograph. The ripe, yellow banana here is called banano. The term guineo comes from Guinea, one of the African regions where bananas originate, but the word does not have the same meaning throughout Latin America. In Bolivia, guineos are small bananas (large ones are called gualeles), while in El Salvador, all bananas, unripe or ripe, are called guineos. Guineos are eaten once cooked in water and are used to prepare many delicious dishes, both hot and cold.

 

When I received my new pen, which in the store had been kept in its case without a protective layer, I noticed that on one side it had slightly stuck to the cream-colored imitation leather of the box. I peeled it off and cleaned it a little, just enough to notice that the fake leather had not only adhered to the celluloid, but had interacted with it, creating a thin fringe of microscopic bubbles along the contact surface, barely perceptible to the touch, but which made that strip slightly opaque to the eye. I called my now very dear friend Peter Zanesco at Montegrappa to ask if I could do something myself, but Peter told me that - perhaps - I could sand it a little, but that polishing celluloid is something that requires the intervention of professionals and suitable machinery. The pen left the next morning (it was a Friday) by registered mail for Bassano del Grappa. I think they received it on Monday in Veneto. On Tuesday morning Peter wrote to me that the pen had been repaired and returned to sender. It arrived home in the afternoon!

 

Montegrappa took care of the cleaning and shipping by courier free of charge. I write these things to share my joy at this speed and to underline that often, much more often than one might think from hearing only the bells of complaints, the customer service of Italian companies - and certainly that of Montegrappa - is amazingly effective and to be praised.

 

My Extra 1930 in Marbled Green has a medium nib, of the type from twenty years ago, decorated with a Palladian Greek fret, which writes perfectly: a medium rather thin and lively, which makes writing a gesture of pure pleasure. I like to turn it between my fingers and write with it. I know it will age and have its marks, as I do and as I rub myself too. But it is nice to know that we will do it together.

[Zdenek]

Congratulations to the great pen that is worth of your beautiful handwriting. Myself never seen any Extra in real. 

[Carrau]

Many of us undoubtedly derive great pleasure from writing with beautiful implements, but no one expresses this joy as well as you, Franco, and few with such humility.  I also offer my congratulations, and am pleased to know of the gladness  your guineo will bring you in days to come.  I look forward to seeing it adorning pictures of your writing.

[Christopher Godfrey]

Exactly what Carrau wrote...+1!!

[Toll]

What a wonderful reading experience. I bought a Montegrappa Extra 1930, with the turtle celluloid,  perhaps 8-10 years ago, in part, because of Franco’s posts at that time. I never regretted that purchase and this thread helps explain why. Thank you for your eloquence with pen, paper, and a camera.