Mont Blanc Fountain Pen 144 AUTHENTICATION

[pts987]

Hi guys. I have purchased a Mont Blanc 144 Meisterstuck fountain pen. I have a some questions as far as authenticity.. My pen has the white start mont blanc at the top of the cap. It has the gold pen clip with the word GERMANY engraved directly to the back of the clip. There is no serial #, is that a concern?? Also, it has the three gold plated rings first one being very thin and the middle ring being the thickest stating MONTBLANC MEISTERSTUCK. The thrid ring is a bit thicker then the first top ring. Also the cap snaps onto the pen body it doesn't screw on.. on the body etslef there are three rings. one on the part that screws off at the top of the pen. On the portion with the nib there are 2 gold plated rings one right above the nib and 1 right below the section where the barrel screws onto the inb section. My other concern is the fact that the part that you screw the barrel to is plastic, is that normal?? I've seen some 144's with it being gold metal.. The converter states mont blanc on it.. the nib is completely gold and reads 4810 and below has a mont blanc symbolic inscription followed by 14k and underenethe it says mont blanc..Right under the nib is a black plastic piece with a # 2 at the bottom, meaning away from the nib point.. My main concern is the portion that the barrel screws onto being plastic, and the GERMANY inscription directly on the back of the clip. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME>> :bonk:

As others have correctly noted, it's difficult to spot fakes looking at pictures online. One test you can try is to remove the barrel or the cap, and shine a very bright white light into the tube. The genuine MB black resin is a ruby red color, which will be visible when backlit this way. An alternative is to hold the barrel up into bright direct sunlight. As you move it, you will see the unmistakable red ruby color resulting from the limited transparency of the material. While this is not a guarantee of authenticity, I think it represents a good way to spot a fake.

 

[rogerb]

I hope that I have maximised the possibility of my recently-purchased 144's being genuine, by getting it from speerbob

[niksch]

I hope that I have maximised the possibility of my recently-purchased 144's being genuine, by getting it from speerbob

 

 

If you got it from Bob, you can be assured it it the genuine article. He's a great seller.

 

Eric

[rogerb]

Thanks, Eric...so many people say so that I bought with confidence

 

(Can you believe I have never even had a MB pen in my hands? )

Edited April 28, 2008 by rogerb

[pyalong]

<!--quoteo(post=520186:date=Feb 20 2008, 05:03 PM:name=Kalessin)--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kalessin @ Feb 20 2008, 05:03 PM) 520186[/snapback]</div><div class='quotemain'><!--quotec-->As I replied on another topic thread, that article isn't factually correct. For example, the author asserts that "Almost all Montblanc pens have serial numbers on the ring connected to the clip." Montblanc has been in business for over 100 years, and even the Meisterstucks have been made since the 1950's, and they didn't start using serial numbers until 1991.

 

The article as written doesn't convince me that the author has a lot of expertise with pen collecting in general, or with Montblancs in specific.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Concur on that. My vintage 144 doesn't have a serial on its cap <img src="https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/happyberet.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="" border="0" alt="happyberet.gif" />

 

 

Maybe it's a FAKE..... :ltcapd: .................Sorry I just had to .......

[Florida Blue]

The fakery panacea seems to be enveloping a lot of folks right now. But I ask you to look at what is being faked: LEs, Starwalkers, etc., and for other manufacturers, the types of pens--guilloche & lacquer finishes, many of which are extremely well made (Cartier & Caran d'Ache). But for MB fakes, especially when you think about the 144/6/9s; why fake a pen that is so prevalent in both private and retail inventory? It would be like counterfeiting $1.00 bills. The watch we saw in this forum last week is a good example of what I am talking about. An item with a low production #, high cache, not a lot of publicity, but enough to make someone think he got a deal.

 

Two of the most faked pens ever have been the Montblanc 164 Classique ballpoint and the Montblanc 145/Chopin/Classique fountain pen. They may be MBs cheapest Mesiterstuck models but that is primarily the reason they get counterfeited. They are cheap to produce. They also happen to be Montblancs best selling models which is one of the reasons you see a plethora of fake Starwalkers especially the ballpoints and rollerballs because those are the most in demand. You are right that LEs and 149/6s get counterfeited too but they are probably more difficult to unload.

 

Crooks counterfeit $1 bills because few would expect $1 bills to be counterfeited. Rarely do they ever get highlighted at stores or held up to a light.

[slowdown]

Sorry to be so late to the party, but I am the original owner of a Montblanc 144 (first generation) purchased from an authorized dealer in 1984ish. It looks just like yours. I do seem to remember that the (long gone) converter was similar to the aerometric, with a rubber gasket.