|
by Werner Kleinhorst
|
|
The earliest Montblanc pens were eyedroppers and safety fillers. During the Roaring
Twenties Montblanc
experimented with various filling systems. They produced lever fillers for the export market and also compressor
fillers on a small scale.
Then the Thirties brought the largest variety of filling systems. As part of the regular product line one could
find
safety fillers, lever fillers, push button fillers, push knob fillers and finally piston fillers, which succeeded
until today.
In the early Thirties Montblanc brought a new numbering system. Lever fillers were canceled from the product line.
The intent collector can easily identify a pen by its 3-digit numbering:
First digit: 1 = Meisterstueck, 2 = Medium range, 3 = Economy, 4 = Stylos
Second digit: 0 = Safety filler, 2 = push-knob or push-button filler, 3 = Piston filler
Third digit: size of pen: 0,1, 2, 3 1/2, 4, 4 1/2 and 6, Meisterstuecks in addition 8
and 9
An appended letter denotes the
color and finish:
G = smooth, S = chased, E = rose pattern, P = Black and Pearl, PL = Platinum lined, a = octagonal (Safety only),
V = desk pen, K = short
A leading letter denotes a special
model:
L = luxury model
Most frequently found in the Meisterstueck line are the piston fillers 134 and 136 in the "G" finish.
From time to
time you will find colored models, xxxP models and PL-design Meisterstuecks offered in the upper price range.
The xxxS, xxxE and Lxxx models are very rare and seldom offered. According to these circumstances, prices are
high and pens in very good shape can cost several $1000.
Overview of xxxS pens (chased
design) produced in 1936:
Safety fillers: 102 S (18 RM), 104 S (22.50 RM), 106 S (27 RM), 108 S (35 RM)
Push fillers: 122 S (18 RM), 124 S (22.50 RM), 126 S (27 RM), 128 S (35 RM)
Pix-pencil: 72 S (5.75 RM)
Overview of xxxE pens (Extraklasse)
produced in 1936:
Safety filler: 104 E (25 RM)
Push filler: 124 E (25 RM)
Pix-pencil: 72 E (5.75 RM)
Overview of Lxxx-pens (Luxusklasse)
:
Push filler: L 129 (50 RM)
Piston filler: L 139 (from 1939)
Pencils: L 53 (4.75 RM), L 53 K (short 4.50 RM)
Pix-pencil: L 71 (6.50 RM), L 72 (6.50 RM), L 73 (6.25 RM)
You will find the original price of 1936 in Reichsmark (RM) after every model number.
Montblanc fountain pens with one of the above numbers are wanted by many collectors. Should you happen to
have one of these for sale, please get in contact with me. I will be happy to make an offer.
My implementations don't claim to be complete or exclusively right. But they shall
help to spread the knowledge
of these fine pens.
Special thanks to Dethardt Baumann for translating the original German text.
© All Rights Reserved. Printing, copying
and publishing, even in excerpts, only by permission of the author.
