Can you help - is this Montblanc gold Solitaire fountain pen an oddity/rarity?

May 9, 2007

Can you help.....?

Although we are an online retailer of (new) luxury and designer writing instruments and accessories, this post is an attempt to try to help one of our customers who has, we hope, a Mont Blanc oddity - but we could be wrong! The scenario is best described by the fountain pen's owner, as follows:

“About 15 years ago I did some work for Dunhill, who I believe owned the Mont Blanc brand. The pen was part of a consignment sent to the States and returned when it was discovered that the nib was 14 carat gold and not 18 carat.

The retail value at the time was $450, see sticker on box... I am not sure if it can be regarded as a collectors piece or purely an oddity. I get the impression that very few exist. (I could be wrong). Apart from this I have no other information.”

Although we don't normally get involved in anything other than brand new writing instruments, we couldn't help but be intrigued about this pen, so we quickly took some photos and put up a web page with all the detail we could muster. Hopefully between us we can all help the owner fill in the missing info and maybe even find him a loving new home for the fountain pen.

If anyone can have a look and give us any information on the pen, it's rarity (if any) and possibly it's value (the customer is looking ultimately to sell the pen), then we and our customer would be very grateful. Thanks in advance for any information you can offer.

You can get to the web page we've built, with all the information we have on this lovely fountain pen, by going to www.pensfromheaven.com and then scroll down a little and click on the big black "Mont Blanc Solitaire Oddity" graphic (you can't miss it)... or otherwise hopefully this link might take you straight there.

http://www.pilotdesign.info/Mont_Blanc/Mont_Blanc_Solitaire_fountain_pen_images/Mont_Blanc_Solitaire_fountain_pen_open.jpg

May 10, 2007

It certainly is a beautiful pen. Yes it's the gold plated vermeil (I think it was the barley pattern) solitaire. The nib being 14k isn't unusual. MBs from the 90s especially in the 144 line had dual tone and monotone 14k nibs. I can't tell from the pictures, but does the feed have fins or is it flat? Most 144 line pens from this time had the flat feed.

Whether the 14k nib makes it more or less valuable, it's hard to say. Some prefer the 14k because it has more flex than the 18k. In any case you have a NOS gold plated MB that is at least worth $450 if not more. You certainly can't get that pen new anymore.

Go ahead and check out www.fountainpen.de and maybe ask them their opinion on worth. It's in german, but I'm pretty sure they understand english.

Dan

May 11, 2007

It certainly is a beautiful pen. Yes it's the gold plated vermeil (I think it was the barley pattern) solitaire.

Yes, I think you're right in that it's plated, however after several emails received following forum posts about this pen, I'm now semi-convinced that the pen IS plated, but is plated onto brass rather than silver. Although the inside of the cap is a white metal, it seems too bright to be silver (which surely would have gone brown/black after all this time), so I'm suspecting it might not be the vermeil, unfortunately. You are probably right in saying that it's the barley pattern, by the looks of it.

MBs from the 90s especially in the 144 line had dual tone and monotone 14k nibs. I can't tell from the pictures, but does the feed have fins or is it flat? Most 144 line pens from this time had the flat feed.

This one appears to be a monotone nib and I can confirm that the feed is flat - no fins.

Some prefer the 14k because it has more flex than the 18k. In any case you have a NOS gold plated MB that is at least worth $450 if not more. You certainly can't get that pen new anymore.

Yes, I think you're right about the 14k nibs being widely preferred - something I've learnt thanks to this pen! Your valuation seems fine to me (hope the owner agrees) and actually sits right in the middle of a couple of other values people have put on it. Also, it's the new price 15 (or more, from what people have said) years ago so makes sense if it's NOS. Someone else also said that the pen's barley texture is liked more than some of the more modern, 'flatter' pen finishes because it shows fingerprints far less.

Go ahead and check out www.fountainpen.de and maybe ask them their opinion on worth. It's in german, but I'm pretty sure they understand english.

Thanks for all this info Dan - MUCH appreciated - I'll give that site a shot (if I can work out how to! Most of my German has removed itself from my memory due to lack of use!!).

By the way, there is a small updated section on the fountain pen's web page now - (or go to www.pensfromheaven.com and follow the link from the black Mont Blanc Solitaire Oddity graphic, bottom right) contains new info from other pen folk so it's less of a mystery now and I guess the owner will start to move towards selling in due course. I'll post back any updates here as it will be interesting to see how much it eventually goes for (not sure where to try to sell it - a forum like this or EBay... up to the owner I guess).