Hi everyone,

THis is my first post. I was hoping that those in the forum could help me with some information about the Noblesse series. I am particularly interested in the versions that came out about 5-7? yrs ago. There was a red marble/chinese lacquer version with Gold trim. I was smitten. At the time however, I wasn't ready to commit so much money on a pen. Woe is me. I thought it would always be there.... Now I have the means. And now I find its been discontinued. I must resort to finding it on the net or 2nd hand market. Even so, it seems they are either all gone, or people are not willing to part with them. Please forgive my ignorance if my questions are too basic.

1. First off, if possible I would greatly appreciate any more information about this pen. The quality, rarity/desirability and most importantly, how does it write? (fountain pen) How many were made? Is there actually a model number? What was the retail price? (FOr some reason $170 sticks in my head but I may be mistaken) I have a pic from Ebay of the ballpoint version, i hope the attachment comes out. Someone else got it, but I am more interested in the fountain pen version anyway.

2. I may have found one, but it comes in a Med. nib. I think I prefer fine Nibs. Are the Nibs on this version replaceable? Can I do it myself? If not, will montblanc change the nib for a discontinued pen? How much would that cost if I sent it to montblanc?

3. Obviously I love the pen for its aesthetic qualities. If the nib is not able to be changed, should I just go ahead and get the Medium Nib and deal with it? Do people adjust to different Nibs or is it - once a fine nib always a fine nib etc? Or do these pens show up on the secondary market periodically and I should just wait?

4. Is there someplace else that I can go to find this pen?

Thanks in advance for any information and help. I really enjoy this forum and the site in general. SLowly but surely I'm getting drawn in to the world of pens...

Matt

First off, welcome to FPN. I hope you become a regular here.

I have no idea what the retail price of your Noblesse was, but you could always e-mail the MB folks or a retailer who carries Mb pens to ask. Of course, someone here might know.

You can always keep watch in FPN's Marketplace or Pentrace's green board, for example, or even place an ad yourself "wated to buy." If you don't meet with success the first time, wait and try again some other time. Or contact an on line vintage pen dealer and ask them to keep watch for the pen you want. I am sure other here will have other suggestions.

As for getting a pen with a nib you might not prefer, all I can do is relate what I do myself. If I want a pen that is out of production, I will look for an example in nice condition regardless of the nib size. I just want to get a pen in my hand. On receiving the pen, I will play with it to see if I like the nib it comes with. Sometimes I do, and I have gotten some interesting nib variations I might never have tried.

If I find I can't get along with the nib, I send it to one of the nibmeisters for a regrind or retipping and a new grind. Then I have a pen I love for life.

The example of the Noblesse you picture is lovely. I wish you the best of luck finding one.

Welcome to FPN. You'll learn a lot here and have fun. Of course the addiction thing can be a drain on the finances, but it's so much fun, who cares?

The Noblesse is one of my Holy Grail pens. It is in the Grail sub-category of pens I've owned, loved, and lost.

It may be better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all, but...

Not when it comes to fountain pens.

Especially not the way I lost my Number One Noblesse. But that's another story that has to do with "anti-status" idiocy of a former significant other. Not a fountain pen loving significant other either. Moral of that story was something to do with never trust someone that threatens to throw away an empty pen. Especially an empty fountain pen. But I digress.

Now, what I remember of my 1976 vintage Noblesse is this. (This is all by memory regarding the feel of the pen, and such, as the pen actually disappeared thanks to idiot Sig. Other, so bear with me.)

The M nib, which I had on the pen, was a true medium. It was a very smooth, very light pressure writer, requiring actually no pressure whatsoever on the paper to make the ink flow. I write very fast, and that pen could keep up with me, no skips or misses ever.

The resulting line, when using virtually no pressure, barely contacting the paper (or so it felt) was a huge virtue of the pen. The resulting line was similar to that generated by a Pelikan F or m Elysee F. Both are German pens.

I can say that about the writing because I have some of the wriitng I did, but not the pen itself.

I believe the nibs are easily removed and swapped out as the pen I purchased had a OB nib, that I switched to a F, which was way too fine for my liking. I then got the M nib, and was in pen heaven.

Now, to make bad ending worse, I got a second Noblesse when the first went missing. That pen had a OM nib, which I found was actually the best nib size for me at the time (writing mechanics changed for me after a car accident). That pen also went 'missing' but this time the culprit was one of those friends you cannot choose (relative) and when they do something like lift your favorite fountain pen, you smile and think, "Cool, they like the pen I love."

Of course, that pen went AWOL on my relative, so I have no idea what happened to it either.

But if you are looking for a Noblesse, and only the M is available on the pen you are seeking, go ahead and get it. You may find, as I did, that with smooth writing the Noblesse was famed for, you will have a pen that can change you writing to a lighter contact with the paper and that you really like the pen more for that result.

My experience was all while the pen was an active member of the Mont Blanc family of pens, so I can't say what the charges would be for a swap. There are many sites that sell the used pens and you can pick up a nib at auctions also. However, someone more in the very experienced group of MB users would be better to advise you.

Glad you're here, and do stick around. You'll learn so much and the people here are wonderful.

Thanks Violinwriter and FrankB for your thoughts and comments. You've really made me feel welcome. Being a newbie i'll definitely hang around, although as such my input into this forum will likely be nil until i get a little more experience.

I have some more questions which may foster some more conversation. Why are some people so anti MB? Or is it anti-bling which they associate with MB? After reading some of the forums there are certainly MUCH more expensive pens out there. Do people out there really say "OOOH you have a MB you're a hot shot..." To me, if you have the means, then get whatever you want. Personally I prefer a slim fountain pen. Unfortunately there are few out there. (Any other suggestions MB or otherwise are welcome too) The Noblesse for me, fits the bill, but aesthetically I prefer the one pictured as opposed to the new Oblige. The one i seek in particular is i guess a grail pen for me as well, since when i first desired it, i wasn't ready to commit. Now that I am, its not readily available.

I have one other fountain pen - a Lamy CP1. Its nice. It also fit my criteria. I think its a good starter but I would like to explore other pens. Why do i have a sinking feeling that i am embarking on a very addicting hobby...

So what do you guys get from your fountain pen experience? For me, its very basic at least for now. I prefer to be a little different. I don't need to flash it around, but i like to know for myself. In all honesty, I haven't even reached the level of dabbling with different colors. In fact, I can also say that i dont know that ive really learned to reach "pen heaven" as sometimes my hand hurts when using a fountain pen. Maybe im trying too hard to write lightly? Perhaps my questions are so general that they would be better served in the general forum, but since I'm hoping to get a MB, maybe this is a good place to start as well. At any rate i'd be interested to hear anyones thoughts.

Actually, I don't like thin pens. I prefer bigger, thicker pens like a 146, a 149, a Duofold Centennial, a Stipula O/S Etruria, a Pelikan M-800 or 1000. But the Noblesse FP's write so well that I have accumulated three of them in different finishes. It is all in the nib for me. And I find the Noblesse to be a fun writing pen.

MB's are indeed frequently criticized. There are issues with MB's prestige image, the high cost of the pens versus perceived quality, and the snooty attitudes of too many MB sales people. The quality issues seem to focus around the resin in the Meisterstueck series.

I am completely oblivious to the status value of these pens, I just like a good pen. I don't carry my MB's outside the house because I have in fact witnessed MB pens shattering like glass when dropped. The resin is fragile. I buy MB's only in the after market, hence mediating the price and avoiding the sales people in boutiques.

But, MB's are excellent writing pens. I am not going to be dissuaded from using them because of controversy.

Just one man's opinion.

The Noblesse line changed a lot over the years. It started with stainless steel pens, with steel sections nibs, and was also marketed as the "SL" or "Slimline". MB changed the clip designs, had gold nibs in some models, produced them in gold plate, in black and in colors. They had matching ballpoints and pencils, and rollerball models. The look was bauhaus-basic.

In the early 1980s they produced a redesigned line as the "Noblesse Oblige", with more ornate trim, precious metal finishes, etc. I think these models only used gold nibs.

One of these days I want to put a reference page together, because a Noblesse was one of my first fountain pens, and they're a great durable everyday pen.

The Fountain Pen Hospital has two Noblesse pens in their Vintage Pens section. See http://www.fountainpenhospital.com/vintage_pens/index1.html

They're both mint, but have medium nibs. Montblanc charges $55 for a nib swap.

bt

UPDATE....


So after much searching, I finally found my grail pen! Its one of the older noblesse pens in Red chinese laquer like the one pictured at the beginning of this thread.

It was purchased on ebay. After trying to be as sure as possible, i decided to take a risk and as far as i can tell, these are the real deal.

I'm very excited!

I have 2 questions:

1. When switching out the converter to use cartridges, is the converter screwed in or is it just pulled out? I was filling the convertor with ink and holding the grip section of the pen instead of the convertor; thus I inadvertently pulled out the convertor. Luckily there was no ink yet so i didnt make a complete mess. Whew! But when i put the converter back it seemed to be just "plug in" and no screwing in. There was a little bit of suction so it seemed like there was some sort of seal but looking at the MB site it seems like the convertor is usually screwed in. I didnt think to look too closely at my converter to see if it had tread for scewing in. Right now its full of ink and im at work so ill have to wait to re-examine the converter. At any rate is this characteristic of the older noblesse line?

2. Ink!! I went on an ink shopping spree yesterday, only to realize that it would take YEARS for me to finish 3 bottles of ink. Still I got Noodlers black, Waterman Blue black and MB burgundy. The burgundy is not as deep as i thought it would be. I am looking for a deep wine color, but not so deept that it looks like dried blood. The private reserve fiesta red was a possibility -- any suggestions?

2a. Is there such a thing as ink with a metallic sheen? Im looking for a nice brown of that nature. Otherwise I'd appreciate any experience/suggestions with browns.


This forum has been really helpful. Thanks to all those that reply.

Matt

Both the cartridges and the converter are a slip-fit, they don't screw in.

I can't really help with the reds, you'll just have to keep trying new inks, though the ink forums here on FPN may help...

I haven't seen any brown ink (or any fountain pen ink, for that matter) that has a metallic sheen. There are some for dip pens, but they're not suitable for FP use. My favorite brown is Waterman's Havana Brown, followed by FPN Galileo Brown.