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>>

Do you have any pictures? That might be easier for us to tell if it is authentic.

Hi. I just added the pictures of the pen. Please look at them and let me know what you think. I'm sorry I'm new here and not familiar with these things yet.

I could be wrong, but I don't think the 144 can fit a converter into it. Even if it does, what you have doesn't seem to be a MB converter.

The converter looks just like the one in my 144R.

The big difference is my 144R has brass or gold-plated threads instead of resin threads.

Fred

Please note, while a number of us in this forum have a good idea of some common details of faked Montblancs, it's hard to be sure about anything when looking at photos on the internet. We can't really authenticate a pen, only an official Montblanc boutique or service center can do that.

Also, please stop using ALL-CAPS in your topic titles; it looks like you're shouting, and should be saved for when you actually want to appear to be shouting. Thank you.

True enough. I have no idea, and the difference I noted may be due to a change in design made by MB.

Witness the sheer number of posts expressing fear of landing a counterfeit MB. Every private transaction carries some risk, and it would be nigh on impossible to vet all privately sold Montblanc pens through this forum. Perhaps a Counterfeit MB subforum carrying Kalessin's warning would be a nice outlet for our yuppie paranoia. We could post photos of the suspects to our hearts' content.

Apologies if this post should be under a separate topic.

Fred

Hello again. I apologize for all the caps, it's a habit. I am new here so I just need to adjust to using this forum. Anyway, I understand that some individuals that have posted on this thread have said that they can't authenticate the pen. I see several other threads on this forum where people have posted their thoughts on a particular writing instrument, and that was all I was looking for. I understand that there is a very small chance that I would be running into someone who actually works for MB, however all I wanted was some individuals to look at the individual components that make up the whole pen and give me their opinion on whether it was a counterfeit or authentic based on observation. Thank you .

maybe this can help you: meisterstuck fälschungen-fakes
it is in german language, but with a lot of pictures.
it is the part of this website: fountainpen.de

Welcome! We're glad to have you here!

From what's visible, I think the pen is most likely genuine if MB ever used plastiic threads on the section. I couldn't find a picture on the internet that showed another older cartridge/converter filler like yours that has the plastic threads. The converter looks like an older MB converter, the rings look correct and the engraving looks right. The nib style is the older one, which can be seen (along with the newer one) at http://www.fountainpen.de/c-montblanc-meisterstueck-144.htm

For comparison, here is my 144R, a recent acquisition.

Fred

I will attempt to amplify Kalessin's point here, and comment that while we are all aware of MB fakes out there, a lot of them seem to be some of the less common models (ie, Starwalker vs Meisterstueck). We should consider the changes both the 146s and 149s have undergone over the years. We've discussed in this forum over the past three weeks the changes of the 146 nibs from mono-color to bi-color (&/or tri-color for the 149s), the differences in feeds, the cap ring font differences, clip ring stampings and engravings, solid brass piston mechanism threads, resin piston filler threads, ink window vs. ink slot window.

Why don't we think it's entirely logical for this man's pen to have resin threads, when we know that Montblanc's manufacturing techniques have changed over time? Lack of internet proof is not enough for me, and I agree with Kalessin that photos may not tell the whole story.

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.

I believe changes in manufacturing processes, technology, and materials (not to mention style) are most likely the reasons for many of the the differences in the MBs we see as we stumble across these pens we find. I can spot the obvious eBay fakes, what I am having a harder time of these days is the frankenpens. Like the WWII MB pen with a 134 piston and barrel, with a #4 nib and 234 cap. It all fits, and it all works, but it just ain't quite right.

What we should do is take an objective look at each of these requests for help and conduct good research before we give our experience-based answers. We should look at documentation availiable (on and off-line), and take a "reasonable man approach." I found a pen in Goodland, Kansas last summer (actually a mess of broken pens), and the 149 in that pile just didn't seem right. Come to find out it was an early 60s, first generation MB resin pen. I found another exactly like it by accident a couple weeks ago on eBay.

There are always discussions about the Parker and Sheaffer's factories using excess "ancient" inventory to make a variety of pens that cannot readily be explained. Why not Montblanc? Especially the vintage pieces...since we seem to agree that MB caters to the luxury crowd these days.

I'd be interested in hearing other opinions.

Regards, Eric

Well said Eric. I think most of us are obsessed with the fear of every buying a faked expensive pen, such as a montblanc. Like i said before, the risk is unfortunately inherent and part of the trades done virtually on the internet eg ebay etc.

By the way, verification that 144's in the 80s had plastic threads just arrived in another thread: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...st&p=491810

Maxpens appears to be the repair person who has the http://www.maxpens.de website. It looks like the change was made to prevent cracking at the threads.

Here is a great Article on identifying a fake Montblanc.
http://reviews.ebay.com/Ultimate-Montblanc...000000004966306

Hope this help

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.

Just a quick look at your photos... looks right to me.

My 144 has the brass/gold color threads on the section, a two-tone nib...
My cap has MontBlanc Meisterstuck on the middle band, the clip has "Germany" and the serial number (letters XK followed by seven digits).

I'd be guessing from what little I know of MB, yours was obviously made prior to 1991 (serial numbers added to most lines at that point)... also, later 144s had metal threads on the section.

If you hold a strong flashlight up to your pen body or cap, you should see that the resin body material has a deep red coloring and is slightly transparant... thats always been one of the first things I look for on a MB... have yet to see a fake that isn't opaque black plastic.

Edited for spelling.

Concur on that. My vintage 144 doesn't have a serial on its cap

Hi,

Your pen definately is a real Montblanc Meisterstück 144 from the very first production line after the relaunch in the 80s.

Best regards,
Axel

I am so glad you posted this because after I read the other post I looked at my Meisterstuks and according to that, at least half of my 8 pens were either fake or suspect. It is altogether probable that I got most of them before or not long after 1991 and all were purchased from reputable pen dealers. ie none from ebay or through trades. One of the pens the article said was suspect was a direct replacement from Montblanc.

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.

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

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? )