Some 20 years ago I went round Lloyds of London and there was an underwriter there with a huge MB, much bigger than a 149. Presumably he signed insurance slips all day long and didnt want to stop to fill up!

I am no MB expert and would appreciate any comments as to what it might have been

I think it is important to ask how old you were 20 years ago.......

The first time I saw a 149 I could have swore it was a lot bigger than the one I ended up buying.

Interesting thread though to see if any other pen was sold by MB that dwarfed the mighty 149.

Oh and how big the person was who was using it is a relevant factor as well.

I like your style, this is on the Wagonwheels principle I guess, the biscuit hasnt changed but the size of the hand is bigger!, point paken.

The underwriter was normal sized and I was an adult too, I used a Parker Senior Duofold at the time and the underwriters pen looked to be twice the size of mine. He was a very flamboyant underwriter, at one time he had the most expensive house for sale in London, it wouldnt have suprised me if it wasnt a one off

And 20 years ago was the apex of the history of individuals as "Names" at Lloyd's, just before asbestos and other massive losses hit it. None of you description surprises me. Bet the nib in the MB was some sort of a stub or italic so his signature and participation were as flamboyant when he signed a line slip as his bespoke suit. Bet the reason for the sale of the once "most expensive house in London" was due to losses at Lloyd's and the unlimited liability, "down to the shirt off you back" financial commitment of Names at Lloyd's.

Can't help you with the pen, save that a 149, back then, looked to be almost the size of a rolling pin relative to the then also popular Cross ballpoint pens. I was using an MB Junior Elite back then, a far cry from a 149. That was dream land.

I haven't seen any MB larger than the 149 in person (though the older 139 with the squared-off ends might edge it out a little bit).

However, they did make some safety pens before 1929 with nib sizes larger than #9 (on which the 139 and later 149 are based). Unfortunately there's no ruler or common object for scale in the pictures on this site, but if you go to the 1908-1929 section on http://www.fountainpen.de, you can see pictures of these older pens. There's a #12 there that has a fabulous silver snake clip on it: http://www.fountainpen.de/old-20er-safety-no12.htm.

The #12 size nib was also sold by MB in one of their lower-line brands, called Diplomat, and it was a HUGE pen. Check out the slightly different cap and barrel style with the same massive #12 nib as above, and also a comparison to a modern 146 nib, at http://www.maxpens.de/bilder/12ob.htm