Someone in another thread was able to identify a fake MB because the font on the serial number was wrong. I was browsing eBay, and came across this auction. Does the font on this serial number look correct?

Looks right to me, and all other aspects of the pen--nib, section ring & caprings all indicate an authentic pen to me.

Eric

That's interesting. The font looks different than that posted by this guy (picture at the bottom of the page). Is his the one that is incorrect?

I apologize if I am being dense, but I have a hard time telling a real one apart from a fake one in pictures.

I've got 146s with both fonts. There is an ancient post here somewhere that mentioned when MB started putting SNs on clip rings they started with the block lettering as shown in the eBay auction you listed. After a period of time (and someone help me out here) they changed to the "bank" font.

I don't pay much attention to the serial numbers as usually there are better ways to tell if a pen if a fake. In another recent post, Kalessin listed about eight different telltale signs of a fake pen.

Eric

Ok, that's good to know. I'm probably just paranoid after seeing the other post on the more convincing fakes (it makes me want to only shop at Boutiques in the future)!

That someone may have been me!

The pen + paperwork look fine to me too.
From my limited knowledge, the font looks like the type used before MB changed to the 'bank' style lettering. I guess, if this one is fifteen years old, it would have been one of the last to use this type of font. The recent fakes seen on Ebay and elsewhere use a font that is different again although more closely resembles that used on earlier MB pens.

Thanks for the clarification. I only have one MB, and I haven't seen a lot of them, so I'm still trying to pick all this up.

I'm still learning too!

Ebay is bit of a nightmare, although it is possible to reduce the risks of getting a fake with the appropriate caution.

I picked up and old 146 the other day for under $30! O.K., there is a crack running from the nib to the threads but it is a great writer, it doesn't leak and the cap fits perfectly. What's more I don't have to worry so much about it getting pinched if I leave it lying around...