Equivalent To A Mb 139 - Got An Opinion?

[jar]

90 Deutsche Mark I've heard; about $50.

I've also read $39 in the early 60's, so somewhere around these numbers

 

In the 50s the DM was fixed at 4.2DM per dollar so the 149 was about $21.50.

[Penne Stilografiche]

In the 50s the DM was fixed at 4.2DM per dollar so the 149 was about $21.50.

With inflation, $21.50 is equivalent to 208.31 today. I wish that was true about the actual price of todays 149's, what a nice dream.

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl?cost1=21.5&year1=1950&year2=2013

[jar]

 

To my shame Jar, my knowledge is so narrow that I have no experience of either Sheaffer White Dots, Balance or indeed the Parker Duofolds, though I like the pictures of the Duofolds. Anyone any pictures they can share?

 

Pavoni.

 

The 20s saw the Sheaffer flat top and Parker Lucky Curve Duofold pens (Jade Green Sheaffer white dot flat top next to a Parker Lucky Curve "Big Red" Duofold). Sheaffer introduced the Lever Fill, Parker was a Button Fill.

 

http://www.fototime.com/3C2F57264C80320/large.jpg

 

The important thing in this picture are the smaller pens at the left, particularly the one at far left. Note the slight slant to the cap crown. That was what was called the "Streamlined" Duofold.

 

Then Sheaffer changed fountain pens yet again by introducing the Balance line.

 

http://www.fototime.com/7A113FCC7B901B1/xlarge.jpg

Next came the introduction of the fantastic Sheaffer Triumph nibs in 1942.

 

http://www.fototime.com/A48357163977607/large.jpg

 

 

And in the early 50s, the Snorkel filling system, a system that let you fill the pen without getting any ink on the nib.

 

To top this series of great pens Sheaffer introduced the PFM at the end of the 50s.

 

http://www.fototime.com/5F744AC23467421/large.jpg

 

 

http://www.fototime.com/E53C6F2D0482746/large.jpg

 

There you can see the inlaid nib that was introduced with the Sheaffer PFM on the far left with the three rightmost being a modern 149, the Parker Duofold and Sheaffer Flat Top from the 20s.

Edited August 1, 2013 by jar

[pavoni]

Fabulous contribution Jar, fabulous. Many thanks for the references and for sharing those pens from your collection

 

Pavoni

[Chopper88]

I waited a little with posting this, to see which pens would be mentioned, because this isn't really a pen with such a 'legendary' status, but I was wondering if anyone has a side by side comparison of the 139 against an Astoria Goliath? When I think of a (modern) alternative, this is the one that comes to mind right away.

 

Edit: I do mean as a writer, not a picture comparison.

 

Picture here:

Edited August 1, 2013 by Chopper88

[Soot]

 

Now, Pelikan (being German and having introduced the first reliable piston-filler system), has been a strong candidate for my next collection. Would love to see pictures of the pens mentioned if anyone has them

 

Pavoni.

As for Pelikan, they didn't produce any monster size pens, but they did produce some quality ones!

 

If I had to say, there's the 101N Magnum from Emege (the Portuguese importer of Pelikan). The Magnum is essentially the oversize 101N, with marginal difference in length and in girth.

 

** Thanks for the 420/149/139 comparison photos. Great reference!

 

 

Bob

[Sblakers]

How does the size of a soennecken president compare to the 420. Are the nibs the same size ? From the pictures it looks like the 420 nib is smaller than a 149 but bigger than a 146 is this an accurate assessment ?

this is a great thread !

[Soot]

From the pictures it looks like the 420 nib is smaller than a 149 but bigger than a 146 is this an accurate assessment ?

 

Hi Sean, that is an accurate assessment. The 420 nib is bigger than the 146's, and it's also the same nib that fits on the 111 Extra.

[CS388]

Some excellent contenders for the title have emerged in this thread.

 

But, Pavoni, your picture of the 139 with it's BB nib trumps them all for me.

 

How could anyone top that?

 

Thanks to all for the mouth-watering photographs.

[Sblakers]

Thanks Bob! Do you know if the president nib is the same size ?

[fountainbel]

Just realized there is another size comparable fountain pen with an ingenious filling system which could - in my opinion- stand beside the

famous MB139 :

The Magnum Ford patent filler, what a beautiful and well constructed pen !

Attached the link to a review by Laurence Oldfield

Francis

http://www.google.be/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=magnum%20ford%20patent%20filler&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.penpractice.com%2Fpage10.html&ei=dI8QUtPBBqqj0QXDzIHICA&usg=AFQjCNFJ_-fozq8ygIhwqKepkDFmJ9NVTQ&bvm=bv.50768961,d.d2k

[georges zaslavsky]

Just realized there is another size comparable fountain pen with an ingenious filling system which could - in my opinion- stand beside the

famous MB139 :

The Magnum Ford patent filler, what a beautiful and well constructed pen !

Attached the link to a review by Laurence Oldfield

Francis

http://www.google.be/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=magnum%20ford%20patent%20filler&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CDMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.penpractice.com%2Fpage10.html&ei=dI8QUtPBBqqj0QXDzIHICA&usg=AFQjCNFJ_-fozq8ygIhwqKepkDFmJ9NVTQ&bvm=bv.50768961,d.d2k

Indeed how much costs one in pristine shape??

[lcoldfield]

The Magnum is very rare. In 20 years of collecting i have only seen four examples, and only one of these could be described as pristine. A black one in good working condition is probably around £500 and one in red ripple approx £750. The Standard Ford (also a very large pen) is probably a better deal at around £250.

Laurence

[pavoni]

Many thanks for your input Lawrence . Much appreciated.

 

Thanks to the excellent suggestion of Fountainbel, the Magnum is added to the list of those pens comparable to the mighty Montblanc L139.

 

Pavoni

[Baroz]

For the 149 silver rings I'd say the Soennecken 111 extra. To me this might be the only pen to give the silver rings a run for the money.

Agreed, the Soennecken may even be the superior pen overall, from the wonderful celluloid patterning to the ingenious click fill system with satisfying weightiness from the brass parts within. The nibs on these pens were also quite excellent and fairly flexy.

[Kalessin]

Baroz, please note that you're replying to a thread that was last active in 2013. Many people who were participating then may not be on Fountain Pen Network anymore.

[Baroz]

No harm in chipping in though. Others might chime in too now the thread has been reactivated

[fb1949]

Hello everyone of you !

 

I come three years later to present the Goldfink maxi I had for some time.

In terms of legend, it is not a legend, in terms of ink quantity, not as performant, but in shape and design, size, it is an equivalent.

And the nib, if in plain yellow without rhodium or any decoration, is even a bit bigger to the 139/149 one !

 

Here we go :

 

 

[fb1949]

And I also found this unmarked big fountain pen vey similar in many aspects to the Goldfink above.

 

Here we go :

 

http://www.ebay.de/itm/Antiker-Fuller-Zigarre-Soennecken-Bonn-Feder-14C-Gold-Fountain-Pen-Cigar-Pluma-/351589018767?hash=item51dc56ac8f

 

 

All the best for all of you !

[fb1949]

Last point : this Goldfink fountain pen is supposed to have been made in the late fourties or at the very beginning of the fifties, previous to the launch of the 149 MB !

 

At the top end oh the cap hat sits a ''diamond'', that means a hexagonal design made in the matter of which this blind cap is made, HBR or celluloid.

 

The Goldfink was as well supposed to be sold only in the three main Berliner's librairies (we say in French), that means bookshops sellind Schreibgeräte, all styles of writing tools and papers.

 

Sorry, ideas come one after the other !