3 Unused Montblancs - Need Advice.

[JohnCS]

Hello All,

 

My name is John and I just joined this forum to find a little help. I was going through some old boxes and found 3 Montblanc items that I received back in 1990 for graduation. 1 fountain pen, 1 rollerball and 1 pencil. I had forgotten about them and was happy to find them

Anyway, I need help figuring out what they are worth. I have looked at eBay and on classifieds but cannot find equivalent items to get an idea of their value. I went to a Montblanc store at the mall and had the sales person check them out and he gave me the current retail of todays models but I have no idea if older unused models should go for the same price or lower or higher ?? That is where I could use some help, assessing the value of what I have.

They are all unused and 2 of them still have the boxes and paper work - I can't remember what I did with the 3rd box but I have never used any of them more than just to try out the Rollerball and the Pencil, so they are all in great condition. I looked for serial #'s but all I could find was "Germany" on the pencil and "West Germany" ( remember that on the pens. After researching I noticed they didn't put serial #'s on earlier models. Not sure exactly the year of these but it had to have been 1990 or earlier since that is when I got them.

Here are some pics if you can help me out I would really appreciate it. ( sorry about the shallow depth of field didn't have my tripod handy, I can reshoot them if you want more detail )

 

This is what the salesman told me I had.

Mont Blanc Meisterstück LeGrand Fountain Pen - Current model list price $705
Mont Blanc Meisterstück Classique Rollerball Pen - Current model list price $465
Mont Blanc Meisterstück Classique Mechanical 0.7mm Pencil - Current model list price $420

 

Thanks,

John

 

 

 

 

[jar]

The worth is probably about 50% of the current MSRP for similar pens.

[logantrky]

The worth is probably about 50% of the current MSRP for similar pens.

 

+1

[JohnCS]

The worth is probably about 50% of the current MSRP for similar pens.

Thank You.

 

Do you think trying to sell them in the classifieds for this site is the best place or would you suggest another place?

[jar]

Thank You.

 

Do you think trying to sell them in the classifieds for this site is the best place or would you suggest another place?

Once you reach Gold status this is a good place to sell, but that takes thirty posts (excluding chatter posts) so that folk can get to know you and you must have been a member for at least thirty days.

[Sasha Royale]

Nothing personal, John. You don't have a pretty sales girl, nor do you have a established reputation. I can't walk into

your shop and holler at you. You can't offer me warranty. $899 or even $799.

 

Have you considered keeping it ?

[jcm499]

Why are are you set on selling them? They're great pens, and a matching set. And still stickered! Try using them, making them a part of your lifestyle. In one way it would simplify your life: you have a fountain pen, a rollerball, and a pencil, so you would never need another writing instrument again (unless you decide to get into them after you discover how great the fountain pen is). It will also add elegance and class to your daily life. Women will want you, men will envy you. Heck, some of the men will want you, too.

 

But, if you insist on passing them along to someone who appreciates them more, I agree with whats been said: half of current MSRP is reasonable, based on the condition of the pens insofar I can observe from the pictures.

[JohnCS]

Thanks everyone for the information it is much appreciated. I know nothing about pens or fine writing instruments so that is why I refer to all of you that know much more. I might keep them but I have had them sitting in a box for almost 25 years and can't really see myself using them now. For that reason I am tempted to pass them along ( for a price ) to someone that will enjoy them and appreciate what they have to offer - they are doing no one any good sitting in a closet. Not sure I can reach 30 posts because I have no idea what I would post about that was meaningful or worth anyone's time. Then again, I'm in no hurry....Thanks again!

[chunya]

Thanks everyone for the information it is much appreciated. I know nothing about pens or fine writing instruments so that is why I refer to all of you that know much more. I might keep them but I have had them sitting in a box for almost 25 years and can't really see myself using them now. For that reason I am tempted to pass them along ( for a price ) to someone that will enjoy them and appreciate what they have to offer - they are doing no one any good sitting in a closet. Not sure I can reach 30 posts because I have no idea what I would post about that was meaningful or worth anyone's time. Then again, I'm in no hurry....Thanks again!

The important thing there is 'no hurry', if nothing else this post of yours may have stopped you selling them until you know a bit more about them, and their worth. I've done very nicely, as a buyer, from people who don't really know what they are selling and the listings reflect that. Hold on to them for now, pop back every now and again and follow a few threads, it's amazing what you can learn in a very short period of time. Out of my 350 odd posts how many of mine were meaningful? 5%? 10%? But it keeps me off the streets.

Don't rush into anything ... any mistakes should be well informed mistakes, that way you can blame others rather than yourself!

[Paul80]

Hi

 

As they where a gift from some one who cared enough about you and your graduation to to drop over a grand on your gift, you should be thinking about keeping them.

 

If you insist on selling them then dump them on eBay and you may get upto 75% of the MRP for the set on there.

 

Paul

Edited June 20, 2014 by Paul80

[Pen Nut]

Hi

 

As they where a gift from some one who cared enough about you and your graduation to to drop over a grand on your gift, you should be thinking about keeping them.

 

If you insist on selling them then dump them on eBay and you may get upto 75% of the MRP for the set on there.

 

Paul

 

Yep. I agree with this.

[JohnCS]

The important thing there is 'no hurry', if nothing else this post of yours may have stopped you selling them until you know a bit more about them, and their worth. I've done very nicely, as a buyer, from people who don't really know what they are selling and the listings reflect that. Hold on to them for now, pop back every now and again and follow a few threads, it's amazing what you can learn in a very short period of time. Out of my 350 odd posts how many of mine were meaningful? 5%? 10%? But it keeps me off the streets.

Don't rush into anything ... any mistakes should be well informed mistakes, that way you can blame others rather than yourself!

Thanks I will continue to check out the forum and try to learn a bit more about these things. I certainly appreciate the craftsmanship and beauty of this stuff, I just never really dove into all the different aspects.

[Bo Bo Olson]

Putting them on Ebay could also get 15-20% of worth too; on a bad day.

 

Ball points or Roller balls are not fun, or they would have big coms.

Fountain pens, and inks are fun. Which is why we have many fountain pen coms, some large like this one.

 

How can scribbling be fun...asks the ball point user....it ain't with a ball point.

Why waste valuable game time scribbling a journal of my thoughts....don't know don't scribble in a journal. Scribble other things with many nib widths and flexes, and have a big crayon box of inks.

 

 

Just hold the fountain pen behind the big knuckle like a fountain pen, not before like a ball point.

Ever thought of writing with brown, green or purple ink? NO!

I remember my first brown ink.

 

Do need better than ball point paper....90g or 24 lb is not too expensive.

Try a two toned shading ink....will need a vivid neon supersaturated ink too.

MB makes some pretty inks...and 50ml lasts a real long time...don't go Blue or blue-black....put some pizazz on some paper for the fun of it.

 

Writing with a ball point is like plowing the south 40 with out the mule.

A fountain pen floats on a small puddle of ink, needing no pressure at all....none but the weight of the pen.

No more fatigue.

Add a bit of fancy colored ink.

 

Sigh.... my P-75...a Parker cross hatched silver pen .... well my wife kept it prisoner in her jewelry box fro some 25-8 years...until I stumbled across this nut house. She didn't want me to loose it.

Sigh, all those lost decades.

 

Do realize, some of the ignorant unwashed will think you a well off snob because you have a MB pen of any sort....and you with a complete set. You will lose half your friends. Ball point Barbarians will want to ruin your nib.....the first lie is, can't let you use my fountain pen...It took years to wear the nib in to my hand and will only take seconds of your use to ruin it.

Sure they can ruin it, trying to jack hammer it into the desk like a ball point.....bending the nib....ruining the friendship....when you tell him fork over $250 to send it to Germany for repairs.

Do not lend your fountain pen...until you see him open up a a pen case with 2-3 fountain pens in it.

 

As a MB owner, I'll tell you a secret....a used Bentley does just as good as a new one.

Any of you guys got a used Bentley to swap in on a MB ball point.

 

The nerve of that guy, he wanted my MB fountain pen for the seven year old Bentley.

 

Try it out a bit before selling it....you may like it....stranger things have happened.

[chunya]

I think Bo Bo Olson has said it all! Well, you've certainly had a crash induction to this World!

Edited June 22, 2014 by chunya

[Xqmano]

Olsen: That was beautiful

 

And JohnCS, the beauty and craftsmanship was what drew me in in the first place as well (with a wonderful MB rollerball, which I crazily gave as a gift to a good friend seeing as I use fountain pens exclusively now), and now I am thouroughly hooked with around 50 fountain pens to my name. I also urge you to try it out. Hold it in your hand, enjoy the sublime sensation of putting ink to paper in an old-fashioned way. If you don't enjoy it, clean it out and put it up for sale.

[JohnCS]

Thanks Bo Bo. I don't think I've ever seen that many emoji in one post before

[meiers]

Use them.

[sd10521]

It would be a sin not to use them.

[ajha1970]

you will get 500 USD for Fountain Pen, advisable approach a MB store and get it checked how it works, if you have some issue, post problem in FPN

It is lovely pen and if it is not having serial no and with 14 K nib than probably it is pre ninety Pen.

Advisable Use it if you have Big hands like German's , If you are not comfortable post it in FPN as it is really respectable Platform to sell instead of E bay

[Inky Tom]

John, there is a saying in my part of the world - " If you can wait till it's cooked, you can wait till it's cooled" or something like that - don't sell inhaste. In the meantime, try inking that fountain pen and writing something with it. Like a note to your significant other - the three simple words.. You can always put it back after cleaning it. Go on, "trusssssssssssssst in meeeeee, jussssssssssssst in meeeeeeeee"

Edited June 29, 2014 by Inky Tom