Enjoying My First Montblanc, Vintage Too! No. 14

[DavyJones]

Hi FPN! A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of purchasing my first MB. I almost exclusively collect vintage pens, and wanted something unique to represent MB in my collection. I have always loved the styling of the Meisterstück 1X line, and was able to pick up a lovely No. 14 in very nice condition. The nib is XF, and needed some smoothing because it was very scratchy and misaligned. I also disassembled the entire thing for a good cleaning and greasing of the piston mechanism. Because I'm slightly ridiculous, I drove to a nearby jeweler who carries a small selection of MB items and snagged a bottle of Royal Blue ink.

 

I'm not generally a fan of hooded nibs, but must say that the pen is able to remain uncapped for quite some time before it dries out (a trait I appreciate in long meetings). This pen was listed as having a 14K nib, and doing my research it seemed there is generally some confusion regarding this. While I had the pen disassembled I noted the hallmark on the nib was for 18K. The nib is firm, but markedly softer than the 14K nibs I am used to. Very little flex, which is okay because I intended this as a daily user for note taking at work. It's performance has been outstanding, with consistent ink flow and no skipping at all. It also holds what seems to be a gallon of ink, which is great for a daily user.

 

It's neat now being a member of the MB club. I carry a wide variety of vintage pens with me to work, and they almost always go totally unnoticed. Now that I carry this pen I have had people come and ask, "Is that a real Mont Blanc?" Kinda neat. Sorry for the mediocre picture quality... I'm no photographer and have to do with iPhone shots. That being said, it's amazing how far phone cameras have come!

[jar]

It should have an 18K nib. The 1x pens all did.

 

http://www.fototime.com/799178B1ED6A486/large.jpg

 

The 2x pens had the 14K points.

 

http://www.fototime.com/D5E6987BE466F3E/large.jpg

 

Often what we find in the wild though are 1x caps on a 1x body that has a 2x nib and section.

[orfew]

Congrats! The 14 is a great pen. In fact mine is currently inked. As Jar stated the nib should be 18K.

[jar]

That was a pretty expensive pen. I remember it was about two days gross salary at the time.

 

http://www.fototime.com/CAA5A1577DAA0DC/large.jpg

Edited July 17, 2014 by jar

[Opooh]

Very nice pen, congrats!

[Tojusi]

I have the 14 with a massive O3B nib. A very nice signature pen, but note taking requires increasing my hand writing size quite a bit!

[JLS1]

Nice - I have a 34 and the 14 is one that's on my list. I wonder why yours has a 14K nib...

[Tojusi]

Nice - I have a 34 and the 14 is one that's on my list. I wonder why yours has a 14K nib...

He actually states that it was listed as 14K but was really 18K.

 

On another note, what would be a fair price for a 74, the one with golden cap? I recently saw one listed at 350 euros (over 470 USD) and that sounds a bit steep, especially as there was a name engraving on the cap and working condition was unknown.

[daffie]

He actually states that it was listed as 14K but was really 18K.

 

On another note, what would be a fair price for a 74, the one with golden cap? I recently saw one listed at 350 euros (over 470 USD) and that sounds a bit steep, especially as there was a name engraving on the cap and working condition was unknown.

Last week I bought a 72, the demi, with name engraving on the cap, but in good working order for 12,50 Euros...

[jar]

He actually states that it was listed as 14K but was really 18K.

 

On another note, what would be a fair price for a 74, the one with golden cap? I recently saw one listed at 350 euros (over 470 USD) and that sounds a bit steep, especially as there was a name engraving on the cap and working condition was unknown.

 

Yeah, sounds high. BUT...check closely and see if it RG (rold gold) or 14K Hallmarked cap.

[orfew]

He actually states that it was listed as 14K but was really 18K.

 

On another note, what would be a fair price for a 74, the one with golden cap? I recently saw one listed at 350 euros (over 470 USD) and that sounds a bit steep, especially as there was a name engraving on the cap and working condition was unknown.

I bought one a few weeks ago for about 100.00. It does have some minor scratches on the cap. Still for that price I do not mind at all. Especially since it is a great writer.

[DavyJones]

He actually states that it was listed as 14K but was really 18K.

 

On another note, what would be a fair price for a 74, the one with golden cap? I recently saw one listed at 350 euros (over 470 USD) and that sounds a bit steep, especially as there was a name engraving on the cap and working condition was unknown.

 

I'm never shy about sharing the price I paid for something. I paid just over 200 USD on this guy... if the 74 you're looking at really does have a 14K cap, considering the price of gold today 470 USD sounds pretty fair.

[Tumbleweedtoo]

Congrats on the new pen! The No. 14 was my first Montblanc too, and it is currently inked and writing great. I got mine in an original box with the pencil included. It is or was close to NOS. Now I am looking for some additional vintage Montblanc pens. At minimum wage at the time, the No. 14 in a set could have cost almost a week's salary, so I did not feel too badly buying the pen set I did for about $300.00.

 

All the best,

T