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Ceelo

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With the recent Stipula Etruria thread that was posted in this sub, I thought it was high time we had a dedicated photo thread for the Montegrappa Extra. This can include the earlier Classica and Historia models, along with the more modern variants including the Extra, Extra 1930 and Extra Otto.

 

The key here is to share what you have no matter the size of your collections or your photography skills, so that we may appreciate, discuss and enjoy the variety of trims, nibs and colours these exquisite pens are available in. My hope is that this will breathe a little more passion into this model and to see our own interpretations of how we use them in the 'real world'. This will also provide a valuable resource for those looking to research the model and perhaps make their own decision to one day acquire an Extra or two.

 

Let me kick us off with two of my favourite Extra's in my collection; an Extra Otto in Lapis Blue with a Fine nib, and an Extra is midnight blue celluloid with the older style barrel imprint and a Medium nib. I am soon to add another one when it arrives from Italy, will post a group shot then.

 

I hope that others will follow with their shots :)

 

NtumliDh.jpg

WPhdNUjh.jpg

Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones.
Frodo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring, A Short Cut to Mushrooms

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I love the looks of these pens. However I have not yet had the chance to try them. If I like the Stipula Etruria, will I like the Montegrappa Extra?

I believe they are about the same length, but a lot heavier? Due to the use of metal.

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I love the looks of these pens. However I have not yet had the chance to try them. If I like the Stipula Etruria, will I like the Montegrappa Extra?

I believe they are about the same length, but a lot heavier? Due to the use of metal.

 

Compared to the Eturia:

  • Significantly larger section diameter.
  • Significantly larger nib.
  • Slightly larger body diameter.
  • Silver section models are a lot heavier, but balanced toward the nib instead of the finial.
  • Piston filler rotates in the opposite directions for filling and emptying.
  • The new ratcheting pistons hold less ink than a Stipula piston filler.
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I love the looks of these pens. However I have not yet had the chance to try them. If I like the Stipula Etruria, will I like the Montegrappa Extra?

I believe they are about the same length, but a lot heavier? Due to the use of metal.

 

Funny I have the same question, but towards Etruria. Montegrappa Extra 1930 is about 41g (special edition with celluloid section) and a bit more for the original version with silver section. 13,5cmx1,6cm. Very well balanced, feels solid in hand but not too heavy. I think you will like it. And I think I will like Etruria, though I've not held one in person.

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A most welcome thread, which promises to show a lot of exceedingly beautiful pens! Thank you CeeElle to start it.

 

Here is the forefather of them all, the Classica in Charcoal celluloid. The Charcoal is the sober version of the "sparkling" and very enthusiastic Black and White celluloid used in today's Extra 1930.

 

 

fpn_1556497494___forefather_1.jpg

fpn_1556497814___forefather_2.jpg

fpn_1556497854___forefather_3.jpg

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Again, the sober and elegant lines of the Classica, which will be fine-tuned and improved in the Historia (with the inclusion of the Greek fret on the cap ring), and then again with the Extra and the Extra 1930.

 

The elements of the enduring (and deserved) success of the Extra in terms of design where all started here:

 

 

fpn_1556498701___forefather_5.jpg

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This is going to be a very special thread. The MG Extra and associated family are some of the most superb pens to come out of Italy, and are probably my personal favourite. There are so many variants, I think it might eclipse the Etruria thread for celluloid types.

 

I'm glad Chris invited participation from crappy photographers, so I can put up a few pics of some of my round bodied celluloid Montegrappas.

 

 

d1Zi1WA.jpg?1

 

 

These are Classica in cinnamon, Historia in grey, Extra 1930 in black/white and Miya Alfa Romeo. The regular Miya differs from these lines in having a bulging barrel before it meets the section. All of these pens have straight profiles. The Classica and Historia have the same flared section - one in celluoid and the other in sterling. Both have captive converters, but the Historia barrel can't unscrew from the section, whereas the Classica can be unscrewed at either end of the barrel (at least on my examples). The Extra is piston fill, and the Miya a cartridge/converter - there is no blind cap.

 

M4OzBHR.jpg?1

 

The cap bands are here:

 

DbukODR.jpg?1

 

and nibs:

 

pqQMWUO.jpg?1

 

 

 

Re: comparing these pens to the Stipula Etruria, hopefully, this will help (full size piston, faceted piston and slim C/C):

 

Y8gvyAI.jpg?1

 

and section shape/width/nibs here:

 

sIIyddn.jpg?1

 

 

The Montegrappa celluloids here are relatively simple colours, as I wanted to compare the different grey/black and the two red celluloid options. No doubt, we will see some spectacular materials being shared as the thread progresses.

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This is going to be a super thread !!

Here it is my Montegrappa Extra Otto Shiny Lines:

 

Al5OHjU.jpg

 

xfSvzTe.jpg

 

bL13CgV.jpg

 

HvRoDWP.jpg

 

Next to the OMAS Arco Paragon, my two beauties

 

DbGsZem.jpg

Edited by francoiacc
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This is going to be a very special thread. The MG Extra and associated family are some of the most superb pens to come out of Italy, and are probably my personal favourite. There are so many variants, I think it might eclipse the Etruria thread for celluloid types.

 

d1Zi1WA.jpg?1

 

 

Your pens are beautiful and the Cinnamon Classica pops up for the vibrancy of the celluloid. I saw just a few days ago that Montegrappa reintroduced the Cinnamon celluloid in their Nazionale flex.

 

Your shot of the Charcoal and Black & White celluloid close together well exemplify my idea of a sober versus sparkling material, he he he...

 

Is it just my impression, or the Historia is considerably shorter than the Classica?

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It maybe that a timetable of the introduction of the various models of Classica-Historia-Extra-Extra 1930-Miya-Extra Otto etc., as well as the different celluloids used by Montegrappa, could be of some utility to the aims of this thread.

 

Some models/finishes are missing from the table, as I do not have enough information to include them. I know, for example, of Extras in gold trim at least in the Turtle, Black Bamboo, and Black & White celluloids, but I have no cues about the release dates. I also saw very recently, for the first and only time, a midnight blue Extra in gold finish.

 

With your help, I would like introducing also the limited edition strictly based on the Extra, such as the series of St. Moritz and St Andrews, the St. Moritz Summer Golf, the Extra Ukraine (Black Bamboo with rose gold trim), and probably many others derivates from the Extra of which I am unaware.

fpn_1556599520__montegrappa_classica-ext

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Some lovely pens and shots being contributed here which is fantastic! I really like the reference table by fpupulin. Perhaps one to add would be the 'Arte Deco' limited edition introduced in the US only which comprised of 50 pens in the Shiny Lines and Zebra materials. Some photo's of the Shiny Lines version I picked up below:

 

x63nio0h.jpg

firl9Eqh.jpg

 

There also is of course the recent Colori Del Mare edition of pens from Chatterley Luxuries in the US. I believe this was in 7 different celluloid materials. My Tortoise is below:

 

aRzvnMTh.jpg

cFTfrG0h.jpg

hCdAJk0h.jpg

Short cuts make delays, but inns make longer ones.
Frodo Baggins, The Fellowship of the Ring, A Short Cut to Mushrooms

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Here it is my Montegrappa Extra Otto Shiny Lines:

 

Al5OHjU.jpg

 

Next to the OMAS Arco Paragon, my two beauties

 

DbGsZem.jpg

Ah, dear Francesco, is it not a perfect beauty? Ready to dress for a night at the Opera... What a super refined pen!

 

It seats side to side to one of the more splendid pens ever produced, and it is equally gorgeous.

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Your pens are beautiful and the Cinnamon Classica pops up for the vibrancy of the celluloid. I saw just a few days ago that Montegrappa reintroduced the Cinnamon celluloid in their Nazionale flex.

 

Your shot of the Charcoal and Black & White celluloid close together well exemplify my idea of a sober versus sparkling material, he he he...

 

Is it just my impression, or the Historia is considerably shorter than the Classica?

 

 

Thank you :)

 

The Cinammon is a very unique colour with a bit more orange than the standard velvety red in it.

 

The truth is the Classica and Historia are exactly the same when taken measuring the barrels and the caps separately, and the caps are interchangeable too. Somehow when the caps are on, the Classica is about 2mm longer. I suspect the internal threading may be slightly different. From observation, it appears that the Classica has a white inner cap liner, whereas the Historia appears to have the threads cut into the celluloid itself, with no separate inner cap.

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Ah, dear Francesco, is it not a perfect beauty? Ready to dress for a night at the Opera... What a super refined pen!

 

It seats side to side to one of the more splendid pens ever produced, and it is equally gorgeous.

 

Thank you dear Franco, I'll be honest, I have a slight preference for the Arco celluloid, but this is my "Wonderful Couple"

These Montegrappa Extra celluoilds are all just amazing, I'm already looking for the next one!

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Thank you :)

 

The Cinammon is a very unique colour with a bit more orange than the standard velvety red in it.

 

The truth is the Classica and Historia are exactly the same when taken measuring the barrels and the caps separately, and the caps are interchangeable too. Somehow when the caps are on, the Classica is about 2mm longer. I suspect the internal threading may be slightly different. From observation, it appears that the Classica has a white inner cap liner, whereas the Historia appears to have the threads cut into the celluloid itself, with no separate inner cap.

 

 

Thank you very much for your answer and for taking the time to measure the pens.

 

From your photograph I can clearly see that the progression from the original Classica (with the "narrow" ring without greek fret and the long filling cone) to the Historia (narrow ring with fret and long cone) to the Extra (broad ring with the greek fret, short filling cone and large nib) has been a subtle but continuous improvement in the general proportions of this splendid model. The relative proportions of the different part of the Extra are really quite difficult to improve further...

 

Please do not misunderstood me: I like them all, each one for its unique personality, but I want to congratulate Montegrappa's designers for eventually making such a perfect pen as the Extra.

 

Could I afford them, I would like to have all the pens of this great dynasty!

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Thank you dear Franco, I'll be honest, I have a slight preference for the Arco celluloid, but this is my "Wonderful Couple"

These Montegrappa Extra celluoilds are all just amazing, I'm already looking for the next one!

 

I'm also a great admirer of the Arco celluloid in Omas' pens. Not a great passionate of Omas alike pens in the same material.

 

But... I see the Omas Paragon as a perfect vintage model, while to my eyes, the Extra by Montegrappa is a truly contemporary fountain pen, even though inspired to the lines and the design atmosphere of the Thirties.

 

Now, different is the case with the most recent Paragons (sometimes called Grand Paragons). They are absolutely contemporary. If you have a chance, compare a Galileo with a Grand Paragon in Wild celluloid, just to visualize my concept. And, of course, compare a Paragon and a Grand Paragon in Arco celluloid. I find that the Grand Paragon is someway more similar to the Montegrappa Extra in terms of design modernity. My two cents...

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