Valuation of a 149 Mont Blanc?

[lisadc]

Hi- I have been reading on how to determine how old my father's 149 diplomat pen is- I believe it's 60s-70s. How would I go about to determine what value this pen has? Is there a market for this pen?

 

thank you (newbie here)

[Kalessin]

Hello Lisa, and welcome to the Fountain Pen Network!

 

There's a pretty good article about the various changes to the 149 over the years at this link:

http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Retur...icle.asp?id=405

 

 

Do you have any idea when he might have received the pen? Even to the nearest decade?

Edited December 31, 2007 by Kalessin

[FredRydr]

There's a pretty good article about the various changes to the 149 over the years....

Any source on changes over the years to the internals?

 

Fred

Edited December 31, 2007 by FredRydr

[Allan]

Hi- I have been reading on how to determine how old my father's 149 diplomat pen is- I believe it's 60s-70s. How would I go about to determine what value this pen has? Is there a market for this pen?

 

thank you (newbie here)

 

Your question is a little hard to answer since we do not know the specifics, but as a general guess I would say between $250-$350 depending on condition, if you have the boxes etc, if the pen has had any parts replaced, and the year it was produced. This is a VERY rough guess without that information. Hope this helps.

 

Allan

[lisadc]

Hi- thank you for all the responses. I am fairly confident it was purchase in the mid to late 60s. I do have the original box with documentation. The pen was barely used (looks brand new) - which is why he gave it to me. No parts were replaced. He also gave us a lot of original ink from MontBlanc and Pelikan Tinte from Gunther Wagner- we lived in Germany at the time. Do you think this would be valued in $350 range then?

 

Also- what is your opinion on this particular pen given what I have written- should we keep this as a collectable for our children (age 2 and 2 months)- is it expected to appreciate that much more by they time they are 21- so 55 years after the purchase? or are they pretty common that it wouldn't be that substantial of a jump?

 

And finally- if we did decide to sell it- which is the best forum?

 

 

Thank you so much once again!

[Kalessin]

The collectible value won't be appreciating too much, I don't think (though these things are difficult to predict). When your 149 was produced, it was a regular item from a company that made many thousands of them for the office-supply market. It's only in the past twenty-five years that MB has moved itself up to the luxury/collectible market. If you decide to keep it for your kids, it would be for sentimental value or because one of them might want to write with it. There are ways to invest money that pay off much more if you're planning to have something appreciate in value for your children.

 

In my own life, I had already been using fountain pens when I inherited my grandmother's well-used MB (though a smaller model). It's something I treasure and use for writing from time to time.

 

The vintage ink is of some interest to people here on FPN, though neither MB or Pelikan have substantially changed the production of their ink, unlike Sheaffer, Sanford, Parker, Waterman, etc.

 

Selling on eBay is a pain. You could offer the pen here on FPN in the Marketplace forum, but since you've only been here a short time and with very few posts, you're not known in our community, and so you might have a little trouble selling the pen there.

 

[Allan]

Hi- thank you for all the responses. I am fairly confident it was purchase in the mid to late 60s. I do have the original box with documentation. The pen was barely used (looks brand new) - which is why he gave it to me. No parts were replaced. He also gave us a lot of original ink from MontBlanc and Pelikan Tinte from Gunther Wagner- we lived in Germany at the time. Do you think this would be valued in $350 range then?

 

Also- what is your opinion on this particular pen given what I have written- should we keep this as a collectable for our children (age 2 and 2 months)- is it expected to appreciate that much more by they time they are 21- so 55 years after the purchase? or are they pretty common that it wouldn't be that substantial of a jump?

 

And finally- if we did decide to sell it- which is the best forum?

 

 

Thank you so much once again!

 

One big problem here is that from the number of posts you have here it seems you are pretty new and may not really know what a mint pen should look like. That is not meant to be disrespectful by any means, none of us did when we first started. I tell you this so you know it will be harder for you to command maximum price. I would honestly say if the pen is near mint, from the mid sixties, with original box and docs, fully working, it might fetch upwards of $400-$450.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with our moderator on this one, if you were talking a 1980s 149, then he is absolutely correct. A 1960s MB though is a fairly sought after year model and I would think it very well may increase in value far more than just inflation adjustments. Montblancs as a whole have jumped in value just in the past two years quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, I do not think it will be worth a fortune in 20 years, but I do think it will become even more collectible.

 

I think the best way would be for you to let a professional consignment seller sell it for you. Yes, he will probably want a cut, but his name and credibility will allow him to get the most for the pen, and to market it to specific people he may know looking for that exact pen. I for example have one consignment seller who is always watching for good Montblanc pieces to bring directly to my attention, good for me because I get first shot at it, good for him because he knows I am interested and I will pay for pieces I like. Take a look at the for sale section of this forum and on the Pentrace green board, there you will find consignment sellers. Find one you like, contact them and see what you can work out.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

Allan

[lisadc]

I appreciate all responses and detailed answers! I am new at this so for what I see it is in excellent condition but an expert could assess this. I'll talk it over w/my husband to see what we should do.. if we sell, I'll look at the consignment forum- thanks Allan!

 

Thank you again!

 

Lisa

 

 

One big problem here is that from the number of posts you have here it seems you are pretty new and may not really know what a mint pen should look like. That is not meant to be disrespectful by any means, none of us did when we first started. I tell you this so you know it will be harder for you to command maximum price. I would honestly say if the pen is near mint, from the mid sixties, with original box and docs, fully working, it might fetch upwards of $400-$450.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with our moderator on this one, if you were talking a 1980s 149, then he is absolutely correct. A 1960s MB though is a fairly sought after year model and I would think it very well may increase in value far more than just inflation adjustments. Montblancs as a whole have jumped in value just in the past two years quite a bit. Don't get me wrong, I do not think it will be worth a fortune in 20 years, but I do think it will become even more collectible.

 

I think the best way would be for you to let a professional consignment seller sell it for you. Yes, he will probably want a cut, but his name and credibility will allow him to get the most for the pen, and to market it to specific people he may know looking for that exact pen. I for example have one consignment seller who is always watching for good Montblanc pieces to bring directly to my attention, good for me because I get first shot at it, good for him because he knows I am interested and I will pay for pieces I like. Take a look at the for sale section of this forum and on the Pentrace green board, there you will find consignment sellers. Find one you like, contact them and see what you can work out.

 

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

 

Allan

 

[lisadc]

Hi, I am posting again but attaching pictures. I didn't want to repeat my question but in this case, hopefully the pictures will help. The box has No 149 W. Germany on it. The pen clip has Germany written on it (nothing else). Thank you for any assistance you can provide! https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0BzE7eX44j426aHJDVjVHal9IZHc?usp=sharing

[zaddick]

You pennies a mid 1980s pen with a two piece barrel. Part of the section is missing right by the nib. It's probably worth $250 to $300 if someone really wants an EF nib. Less if it leaks when it writes because of the missing part.

[Tom Kellie]

You pennies a mid 1980s pen with a two piece barrel.

 

~ Yo! If you pennies is a mid 1980s pen, would you dimes be a mid 1940s pen?

Tom K.

[zaddick]

That's not the worst typo my phone has crafted for FPN.

 

I'd quartet a silver rings 149 an two-buck a 1940s 139.

[meiers]

I'd quartet a silver rings 149 an two-buck a 1940s 139.

Of course.

Edited August 21, 2017 by meiers

[Tom Kellie]

That's not the worst typo my phone has crafted for FPN.

 

I'd quartet a silver rings 149 an two-buck a 1940s 139.

 

~ zaddick:

 

I laughed out loud when reading that!

I don't have a smart phone, but my computer mail application did likewise.

“Did” as I finally shut it off.

If I post mistakes, I'd prefer them to be due to my clumsiness, not the wacky predictive verbiage from software.

The Montblanc Forum is fun as every week there are sure to be several humorous posts.

Here's one from one of my students in the Spring Semester:

I'd circled several egregious spelling errors in her in-class handwritten test, which were avoidable by copying what was written on the board.

She protested to me: “They were typos”.

Students...

Tom K.

[ecox]

I was just offered $100 for my mid-1980s 149! :lticaptd: :lticaptd:

[Tom Kellie]

I was just offered $100 for my mid-1980s 149! :lticaptd: :lticaptd:

 

 

~ ecox:

 

What a steal!

Tom K.

[Sasha Royale]

A new Montblanc 149 has a retail price approaching $1000.00 ,

The value of yours is at the mercy of Montblanc collectors, who are fountain pen collectors, who are mostly crazy. You will have to provide thorough information, if you desire honest estimates.

 

What do you use for daily writing ?

[BT_Summers]

Its strange how the values of 149s are all over the place.

 

I have a new 149 that cost me full list price in 2015 (and should still be worth around the current list price) and another that is 7 years old and has been filled twice, bought last year, that cost me less than half the list price.

 

Father has a few 149s, the oldest is from the 50s with the silver bands, he has just had an offer of twice the current list price.

 

Is the nib alright on Lisa's 149, looks like its been to Weightwatchers.

Edited August 22, 2017 by smiffy20000

[ecox]

Daily is a Vanishing Point Raden. I have a few pens I don't use, but I'm not giving them away. Selling my W. Germany 149 for $100 would be bordering on the criminal.

 

A new Montblanc 149 has a retail price approaching $1000.00 ,

The value of yours is at the mercy of Montblanc collectors, who are fountain pen collectors, who are mostly crazy. You will have to provide thorough information, if you desire honest estimates.

 

What do you use for daily writing ?

[CS388]

That's not the worst typo my phone has crafted for FPN.

 

I'd quartet a silver rings 149 an two-buck a 1940s 139.

 

I'll up you two telescopics and beef your quartet.