Montblanc Lorenzo de Medici LE

[Michael R.]

Here is a quick scan from the original catalog, showing both the third signature and a third interpretation of the pattern.

 

I never paid too many attention to the difference of the patterns of the Medicis I've seen (~5).

 

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn140/PENSnINKS/Montblanc/Medici3.jpg

 

 

Here are some links:

 

Medici on fountainpen.de

 

and

 

Medici on penboard.de

 

another Medici on penboard.de

 

...I just wish one could read the silversmith's signatures.

 

 

Michael

 

[Michael R.]

Just found this information on the MB website:

 

...hand-engraved and signed by eight master craftsmen.

 

 

Michael

 

 

[Blade Runner]

Wow! Elegant pen and interesting discussion.

I'd be very happy with either but definitely favor the Medici.

Thanks for sharing.

[RedRob]

Dear, Michael, you have posted some very interesting and enlightening pictures. Thank you.

 

First, it seems obvious that the barley pattern and the double wavy lines are machined, whereas the engravings on both sides of the wavy line are chiseled by hand.

 

It seems to me that HP, Bo and (let's call him) JG have quite different engraving styles. I have to admit that JG on the caltalog pictures displays quite a mastery of the chisel and has the nicest result in my opinion. His notches are larger and more controlled. I particularly like his scimtar shaped notches and find that overall his notches seem to follow a more fluid movement. JG's engraved surface is also larger than HP's or Bo's and this gives the engraving more contrast.

 

HP seems to start two adjacent notches on the same line, which results in U-shaped figures or curls. I think I prefer the separate notches of Bo. The movement is more unidirectional and flowing this way. I'm not sure though that Bo controlled the movement of his chisel as pecisely.

 

Maybe I shouldn't compare engravers given only one specimen of each work, but hey I'm so thrilled to see that they are actually different, that I can't help it. How do you compare them?

 

Also, would you happen to know, is it legend or fact that there was one Medici manufactured of solid gold instead of sterling silver?

 

Robert

 

PS The Medici on fountainpen.de looks to me like an HP, the first one on penboard.de like a Bo and the second one on penboard.de like it was chiseled by another of the eight engravers with larger yet shorter notches.

Edited December 10, 2008 by RedRob

[Wael El-Dasher]

Red Rob & Michael R.

 

Thanks for your great review and wonderful pictures.

 

I tend to lean on Michael R.'s viewpoint. Sorry Red Rob, but I really favor the Medici because of its hand chiseled workmanship and the cap's alignment with the barrel never ceases to put a smile on my face every time I close the cap. Its much more subtle than the Proust's racier rings, but I love the Proust too.

 

On another note. I would say that one of the features I love the most about the Proust is how you can write with it posted. The fact that it has those threads comes in handy when sketching outdoors. Also the fact that it has the threads and is not based on a boheme pen, makes it very special in my view. The only negative aspect to the Proust is it's lack of an ink window. I suppose if MB had the ink window it would have looked too much like the Medici.

 

As far as initials, I have a totally different signature by the engraver. Its very fluid and it's not just his/her initials, it looks like a full fledged signature. I tried photographing it but I am just having a hard time. I will try again tomorrow when I borrow a camera from work.

 

Again thanks for your contributions. I did not realize that the signature on my pen was that of the engraver.

 

cheers

 

W

[Michael R.]

PS The Medici on fountainpen.de looks to me like an HP, the first one on penboard.de like a Bo and the second one on penboard.de like it was chiseled by another of the eight engravers with larger yet shorter notches.

 

Robert

 

Yes, I'm totally with you on this. I've contacted Tom from penboard, maybe he will tell us if we are right

 

Also your observation on the difference in chiseling are very sharp sighted; I think you've described the differences quiete well. ...so Bo was just the trainee :roflmho: ???

 

...(let's call him) JG

 

Do you think this could be arabic writing? I need to check with a friend of mine at work who is native speaker

 

 

As far as initials, I have a totally different signature by the engraver. Its very fluid and it's not just his/her initials, it looks like a full fledged signature. I tried photographing it but I am just having a hard time. I will try again tomorrow when I borrow a camera from work.

 

cheers

 

W

 

Do you mean this one (maybe that's even your pen :embarrassed_smile: ...I saved this picture a long time ago somewhere from the web and totally forgot about it):

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn140/PENSnINKS/Montblanc/156224278_o.jpg

 

...I did not realize that the signature on my pen was that of the engraver.

 

Me neither ...can you imagine how happy I was when I found out that it belongs there and was no custom engraving by the former owner!

 

 

So we have four signatures; four more to go...

 

Michael

Edited December 10, 2008 by Michael R.

[Wael El-Dasher]

That's exactly it! That's the signature on my pen. At first I thought..."is this Lorenzo's signature?". Sort of like the WE pens, but I didn't give it much thought until I saw this post. That's one patient person to engrave their signature like that.

 

BTW, I am an architect, with a particular preference for asymmetry. So I actually love the space on the cap for engraving, however I will concede that it's too much space for an owner's engraving. I would have preferred so see more pattern there that fades into the blank space and the patterns fades back in. Nonetheless, its still attractive as is, in my subjective view.

 

Glad you managed to dig up that image!

 

cheers

 

W

 

 

 

 

[Bryant]

Wow! No matter how many times I see this pen, I cant get over how much I love it!

 

I'm such a sucker for silver overlay. And this one for me is the bee's knees!

It was also nice to hear everyone's comments and additions to this review. That's why I love this forum. While I'm ruining my laptop with drool, I am also actually learning something.

I don't know if I will ever own this pen, because of its price. But... I could see my self using this one for sure.

 

Once again, thanks Rob, and everyone who posted.

 

Bry

 

[RedRob]

Thanks Michael fot the last picture and thanks Bryant for your comments.

 

The (let's call him) Z+He engraver (or are they two engravers?) seems to have used larger chisels and a heavy hand. I wonder if the pens weigh less. With some oxydation down there I think those pens could challenge the Proust for contrast

 

I hope Rick Propas will chime in with some pictures of his Medici engravings and signatures.

 

Robert

Edited December 13, 2008 by RedRob

[Rick Propas]

Robert,

 

I'm afraid that I cannot contribute much to the discussion of artisans, as mind is the same as yours

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/rickp/MBHP.jpg

 

As far as the nib, the answer for me was initially a custom Pelikan M800 nib, but that was a bit too jarring even for me, so I managed to get ahold of a junker 146 and scavenged the nib which I was able to tune up to become a decent writer

 

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b77/rickp/LMMBnib.jpg

 

And I should note that while I have had two of these pens, one went to a client, but my not so careful recollection is that the carving on the two was virtually identical, for what that is worth.

 

Edited December 14, 2008 by Rick Propas

[RedRob]

Thank you Rick.

[Rick Propas]

Robert, it is I who should be thanking you for starting this fascinating line of inquiry. I hope you will pursue this topic and then, perhaps, consider submitting it as an article to The Pennant or Stylus. These are the sorts of discussions that enrich the hobby.

[Garageboy]

That filler knob itself is a work of art. Love the Yard O Led-ish shape

[QM2]

That filler knob itself is a work of art. Love the Yard O Led-ish shape

 

That shape was used by vintage MB several decades before Yard-o-Led began to produce fountain pens : )

 

It is interesting that people now associate several very common vintage design elements with Yard-o-Led;

shows how excellent the company is at branding itself.

[RedRob]

I am glad to report that my love-hate relationship with the Medici is now over, as I have sold my pen to a fellow FPN member, in order to purchase a gold Stipula Laurus FP, whose craftmanship and beauty have won me over at the 2008 DC Show.

 

I nonetheless hope that Wael will be able to post here a picture of his recently returned Medici and show us the signature and engraving style on his pen.

[MYU]

Sorry it didn't work out for you, Red Rob. But tell us, how is the gold Stipula Laurus? (I don't see a review yet--nudge, nudge!).

[adelaidepen]

Well, after a few months of searching for one, my Medici #2872/4810 has arrived. Signature of engraver is JG and my initial impressions of are fantastic! I love the silver engraving on my Proust, VonHumboldt and now this. Of the 3 the Medici is the lightest and is a Fine nib compared to the medium of the other two. As such, direct comparisons are difficult but the Medici nib is very pleasant to use. I am fascinated by the 8 silversmith's used and would love to find out the other 4 not mentioned in this topic. It would be great to find out how many pens were engraved by each silversmith - it is obviously not an equal number.

I have promised others a detailed review of the VonH and will try and produce some photos of the Medici and a full review after that. I'm off to write some meaningless pros with my new pride and joy..........

[smerdiakov]

Nice pen, but I like the Proust better, so I agree with you.

 

The letter is a disgrace for a company like MB. Period. The only real reason for me to buy into luxury brands is the company´s long term commitment to the product. You buy an Omega and you know you can get it serviced for at least 20 years after it is discontinued. For MB to, first, not have spare B nibs, and second, not to service the pen, is a disgrace. Shame on them.

[Wael El-Dasher]

Well,

 

My Medici came back from Hamburg last week. I filled it up and used it for 4 or 5 days when today it leaked again! I wasn't sure what to do at this point as its been to Hamburg 3 or 4 times now. I contacted the MB Flagship boutique in Dubai Mall, and talked to the manager. I told him the story and told him I sent it over via the MB Boutique in Abu Dhabi, which is a good store, but not flagship. He informed me they have a tech on staff and asked me to bring it in.

 

I FedEx it today so he should have it tomorrow. In a week or so he'll give me his evaluation. He told me a senior representative from MB Headquaters is visiting the flagship store and if it needs to go to Hamburg again, he'll be sure this person hand carries it there and follows up on this repair.

 

I suspect there is a small crack under the silver overlay that is not visible once the barrel overlay is removed. However it becomes an issue once the pen is exposed to heat, such as the ambient temps here.

 

It just leaked over another of my favorite shirts, so I am upset. Not angry actually, but more like heartbroken that this wonderful pen is bleeding still. I really love this pen but inspired by Bryant recent post of his We Three Kings, it looks like I will have to buy another one while this pen is sorted out.

 

cheers

 

W

Edited May 30, 2009 by Wael El-Dasher

[alvarez57]

I FedEx it today so he should have it tomorrow. In a week or so he'll give me his evaluation. He told me a senior representative from MB Headquaters is visiting the flagship store and if it needs to go to Hamburg again, he'll be sure this person hand carries it there and follows up on this repair.

 

Ah! The pleasures of living in Dubai!

 

Though not a "high end" collector, I really enjoyed reading this review as well as the comments. Wael , I hope this time they will find a solution to your problem for there is nothing as aggravating as not being able to enjoy a desirable pen due to technical difficulties or neglect as well.

Edited May 30, 2009 by alvarez57