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~ Over 25 years ago a friend in Central California presented a 149 Meisterstück 14K M nib fountain pen to me. Not realizing the magnitude of the gift, it was put away, unused during the following decades. I've lived and worked in Beijing for nearly fifteen years, with the pen stored away in a packing box. Just over one year ago an article referring to the high quality standards of Montblanc pens sparked my low-wattage memory. After finding the faded white presentation box, the forgotten 149 was cleaned, filled with dark blue Montblanc ink and used to write steady, clear lines. Happiness! Last Autumn Ms. Meng and the friendly staff at the Montblanc Boutique in Beijing's Malls at Oriental Plaza, by Wangfujing Street, arranged for the purchase of an EF nib 149 which was so satisfying that two months later an additional EF was bought. As much as I'd enjoyed using four Lamy Safari pens for taking notes and correcting student research papers, the Montblanc 149 EF nibs were ideal for my needs. After finding The Fountain Pen Network I read many helpful articles covering a wide range of topics, finding it to be an effective means of educating myself on the care and feeding of quality writing instruments. When a recent thread discussed the pending release of the 90th Anniversary Meisterstück commemorative pens, I met with Ms. Meng at the Beijing Montblanc Boutique to see if a special order of an EF nib might be feasible. In China several nib sizes aren't customarily stocked, including the EF nib. This afternoon a text message announced the arrival of the 90th Anniversary Meisterstück EF Nib pen at the Boutique, far more rapidly than expected. As a small means of expressing my appreciation to those FPN Montblanc Forum members whose comments I've read, here are several small images of the pen purchase, the pen itself, and comparison shots with the other three 149 pens. Full-sized versions may be viewed in my Zenfolio Gallery, http://tomkellie.zenfolio.com/p834972162. The new 90th anniversary nib is exceptional, with steady flow, superb feedback, and a pleasing thin line. The pen's red gold-plating is more subdued than in photos I've seen. The slightly reddish color cast of the metal is apparent, but not especially pronounced. The single metal nib appears more brilliantly golden than I'd expected, which probably reflects my lack of experience. All in all a highly satisfactory purchase.