How Do The '30's-50's Nibs Stack Up Vs Modern 1990-2000+ Nibs

[Bo Bo Olson]

I have a '50s nib KOB that is fantastic.

 

How do the 30's or 50's nibs stack up vs newer pens....60's 70's on up? 1990-2110? Is there a big difference in flexibility?

 

What years would you go for?

Ok 30's is more than likely out of reach. '50's vs anything else?

[niksch]

I personally prefer the MB Meisterstück nibs of the 40s and 50s, although 2d & 3d quality tiers had very nice 14C nibs. For 149s in particular, I prefer the nibs on the early resin 149s of the first years of the 60s, probably because they were holdover stock from the 50s.

 

 

I have a '50s nib KOB that is fantastic.

 

How do the 30's or 50's nibs stack up vs newer pens....60's 70's on up? 1990-2110? Is there a big difference in flexibility?

 

What years would you go for?

Ok 30's is more than likely out of reach. '50's vs anything else?

[shrinknib]

good question, i had been wondering a similar thing.

[georges zaslavsky]

I have never tried mb nibs from the 30's-50's but my favorite ones are the mid 60's-late 70's nibs which I find the most pleasant.

Edited May 29, 2010 by georges zaslavsky

[Chris Chalmers]

The only pre 1950s MB I have is the #30 button filler from the 1930s and it has a fine flexy nib to die for - here is a photo of the pen - a compilation done by Dennis B for me some years back! Enjoy!

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/mb30multi.jpg

[AltecGreen]

I like the nibs and pens from the 50's. They are flexy and have character. The modern nibs are fine but are lacking something. I'm planing to unload my modern MBs. If I buy more MBs they will be from the 50's or earlier.

[sunnerd]

Fantantic pen Chris, you got any writing sample for that #30?

[Chris Chalmers]

Fantantic pen Chris, you got any writing sample for that #30?

 

You would ask that question, wouldn't you!!? I'll do one later - right now I have to go cook dinner - and the #30 is uninked!

[vickiehof]

I have never tried mb nibs from the 30's-50's but my favorite ones are the mid 60's-late 70's nibs which I find the most pleasant.

 

Georges, may I ask you a question about the 149 nibs? You mentioned in another post that you had five 149's so I hoped you may know if a 14C nib would be on a pen from the late 80's to early 1990's.

 

I recently bought a 149 on Ebay that the seller said that he received new from a Montblanc store when he graduated in 1991, used it a few times then ignored it for 19 years (no box or papers). Since the piston was not brass (pre-1990?) I was a little skeptical of the veracity of seller's tale. The nib is a 2-tone 14C and seems to be a little flexible if I press down while writing. My local MB store said that the pen was genuine, but I thought that the nibs used in the late 80's-early 90's would be marked 14K, not 14C. I've tried to look at pictures to see if it has "narrow shoulders" or is "extra flexible" (as listed in Barry Gabay's "Pen World" article) but I can't see the difference. I would attach pictures but my camera doesn't have a close-up lens.

 

Do you think a nib 14C nib would have been sold on a new pen in the late 80's early 1990's?

 

I wondered if the MB store may have sold a new pen in 1991 that was actually a few years old.

I bought a new 2006 Starwalker at my MB store a few months ago.

 

I've heard only good things about the 14C nibs on the 149, so I'm not complaining.

 

Thank you for any advice or opinions you may have.

[niksch]

Do you think a nib 14C nib would have been sold on a new pen in the late 80's early 1990's?

 

I wondered if the MB store may have sold a new pen in 1991 that was actually a few years old.

 

 

I think it's entirely possible that the store sold a 149 that had been in its inventory for several years, and that's one of my main arguments about "dating" a pen based on its purchase date.

 

Enjoy your 149!

[georges zaslavsky]

Georges, may I ask you a question about the 149 nibs? You mentioned in another post that you had five 149's so I hoped you may know if a 14C nib would be on a pen from the late 80's to early 1990's.

 

I recently bought a 149 on Ebay that the seller said that he received new from a Montblanc store when he graduated in 1991, used it a few times then ignored it for 19 years (no box or papers). Since the piston was not brass (pre-1990?) I was a little skeptical of the veracity of seller's tale. The nib is a 2-tone 14C and seems to be a little flexible if I press down while writing. My local MB store said that the pen was genuine, but I thought that the nibs used in the late 80's-early 90's would be marked 14K, not 14C. I've tried to look at pictures to see if it has "narrow shoulders" or is "extra flexible" (as listed in Barry Gabay's "Pen World" article) but I can't see the difference. I would attach pictures but my camera doesn't have a close-up lens.

 

Do you think a nib 14C nib would have been sold on a new pen in the late 80's early 1990's?

 

I wondered if the MB store may have sold a new pen in 1991 that was actually a few years old.

I bought a new 2006 Starwalker at my MB store a few months ago.

 

I've heard only good things about the 14C nibs on the 149, so I'm not complaining.

 

Thank you for any advice or opinions you may have.

Hi

 

I think you can have a good suprises like new old stock pens. Well if it is not a brass piston filler then it is certainly an old stock pen. 14kt nibs appeared in 1984/1985 and 18kt appeared a year or two earlier but were reserved for the french market. Your pen must certainly be a pen with an older stock nib which is much more valuable. As far I know and as far as I recall in one of my discussion with Mr Mora the last 14ct and 18ct marked nibs were made in late 1984/early 1985. In 1984 the nib went from narrow shoulders to broad ones and the tines which were long went to short in terms of lenght even though some nibs that were produced in the 80's were still having narrow shoulders.

 

best regards

 

georges

[Chris Chalmers]

Fantantic pen Chris, you got any writing sample for that #30?

 

You would ask that question, wouldn't you!!? I'll do one later - right now I have to go cook dinner - and the #30 is uninked!

 

As promised, a bit late - but better than never......... and with the ink still wet when I took the photo -

 

http://dxlab.ky1v.com/zzz/MB30.jpg

[meiers]

Chris... that is a beautiful pen.

 

 

Matt

[Chris Chalmers]

Thanks Matt! And to think that a while ago I thought about selling it! :headsmack:

[sunnerd]

Awesome - both pen and your handwriting Chris!

If you do sell it, please do inform me :-)

[Chris Chalmers]

Awesome - both pen and your handwriting Chris!

If you do sell it, please do inform me :-)

 

Thank you Kai - I'll make a note - you never know!!! :cloud9:

[Bo Bo Olson]

Chris...to have so many fine flexible nibs, to even be able to think of selling that one, MB or not....is pure greed.

 

Your first inclination was right, spread the wealth, spread the joy....sell your second best flexible nib of each class and size...

 

 

I mean, it beats the heck out of going to a "Dominia" and getting paddled; to become balanced with the world.

Edited June 7, 2010 by Bo Bo Olson

[niksch]

Georges-

 

I received last week a new old-stock 149 with split-ebonite feed, resin piston threads, complete with clamshell box and both outer cardboard protective boxes, and all paperwork including the original receipt from November 26, 1983. Originally purchased at a place called Lechmere for $199.99.

 

Anyway, here's the thing...the nib is 14K not 14C as I think we would expect. Two piece body style on this pen. Given the supply chain processes of that era, it's conceivable that the pen was produced as much as a year earlier. There is no evidence of any service or nib swaps on this pen, and I think this example may indicate MB redesignated their gold in the 82/83 timeframe. Your thoughts?

 

Eric

 

 

I think you can have a good suprises like new old stock pens. Well if it is not a brass piston filler then it is certainly an old stock pen. 14kt nibs appeared in 1984/1985 and 18kt appeared a year or two earlier but were reserved for the french market. Your pen must certainly be a pen with an older stock nib which is much more valuable. As far I know and as far as I recall in one of my discussion with Mr Mora the last 14ct and 18ct marked nibs were made in late 1984/early 1985. In 1984 the nib went from narrow shoulders to broad ones and the tines which were long went to short in terms of lenght even though some nibs that were produced in the 80's were still having narrow shoulders.

 

best regards

 

georges

Edited June 8, 2010 by niksch

[karmakoda]

My newest MB is a 1987 146, so I don't know about newer nibs. My oldest Montblancs are 1930s and 1940s. One thing I like about those old nibs is the friction fit sealant free feed, nib and section assembly. Very good for the ease of dismantling for cleaning and maintenance. I don't even have the tools to pull apart my 146 or 149s.

But I'm workin' on it.

The old nibs can be surprisingly beautiful and well preserved and great writers.

Some of my faves.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz218/Valaccar/P1010192.jpg

Pardon the writing mistakes.

http://i829.photobucket.com/albums/zz218/Valaccar/P1010319.jpg

[Kalessin]

I received last week a new old-stock 149 with split-ebonite feed, resin piston threads, complete with clamshell box and both outer cardboard protective boxes, and all paperwork including the original receipt from November 26, 1983. Originally purchased at a place called Lechmere for $199.99.

 

 

Just for a bit of background, Lechmere Stores were found around the northeast US. They started out selling horse harnesses, then selling tires and auto parts, but in 1960 had built a department store selling electronics, appliances, tobacco and accessories, and various other non-clothing items. They grew to more than 29 stores. I know them mostly for appliances and electronics, but they certainly had other things as well. I'm a little surprised they were selling MB, considering that they were a "reasonably priced" (though not "rock bottom discount") operation.

 

My family shopped there a lot; just last week, my parents just stopped using a TV that they bought at the Cambridge Lechmere in 1987. They started getting smaller in 1989, and they went out of business in 1997.

 

My office parking space is right by where their store used to be located near Lechmere Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts (the business was named after the location, and it's now the site of the Cambridgeside Mall), though my office moved from there to Boston last summer.

 

Click here for the Wikipedia articles on Lechmere Stores and Lechmere Square.