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My First Mont Blanc


Darcy1978

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One of the cool things about telling people you have started collecting fountain pens (as I have) is that they sometimes give you pens. My mother gave me four old fountain pens that she found at a charity shop. They were a Lamy Artus (in bad shape), an Osmia, an as yet unknown brand and...a Mont Blanc 22. I learned from my fellow countryman SBRE Brown that the 22 was MB's starter model, and I can only dream of what MB's more advanced models will be like. Because what a fantastic pen this is. Especially considering it was free.

 

http://i41.tinypic.com/2hckb5v.jpg

The MB 22 on a bed of saphire.

 

For a pen that is nearly or just over 50 years old it feels like a one that came out of the shop yesterday. There are some slight scratches on the barrel, but other than that the pen is in good condition. The piston filling system works fine and it sucks up ink like there's no tomorrow. I love the way the nib has been cut - the whole things looks like a retro spaceship. The 14k gold nib is exceptionally smooth and the pen appears to do the writing by itself. Like a hot knife through warm butter.

 

http://i42.tinypic.com/2j4bq8o.jpg

I am a black MB 22, I am 50 years old and I have a shiny nib.

 

The only downside of the pen is that I need to be extra careful with it and don't take it everywhere, but I do use it on a regular basis.

 

http://i39.tinypic.com/ou4i7p.jpg

Jane Austen sure would have loved to have had one of these.

 

Since I am clearly no expert, I wonder if anyone could date this pen more accurately, and also if there are any specific tips to be given about the MB22. Much appreciated!

 

 

<p>Hors d'oeuvres must be obeyed at all times.</p>

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The 2x were the mid range pens of the period, the 1x were the top of the line, the 2x the mid range economy pens and the 3x were the entry level/student pens. They were introduced in the late 50s when MB discontinued their 142, 144 and 146 models.

 

The second digit indicated the length, either 2 or 4. The x2 pens were about length and width of a Parker "75" while the x4 pens were about the length and width of a Parker 61.

 

http://www.fototime.com/AB9077AC7F2AE8F/medium800.jpg

Your 22 had a list price of $16.50 back then (the 24 would have been $19.00 ) which was certainly not cheap considering my half of the rent at the time was $75.00 a month and I only made about $440.00 a month.

 

http://www.fototime.com/CAA5A1577DAA0DC/large.jpg

 

My Website

 

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Thank you for this, this is most helpful. What a great chart!

<p>Hors d'oeuvres must be obeyed at all times.</p>

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Hi Darcy - looks like you have a great pen there and a fantastic mum that supports your passion for pens.

The explanation by jar is comprehensive and I definitely learnt something today. Thank you jar.

What a great forum this is.

 

/W72

Aurora - GVFC - Hero - Lamy - Montblanc - Montegrappa - Parker - Pelikan - Visconti - Waterman

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Congratulations Darcy on your fine collection and your vintage Montblanc and I'm sure there will be more to come later on. Also enjoy the beautiful coloured inks you can get with them.

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