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Dating a Montblanc 149?


AcLondon

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I've just got myself a Montblanc 149, my first (!).  It's on its way from collector.  I'm going mad trying to date it!  There seem to be some inconsistencies for dating.. 

 

- It's marked W. Germany.

- It has a (beautiful) tri-tone 18c nib. 

- It has a split ebonite feed. 

- It has what looks like a clear (blue?) barrel window.  

- It has plastic threads. 

 

W. Germany tells me 1980s.  Tri-tone 18c, I think, says earlier.  Perhaps it's been fitted with a new nib?  Any help from 149 detectives would be very welcome:-)

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By "clear" do you mean a solid section of clear-or rather blue tinted-plastic as opposed to clear stripes? If so, are you sure it's a 149 and not a 146? W. Germany with a blue barrel window sounds like my favorite 146, although it's 2-tone 14K and split ebonite.

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If it is a 149 the blue ink window is stained. 

 

Sounds like either a Franken 149 or a repaired pen.

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After a good bit of research, I think a 1984/85 date could include all aspects of the pen: 18c nibs still used, 'W. Germany' just coming in, split ebonite feeds in use, plastic threads.  Thoughts?

Edit: looks like it's definitely a solid ebonite, not split.  Could a solid ebonite have been in use as late as 1985?  Or 'W.Germany' have come in c.1980 when solid ebonites gave way to split?

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Two piece barrel pushes the date into the 80s also. The solid ebonite feed, to me, is hard to rectify with everything else.

 

I'm wondering if the nib and feed are from an earlier pen that was factory repaired sometime in the 80s. I'm not sure if that matches up, though, since the more recent repairs I've seen have all come back with plastic feeds and I don't know if the practice then would have been to fit the then-current feed design in place of an older one.

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The nib and the solid ebonite feed do not date with the two piece barrel.  To me, this is not an original 149, but a newer body with an older nib and feed.

Hard times don't last, but hard people do.

 

Thank a Veteran.

 

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4 hours ago, niksch said:

The nib and the solid ebonite feed do not date with the two piece barrel.  To me, this is not an original 149, but a newer body with an older nib and feed.

 Yup. Probably an early to mid 1970s nib and feed in a late 1980s body and cap.

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Thanks for these replies.  I had concluded exactly this myself (1970s nib, late 80s body). I cancelled the order.  Maybe I was wrong to let the 18c nib go but I really didn't fancy have a hybrid 149. 

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  • 1 month later...

I know this is definitely a Montblanc 149 but I'm not sure about the nib size. The nib writes a wide line and the tip of it looks as if it is "angled".  I'll try to get some pictures of it and maybe someone can identify it and the feed.........Ebonite or Plastic.  I was told this pen was received as a graduation present in 1989. 72462CEE-3EF9-47D5-9787-4308838D70F8.thumb.jpeg.d937511699514b0c40813e53784a25d6.jpeg3B542639-AD4F-4406-9C5A-649799A7E3B9.thumb.jpeg.99502f10c4b365f88ed509976dfaccd8.jpegB1325FCE-D618-479B-A2BB-9BC84550B8BC.thumb.jpeg.611e374364595c82cde726c7d6296f23.jpegB1325FCE-D618-479B-A2BB-9BC84550B8BC.thumb.jpeg.611e374364595c82cde726c7d6296f23.jpeg

A0C03F0D-F35A-4E96-A629-39ED8FD1288F.jpeg

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I'm not an expert, but the feed looks like plastic to me. Maybe early plastic, which would line up (roughly) with the 1989 date. Identifying the nib is out of my wheelhouse, but I'm sure others will be able to help!

 

This is the chart that I tend to use for dating 146/149s: https://penstylo.blogspot.com/p/dating-montblanc-149.html

 

This is also a good explanation for dating 149s, and it includes a picture of the plastic vs. split ebonite feeds: https://www.inkdelta.com/what-to-look-for-when-pursuing-a-montblanc-149/

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Looks like an OM and the feed is plastic.

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Are OM nibs very common for the 1980’s Montblanc 149’s ?  Are they common nibs for today or are OM nibs rare ?

 

 

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OMs have been a catalog item for a long time.

 

They don't seem to be a particularly popular choice IME(I like obliques myself, but tend to go toward OB and wider) but they are out there.

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OM nibs are readily available through the nib exchange program and brand new 149s with an OM nib can be purchased directly from Montblanc or authorized dealers. I got one from Fritz Schimpf last year. It's fantastic.

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