Possible Montblanc 146 with Weird Clip?

[theodore94]

I picked up this pen, which purports to be a Montblanc 146. It checks most of my boxes for authenticity (by no means an exhaustive list), except (A) the clip looks fake and (B) I haven't seen that color patina on a MB nib. On the other hand, I haven't seen too many fake piston MBs. 

 

Does anyone know if it's real? I bought it with a bunch of ~10 other pens for a total of $10, so it's okay if it's fake.

 

It's a bit dirty -- I'll have to clean it off. 

 

 

[OCArt]

A gold nib will not be attracted to a magnet. Does the nib pass the magnet test?

[Michael R.]

Early version of the resin 146 pens; 1970s to early 80s. Patina is normal on those generation 14C nibs. Clip is the older version of the 146 clips. Looks like the cap's plastic is damaged/melted, but maybe it's some sort of glue and cleans off.

Those can be great pens and nibs are more soft compared to newer versions. Also it has the ebonite feed.

Hope this cleans up nicely as those become more difficult to find.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

[bunnspecial]

Looks like just tarnish/patina on the 14c monotone nib.

 

Nothing makes me think it's fake.

[theodore94]

 

1 hour ago, OCArt said:

A gold nib will not be attracted to a magnet. Does the nib pass the magnet test?

So I only have the magnet attached to my Microsoft Surface stylus pen... it doesn't appear to stick to the gold nib, but it also doesn't appear to stick to any other nibs (like my steel Montegrappa nib). So it "passes" the test, but I'm not sure that test is super sensitive.

 

1 hour ago, Michael R. said:

Early version of the resin 146 pens; 1970s to early 80s. Patina is normal on those generation 14C nibs. Clip is the older version of the 146 clips. Looks like the cap's plastic is damaged/melted, but maybe it's some sort of glue and cleans off.

Those can be great pens and nibs are more soft compared to newer versions. Also it has the ebonite feed.

Hope this cleans up nicely as those become more difficult to find.

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

That clip is correct for the age? I thought that Meisterstuck clips were all completely flat with a "pillow"-like piece on the end that presses against the cap. That's how the rest of my MBs look... but they may be newer.

 

Wow! If it's real, that's a heck of a find! Some of the grime is coming off the cap, but maybe not all -- so it may be a little damaged. The actual pen seems to be in reasonable shape. Hard to complain for $10.

 

Do you happen to have a cleaner example of that style clip in case I see something similar in the future?

[CS388]

Good find. Well done.

 

It's an early, modern 146. 

Yes, it looks a bit bruised and battered - especially the cap.

But, I see nothing which marks it as fake.

 

Clean it up and get writing.

Congratulations.

[Michael R.]

Should be from a very similar production period as this one; pictures to compare clips with a slightly later model (>80s and >90s) are added as well:

 

P1440834 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1440882 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1440884 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

P1440891 by pensninks, auf Flickr

 

Cheers

 

Michael

 

[meiers]

Beautiful pen that needs a little TLC. 

 

 

[Nurmister]

Wonderful find.  @Michael R. has given an accurate response regarding the dating of this pen (there's a separate thread on dating 146s here, too). However, I will say this: please don't send this to Montblanc if you want to retain this pen's originality. they will replace most components, including the body and feed (and perhaps the clip too, given it is slightly damaged) with new parts. I would consider this a downgrade:

 

1. The new plastic feed is fine, but ebonite, in my experience, is more responsive and retains wetness longer.

2. The shape of the joint in the old style clip is elegant, and less boxy than that of the new clip.

3. The gold hardware on the pen is rolled gold. Montblanc switched to thinner gold plating in the 80s or so.

 

There are pen repairers active on this forum. Unfortunately, I'm still quite new here so can't link them to you directly. One youtube personality that comes to mind is Grandmia pens -- he does wonderful, preserving work on these old pens. Please seek one of them out if you want to get this pen cleaned up.

 

And a last thing -- the piston might be jammed after years of disuse. Please don't force it if it won't turn, it'll break it. Good luck, great find!