Disappointed w/MBlanc

[mrwilliam]

Is this now normal for Montblanc?

I was awarded a 164 in the late 80s, and it came in a very nice clamshell presentation box. The box and pen were lost in a burglary.

After a decade, I broke down and bought a new one to replace it. I knew it was authentic. 

It arrived in a cardboard box. It is a nice box as boxes go, but it's still a box (and a protective soft cloth pouch).

I was expecting a clamshell case. There aren't any on their website. 

Does anyone on the forum know when this change was made?

Sorry for the rant. It just irks me. 

[meiers]

Cardboard boxes can be recycled. That is their argument. 
 

[Paul-in-SF]

Carboard boxes are cheaper to make. This is their unspoken rationale. 

 

I am sorry about the loss of your earlier pen, that sort of thing (a prize for -- I presume -- performance) is very difficult to replace. Maybe you could find such a case on eBay or somewhere like that?

 

edited to add: I just looked, and found a couple of clamshell cases, one of which looked like it might be vintage, for $25. I expect you could find one like the one that was stolen, even if it takes a while. 

[mrwilliam]

meiers: thank you - had to roll my eyes - i shouldn't be surprised ...

paul-in-SF: thank you - saw some online also - don't know if you still live in SF, but we raised our kids in Walnut Creek a lifetime ago ...

[meiers]

I have always discarded the boxes and cases… many collectors disagree with my attitude... but there it is.  I wish I could send you one of the many I threw out or recycled over the years. 

[Opooh]

When you buy a limited edition on the contrary one gets a special box, mostly in an exotic type of wood. Unfortunately these boxes make the price of the pen getting higher. I find it weird to pay for a box.

[Tashi_Tsering]

Montblanc announced cardboard boxes back in 2022, and there was a lot of discussion about it.

 

To be fair: Montblanc has used cardboard boxes before. For example, the Strauss pen released in the early 2000s came in a huge cardboard box; the 145 dedicated to Chopin also came in a cardboard box.

 

I don't particularly like cardboard boxes either, but I'm not too worried about it either.

[tommym]

Most of the MB cases (clamshell, plastic, cardboard, etc.) have failed me over the years due to the high heat and humidity levels within the house. It was always the interior of these cases that failed. Thus, I ended up tossing them all. I switched over to MB's leather single pen pouches, which have all seemed to have stood the test of time.

 

Tommy 

[Karmachanic]

On 6/10/2025 at 10:27 PM, meiers said:

I have always discarded the boxes and cases

 

Yup.

[JCC123]

Boxes and other materials are only important if you intend to resell later. Otherwise, it doesn't matter.

[Karmachanic]

6 hours ago, JCC123 said:

Boxes and other materials are only important if you intend to resell later.

 

For those who collect boxes.