Montblanc 144 Flat Top

[Cjtamu]

Couldn’t resist when I saw this on PSP site. Some of the photos are borrowed from there because it will be a bit before I have time to properly photograph. Info PSP posted says Collectible Stars has this pen made 1960-61, so right after production of the cigar shaped celluloid pen stopped and well before the introduction of the CC 144. Teri told me it’s the only one they’ve ever seen, and it’s certainly the only one I’ve ever seen. Was in Dromgoole’s this weekend and Michael told me it’s the only one he’s ever seen as well. Very little info available on the web so if anyone has more info or owns one I’d love to know about it.

 

Lovely little pen. Took a photo of it with my wife’s MKII Duofold International and realized that capped they’re a similar size. Diameter is similar also. Piston filler. Nib is EF with smooth ebonite feed. Very fine, nice and bouncy with a tiny bit of flex and excellent ink flow. A hair finer than the EF semi-flex nib on my circa 1952-53 Pelikan 400 but with far less flex as a comparison. Filled with MB Mystery Black right now and a really nice writer. A little cap damage and repair as seen in the photos and some scratches and plating wear but hey, it’s a senior citizen! The stars are in remarkable shape. And I love the blue ink window in the threads, don’t think I’ve seen that in another pen. All in all just a great old pen and a cool bit of history. 
 

Edit: The pen is resin. Just in case that wasn’t obvious.

 

[joss]

My first thought was 'Frankenpen' as I had no idea that this transition model existed. I did not find the model on the Collectible Stars website, I will check the book later. But I found the pen referred to on this MB website:

http://www.fountainpen.de/sini-144-60.htm

 

[Tashi_Tsering]

8 minutes ago, joss said:

My first thought was 'Frankenpen' as I had no idea that this transition model existed. I did not find the model on the Collectible Stars website

 

http://www.collectiblestars.com/epages/64015612.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64015612/Products/MB-MS-144-96-F-PF-BLC-FT-X

[joss]

1 minute ago, Tashi_Tsering said:

http://www.collectiblestars.com/epages/64015612.sf/en_GB/?ObjectPath=/Shops/64015612/Products/MB-MS-144-96-F-PF-BLC-FT-X

Ah yes, there it is. I had searched the 'flat cap top' section.

[jchch1950]

Another pen to look after. The only frustration will be the asking price, but it will be fun in the search.

[Cjtamu]

Thank you for the info. One of the nice things about PSP is that the pen is vetted before it’s put up for sale so I didn’t have any concerns about authenticity.@jchch1950 good luck with your search. 

[Michael R.]

Nice find!

 

Almost all models have cap cracks by now due to a construction fault.

 

 

[Opooh]

On penboard.de databank there is also one on display.

[Cjtamu]

3 hours ago, Michael R. said:

Nice find!

 

Almost all models have cap cracks by now due to a construction fault.

 

 

Good to know, thank you. The repair on this one leaves a little to be desired aesthetically but appears to work well. It can sit for a few days and starts right up.

[Andrew_L]

Thanks for sharing!