Do you know someone who Doesn't have a Montblanc?

[kazoolaw]

8 hours ago, Opooh said:

Also several pens are sold 10 to 20 % lower than the minimum estimation of the experts...

 

It is a bear market.

For Hemingways?

[Opooh]

41 minutes ago, kazoolaw said:

For Hemingways?

They don’t reach reserve price.

[kazoolaw]

6 hours ago, Opooh said:

They don’t reach reserve price.

Reserve price and market price are not synonymous.

[Opooh]

15 hours ago, kazoolaw said:

Reserve price and market price are not synonymous.

Yes, but wishing prices for Hemingways are  overrated . Realistic market price for a Hemingway is 2,5 to 3,5k. One can ask +4 to +5k but these stay unsold.

In recent auctions bidding stops even at <2k for the fountain pen.

Let us not forget Montblanc made 20.000 Hemingway fountain pens.

 

[fpupulin]

In these discussions, which are mostly not particularly fruitful, the Montblanc Hemingway is always mentioned. But the Hemingway is truly an anomaly.

 

As @Opooh correctly remembered, Montblanc produced 20,000 fountain pens of this "Limited" edition, likely ten times more than other companies produced their standard editions. Taking into account devaluation over time, a Hemingway would cost around $1,750 in stores today, which roughly is (coincidentally) the price of one of the Writers' Editions that Montblanc is launching on the market today.

 

This means that in almost 35 years the value f the Hemingway has increased between 40% and 60% (the current price is $2,500-3,000). This increase might be considered modest when compared, for example, with that of the US housing market, which in the same period grew by about 290%-330% in nominal terms, which equates to a real increase (after inflation) of about 82%-100%.

 

In short, any of the 20,000 customers who in 1992 bought a Hemingway, one of the fountain pens whose value has increased the most over time, would have been better off choosing many other investments to obtain a greater return.

 

Of course, other investments don't allow you to fiddle around with an iconic fountain pen between your fingers...

[HE46]

I'm not owning a MB fountain pen. But the first fountain pen I really liked was a MB: In the late 70s, before Lamy launched the Safari, the Montblanc Carrera was the school pen with the best design a young boy could imagine. And somehow I was gifted with one, liked it a lot and abused it in school. So it's long gone ... 

[kazoolaw]

8 hours ago, fpupulin said:

In these discussions, which are mostly not particularly fruitful, the Montblanc Hemingway is always mentioned. But the Hemingway is truly an anomaly.

* * *

In short, any of the 20,000 customers who in 1992 bought a Hemingway, one of the fountain pens whose value has increased the most over time, would have been better off choosing many other investments to obtain a greater return.

 

Of course, other investments don't allow you to fiddle around with an iconic fountain pen between your fingers...

Yes, the Hemingway is different, which was my point,  The Hemingway market is not a bear market.*.
Looking at it a little differently, if I had $700 in 1991 and it grew at the U.S. rate of inflation I’d have $1,700 today.  Which leaves me unable to buy a Hemingway for $2,500-3,000.  I would have had to earn at 3.5% over that time to invest $700 to buy a $2,500 Hemingway today.  

Could I have made more money investing in something else?  But that’s not the point.  Which was that buying a Hemingway wouldn’t have resulted in any loss,  much less 20% of its value.

And, as fpupulin notes, you would have had the pleasure of owning the icon of LE pens.

______________________________
*

DEFINITION

A bear market is a market condition where investors are more risk-averse than risk-seeking, defined by some as when prices have fallen more than 20% from previous highs.

[torstar]

On 4/28/2026 at 11:38 PM, fpupulin said:

In these discussions, which are mostly not particularly fruitful, the Montblanc Hemingway is always mentioned. But the Hemingway is truly an anomaly.

 

As @Opooh correctly remembered, Montblanc produced 20,000 fountain pens of this "Limited" edition, likely ten times more than other companies produced their standard editions. Taking into account devaluation over time, a Hemingway would cost around $1,750 in stores today, which roughly is (coincidentally) the price of one of the Writers' Editions that Montblanc is launching on the market today.

 

 

Great reply!  I'll take the bolded as a compliment on the topic swing...

 

I recall having $10,000 to spend on gifts for the upper brass (and foolishly not really into FPs at the time), so I could have gifted 5 Hemingways that Holiday Season and a lot of change remaining.

 

My understanding is that the nib is not the usual "146 type" as on my other writers LEs, plus Papa is held dear to many readers; my emotional preferences for a MB LE were for Proust and Wilde.  The Proust being the greatest luxury trinket that I have ever purchased.

 

 

[Christopher Godfrey]

...anyway, Hemingway wasn't <that> great a writer, was he?  I can think of many far more qualified for that sort of cult status!  One of his ex-wives, for starters.

[Ceilidh]

On 4/17/2026 at 1:36 PM, NoType said:

Oh Lord, won't you buy me

A Meisterstück pen?

Friends praise Montegrappa

Show off Pelikan 

 

I worked hard all my lifetime

No help from a friend

Oh Lord, please, a Montblanc

Limited, high-end

 

Oh Lord, how about vat

Batch stationery?

Adult Swim, their livestream

Is trying to find me

 

I wait for delivery

Each day until three

Oh Lord, won't you buy me

Great stationery?

 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me

A Montblanc Haus tour?

I'm counting on you, Lord

‘Least two nights, no few’r

 

Show me you love me

Book the Archive room

Oh Lord, don’t forsake me 

With a tour by Zoom

 

Oh Lord, won't you buy me

An Artisan pen?

Tho’ friends boast Namiki

For Montblanc I yen

 

I worked hard all my lifetime

No help from a friend

Oh Lord, please buy me an

High Artistry pen

 

apologies to J Joplin, B Neuwirth, M McClure

Excellent!!

[Ceilidh]

48 minutes ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

...anyway, Hemingway wasn't <that> great a writer, was he?  I can think of many far more qualified for that sort of cult status!  One of his ex-wives, for starters.

Ooooh! I happen to agree with you - I've never much cared for Hemingway, but to some, those'll be fightin' words.

[kazoolaw]

3 hours ago, torstar said:

 

 

My understanding is that the nib is not the usual "146 type" as on my other writers…

 

 

The Hemingway nib is 139/149 size.  The 139 cap is slightly smaller, and not interchangeable.

[torstar]

1 hour ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

...anyway, Hemingway wasn't <that> great a writer, was he?  I can think of many far more qualified for that sort of cult status!  One of his ex-wives, for starters.

 

Oh, an honour to be educated by one of the best literary critics....

 

I meet all kinds on here... 

 

so you have a very deep knowledge of Hemingway and MANY MORE authors and feel justified to pontificate???

 

 

 

 

[torstar]

2 minutes ago, kazoolaw said:

The Hemingway nib is 139/149 size.  The 139 cap is slightly smaller, and not interchangeable.

 

Thank you!

 

I'll be happy with what i have... mostly...  

[kazoolaw]

1 hour ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

...anyway, Hemingway wasn't <that> great a writer, was he?  I can think of many far more qualified for that sort of cult status!  One of his ex-wives, for starters.

Did the namesake pen become iconic because of or despite the name?

Edited April 30 by kazoolaw

[invisuu]

1 hour ago, Christopher Godfrey said:

...anyway, Hemingway wasn't <that> great a writer, was he?  I can think of many far more qualified for that sort of cult status!  One of his ex-wives, for starters.

I'm going to get slaughtered for this, but I have read all of his books and the only one to make it to my top 100, perhaps even top 500 books, is the old man and the sea...I simply don't enjoy him as an author. He has also aged quite badly...suggesting women they shouldn't eat roasted potatoes to not get too fat and such...yikes. Not my style - and I'm not even against books "for men"; I love McCarthy for example...

 

I should note I'm not a literary critic, just someone who enjoys literature...

[CatchyNameHere]

I don't own any Montblancs. Yet. I have my eye on one, but I think the most popular ones are too fat for my fingers. My fingers like grips in the Waterman Carene/Lamy 2000 range. Thinner sometimes, but I don't usually enjoy anything fatter. The 145 looks like the one, but I'm hesitant.

 

[gammada]

My first Montblanc was a 146 pen that I purchased from a friend in disgrace for roughly 40% retail price. I kept that pen for a couple of years not really using it that much since it had a B nib and I was into EF and F nibs at the time. That pen suffered an accident and the barrel broke. I kept it for awhile with the aim of repairing it at some point, but then it got lost.

 

When I came back to fountain pens, I was living in a world full of architects, designers, and marketing folk. Many of those would show up at meetings wielding notebooks and Montblancs, but I always used to call them posers as most of their pens were rollerballs, yet, I never really felt the urge to buy one. Then I delved deep into vintage pens and found such incredible writers such as the Sheaffer Silver Imperial and by then the “precious resin” alternative wasn’t much of interest to me.

 

A few months ago, a great friend of mine died and inherited his pen collection to me. In between those were a 144 and a 149. The 144 isn’t really that impressive. Wonderful writer, but the pen is nothing really spectacular. The 149 truly managed to impress me. The smoothness and size of the nib, the wonderful flow and the overall weight and balance of the pen, really changed my opinion about it.

 

Would I be willing to spend $1200 for brand new 149 now? Nope. But I would certainly consider a used one for half that.

[Opooh]

11 hours ago, gammada said:

My first Montblanc was a 146 pen that I purchased from a friend in disgrace for roughly 40% retail price. I kept that pen for a couple of years not really using it that much since it had a B nib and I was into EF and F nibs at the time. That pen suffered an accident and the barrel broke. I kept it for awhile with the aim of repairing it at some point, but then it got lost.

 

When I came back to fountain pens, I was living in a world full of architects, designers, and marketing folk. Many of those would show up at meetings wielding notebooks and Montblancs, but I always used to call them posers as most of their pens were rollerballs, yet, I never really felt the urge to buy one. Then I delved deep into vintage pens and found such incredible writers such as the Sheaffer Silver Imperial and by then the “precious resin” alternative wasn’t much of interest to me.

 

A few months ago, a great friend of mine died and inherited his pen collection to me. In between those were a 144 and a 149. The 144 isn’t really that impressive. Wonderful writer, but the pen is nothing really spectacular. The 149 truly managed to impress me. The smoothness and size of the nib, the wonderful flow and the overall weight and balance of the pen, really changed my opinion about it.

 

Would I be willing to spend $1200 for brand new 149 now? Nope. But I would certainly consider a used one for half that.

I hope one day you have the opportunity to try a fifties or earlier Montblanc with flex or semiflex nib. That isn’t Montblanc, that is Mount Everest.

[torstar]

18 hours ago, invisuu said:

I'm going to get slaughtered for this, but I have read all of his books and the only one to make it to my top 100, perhaps even top 500 books, is the old man and the sea...I simply don't enjoy him as an author. He has also aged quite badly...suggesting women they shouldn't eat roasted potatoes to not get too fat and such...yikes. Not my style - and I'm not even against books "for men"; I love McCarthy for example...

 

I should note I'm not a literary critic, just someone who enjoys literature...

 

of course

 

tastes and preferences are good to share and helps word get around for us about writers that are similar to those we like/dislike

 

(just like Montblanc and Visconti) 

 

blanket stating that a noted writer isn't any good..... not so....