Montblanc 149 price.

[sarahsyers]

Hello out there. I would like advice, as a newbie to Montblanc, about the price of a 149, 1950's era, bold nib pen. Seller is asking £875, despite a small crack to the base of the cap (below the band). It has the tricoloured nib. Is this too much to pay? And would I be better off buying a modern one with a bold nib? Are they very different? Thanks in advance for any replies to my naive questions.

[jar]

That's a strong price for a user grade celluloid 149. The celluloid 14x pens are quite different than the modern ones but of the family the 149 is closest to the new ones. The smaller 14x series pens of the 50s had concave sections but the 149 section was flat. All were slightly smaller than today's pens, had telescoping two stage pistons and a variety of feed designs.

[j01270]

I would agree that is a strong price.

[tandaina]

The 1950s era 1xx series are in my opinion some of the best pens ever made, and their nibs are amazing. The 149 is really hard to find and very valuable not a surprising price at all. A 144 will be much cheaper and easier to find, but still not cheap.

A modern 149 used will be a lot less, but the nib isn't even comparable (not bad just entirely a different experience) and I prefer the old bodies. The modern 'precious resin' doesn't really excite me.