zaddick
June 24th, 2016, 01:08 PM
This is a short term sale. I am offering a Montblanc 149 from the mid to late 1980s. It has the following characteristics:
- 2 piece body
- 14K bi-tone nib (not the earlier 14C) in M width
- Germany on the clip
- Later plastic feed from post 1996
- Black piston threads (not the heavier bras)
- Posts very securely
It looks to me like it had a factory repair at some point after the mid 1990s but not too recently. This pen is in well used condition. I bought it as a road pen I could treat with less care than all my refurbished or new 149s. However, this pen is not a good enough writer. Since I have so many pens I don’t want to spend the time to tune it or send it in to MB for a complete overhaul. Therefore I am offering it for sale and will let you decide what to do with the pen. It is completely usable as it sits, but I want to point out the following:
- The cap has a lot of deep marks in the resin. To the right of the clip are lots of nicks and there is a bit of a den on the back of the cap. There are also a few nicks in the cap top, though nothing on the star. No chips I can see in the cap lip
- The body has a fair amount of light scratches but nowhere near as much as the cap. There is however either a scratch in the barrel by the piston cone or it might be a crack. I do not know. The pen does not leak in my usage and draws a full load of water/ink without issue. I have not tried to polish this out and I am pricing the pen like it is a crack. (Not disclosed to me when I bought the pen.)
- There is one clear spot of plating loss on the cap ring – right on the dash between 149 and Montblanc. Upon close examination there also appears to be plating loss in the circle of the 9 and the C in Montblanc.
- The clip is fine with usual micro scratches
- The nib is dry on upstrokes at a 45 degree angle, either left to right or vice versa. I also noticed it can be a little dry on horizontal stroked from right to left. I have not made an effort to adjust the nib yet. The tines seem aligned, but the nib has more feedback than most of my other 149s. I have included a writing sample with Waterman ink on decent office copy paper.
- It looks like there is a little rhodium plating loss around the middle of the nib.
If I do not sell the pen it will probably go to MB for the Level 1 service to get it writing better and the potential barrel issue resolved. But, since I do not want to wait (and I have plenty other pens to keep me busy), I am offering this pen for sale at a reasonable price for the condition. You can use it as it is, or spend a few bucks to get the nib tuned, or even spend like $90 at MB to have them fix it and then get a 1 year warranty on the pen. If you always wanted to try a 149, this could be a good opportunity for those more handy with pens than myself. You don’t have to worry about scratching up a $900+ pen as it was already done. :^)
I have attempted to describe this pen as honestly as possible. If I can answer more questions, please feel free to ask. I am also happy to take more pictures. I am asking $245 shipped USPS first class in the US. If you want priority or insurance it will be extra. Shipping overseas is extra and will add cost, but I am willing to do it. Please PM with questions or your email if you want pictures. I might be open to a trade, but I warn you I am picky.
- 2 piece body
- 14K bi-tone nib (not the earlier 14C) in M width
- Germany on the clip
- Later plastic feed from post 1996
- Black piston threads (not the heavier bras)
- Posts very securely
It looks to me like it had a factory repair at some point after the mid 1990s but not too recently. This pen is in well used condition. I bought it as a road pen I could treat with less care than all my refurbished or new 149s. However, this pen is not a good enough writer. Since I have so many pens I don’t want to spend the time to tune it or send it in to MB for a complete overhaul. Therefore I am offering it for sale and will let you decide what to do with the pen. It is completely usable as it sits, but I want to point out the following:
- The cap has a lot of deep marks in the resin. To the right of the clip are lots of nicks and there is a bit of a den on the back of the cap. There are also a few nicks in the cap top, though nothing on the star. No chips I can see in the cap lip
- The body has a fair amount of light scratches but nowhere near as much as the cap. There is however either a scratch in the barrel by the piston cone or it might be a crack. I do not know. The pen does not leak in my usage and draws a full load of water/ink without issue. I have not tried to polish this out and I am pricing the pen like it is a crack. (Not disclosed to me when I bought the pen.)
- There is one clear spot of plating loss on the cap ring – right on the dash between 149 and Montblanc. Upon close examination there also appears to be plating loss in the circle of the 9 and the C in Montblanc.
- The clip is fine with usual micro scratches
- The nib is dry on upstrokes at a 45 degree angle, either left to right or vice versa. I also noticed it can be a little dry on horizontal stroked from right to left. I have not made an effort to adjust the nib yet. The tines seem aligned, but the nib has more feedback than most of my other 149s. I have included a writing sample with Waterman ink on decent office copy paper.
- It looks like there is a little rhodium plating loss around the middle of the nib.
If I do not sell the pen it will probably go to MB for the Level 1 service to get it writing better and the potential barrel issue resolved. But, since I do not want to wait (and I have plenty other pens to keep me busy), I am offering this pen for sale at a reasonable price for the condition. You can use it as it is, or spend a few bucks to get the nib tuned, or even spend like $90 at MB to have them fix it and then get a 1 year warranty on the pen. If you always wanted to try a 149, this could be a good opportunity for those more handy with pens than myself. You don’t have to worry about scratching up a $900+ pen as it was already done. :^)
I have attempted to describe this pen as honestly as possible. If I can answer more questions, please feel free to ask. I am also happy to take more pictures. I am asking $245 shipped USPS first class in the US. If you want priority or insurance it will be extra. Shipping overseas is extra and will add cost, but I am willing to do it. Please PM with questions or your email if you want pictures. I might be open to a trade, but I warn you I am picky.