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sargetalon
May 5th, 2013, 05:56 PM
Hello everyone. I'm very new to the Montblanc world and on a whim made a last second purchase on eBay to acquire what I hope is my first genuine Montblanc. The problem is, I'm not sure which model that I purchased. I have done a good bit of research and I believe this to be a 144. I was hoping some of you with more experience might be able to confirm that for me. Unfortunately, the seller was unable to answer my questions prior to auction close so I do not know if there is a converter or not. It is a black body and cap with gold rings. The nib is 14K and says 4810, the Montblanc logo, 14K, Montblanc, 585 and it is two toned. The widest gold band at the base of the cap says Montblanc - Meisterstuck. The gold band at the top of the cap says Germany BM1657695.

Here are some pics from the auction (sorry that they aren't great). Here is a link to the auction (http://www.ebay.com/itm/MONTBLANC-Meisterstuck-Fountain-Pen-14K-GOLD-BM1657695-Two-Toneg-nib-Germany-/190832206053?ViewItem=&item=190832206053&nma=true&si=cflfwRm%252B0Lbt5K27Ev2Mlf54m28%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557).

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/jdanley/Montblanc_1_zpse9618d1e.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/jdanley/media/Montblanc_1_zpse9618d1e.jpg.html)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/jdanley/Montblanc_6_zpsa48d19f5.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/jdanley/media/Montblanc_6_zpsa48d19f5.jpg.html)

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f282/jdanley/Montblanc_2_zps93d480a4.jpg (http://s49.photobucket.com/user/jdanley/media/Montblanc_2_zps93d480a4.jpg.html)

hari317
May 5th, 2013, 11:31 PM
The model is 144 aka classique. It is a discontinued model.

More pics are needed to confirm the authenticity: closeup of nib, feed, section open showing section threads and converter.

piscov
May 6th, 2013, 02:25 AM
Its the Classique and looks authentic but as hari told you better pictures will help.

mmahany
May 6th, 2013, 04:29 PM
Unfortunately, the fakes have gotten so good on the 144 that it's very hard to decipher between if you have an authentic pen or a replica (even from high quality pictures). When you receive the pen, my advice to you is to unscrew the top part of the cap (the part with the white mountain top), break down the pen, and post pictures of the insides.

If you can, take high quality pictures of the top part of the cap, the cap itself (specifically the gold rings), the ring of the clip and the underside of the clip, the insides of the cap (there should be a plastic sleeve inside), the nib, and the feed.

It sounds paranoid but I've owned probably 30 164/163/144 variations and even I can't rule out the possibility of a fake until I've completely broken the pen down and seen it in person.

sargetalon
May 8th, 2013, 06:56 PM
Time for an update. The pen arrived in the mail today and I'm less than happy. The barrel was difficult to unscrew from the section. When I did get it loose, there turned out to be a Cross blue-black cartridge stuck in the barrel. Dried ink was throughout the barrel, section, feed, cap, and nib. This pen looks like it was never cleaned as I've identified at least 5 different ink colors so far. That aside, the band above the nib was described as having, "a tiny bit of discoloration or corrosion of some sort. Not very apparent to the naked eye.” The whole band is in fact corroded. I'm waiting to hear back from the seller and while I do, the parts are soaking for a long overdue cleaning. My questions now are,

1) Which converter do I need to purchase to fit a Montblanc 144? This pen has brass threads on the section.

2) Is there anyway to affordably repair the corrosion damage to the gold band on the section?

I will post some more pics once I've cleaned the pen up some. Useless to me now though as I don't have any carts/converter.

jar
May 8th, 2013, 07:55 PM
The corrosion on the band above the nib is pretty normal on 144.

The converter should be an international standard. Look closely to see if you need the screw or push fit type.

It's possible that Montblanc could replace the corroded part for about $80.00.

sargetalon
May 10th, 2013, 06:12 PM
I e-mailed Montblanc customer service and they referred me to the boutique at the King of Prussia mall which I was able to run to after work today. They were very attentive to me which was appreciated. I explained my issue with the section and was told that the pen would be shipped to Texas for a free estimate and quoted me about $70-120 just as a rough estimate. I had a good feel for the place overall except for when the salesperson told me that the 144 was still in production. It's my understanding that it was replaced by the 145 but I didn't argue the point with her. Guess now it's the waiting game. I did mention that I was interested in picking up a converter and they gave me one for free which was an awesome bonus.

Besides hopefully replacing the section that I've requested, does anyone know if Montblanc service does anything further? Specifically, do they polish the pen prior to returning to clean up the micro scratches? Just not sure what a service from Montblanc entails. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

mmahany
May 13th, 2013, 01:00 PM
I e-mailed Montblanc customer service and they referred me to the boutique at the King of Prussia mall which I was able to run to after work today. They were very attentive to me which was appreciated. I explained my issue with the section and was told that the pen would be shipped to Texas for a free estimate and quoted me about $70-120 just as a rough estimate. I had a good feel for the place overall except for when the salesperson told me that the 144 was still in production. It's my understanding that it was replaced by the 145 but I didn't argue the point with her. Guess now it's the waiting game. I did mention that I was interested in picking up a converter and they gave me one for free which was an awesome bonus.

Besides hopefully replacing the section that I've requested, does anyone know if Montblanc service does anything further? Specifically, do they polish the pen prior to returning to clean up the micro scratches? Just not sure what a service from Montblanc entails. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

-The 144 uses a snap fit cap while the 145 uses a screw down cap. Both are cartridge fillers, but the 145 is slightly larger in size. Also, the 145 was previously marketed as the "Chopin" pen and came in a nicer presentation box with a CD including some of the works of Frederic Chopin

-The precious resin 144 should still be inproduction. It was listed on their website the last time I checked a couple months ago. Although, currently, I only see 144 solitaire models listed. Either way, replacement parts should still be abundant for any modern 144.

-I'm not sure why Montblanc referred you to a boutique. The boutique will do you the favor of shipping it out, but you can save yourself a step next time and ship it directly to Montblanc yourself. The instructions for doing so are on their website.

-The pen will be shipped down to Montblanc's service center in Fort Worth, TX. Generally, you'll pay a flat fee to have the pen repaired. In most cases it's $70-80 ($80 the last I checked) and they'll replace pretty much everything on the pen except for the nib and more than likely the clip. Basically, you'll have a near brand new pen when you get it back. They will send you an invoice before doing any work so you always have the option to decline repairs if the cost is excessive.

I hope this helps.

I like mango pudding
May 21st, 2013, 01:53 AM
I have this pen and I've seen a fake in person. They are extremely hard to tell apart. The fake parts are interchangeable with the real pen. Check the flushness of the cap ring. It should run very smooth. The fake that I handled wasn't perfectly aligned. The clip on the fake had a Pix on the inside of the clip, so that is no guarantee of authenticity.