Just Bought My First Montblanc

[Sham69]

won a 146 on ebay for 350 aud which i think was an ok deal? especially within australia things are ridiculously priced here.. it is burgundy has a two tone nib (the seller does not know nib size but he seems like an honest gentleman, has 7000 sales with 99% feedback, he is an antiques seller)

would anyone be able to give me a rough idea of what year this pen would be from and perhaps ease my mind that i got an ok deal (if i did not i am happy for someone to tell me i paid a bit much for it) ? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/390726386...84.m1439.l2649

this will be my first montblanc as i am only a student, however it is not my first very nice pen. I have a visconti homo sapiens and divina springs which i cherish but have been in search for a decent montblanc for a long time and i liked the red colour.

[HermetiC]

Attending to the box, I think your 146 is from the middle 90's. Nothing changes from present model.

[piscov]

late 80´s till mid 90ies. The bottom of the box will have W. Germany or Germany and that can give you a closer date of production, if W Germany is probably before 1990. Good price and a great choice, congratulations!

[Sham69]

thanks very much guys, i am happy with that! hopefully its a med or bold nib something i can get ground nicely into a stub!!! can't wait

[RuiFromUK]

Welcome to the MB owners' club. Please bear in mind that MontBlanc pen purchases are contagious.

I also have a MB 146 Grande of that period and it still writes like on the first day.

[Littlepen]

Contagious is an understatement started with a 146 ball point now got the rollerball and fountain pen to match.Not to mention a 1980 149 fine nib.

[piscov]

From picture 2 looks to be an F or M...

[JLS1]

FWIW, burgundy (in fact, any non-black) 146s sell at a premium relative to the standard black/gold 146. I did a quick search on eBay's completed listings for burgundy 146's; you can check this out here. Based on a quick review, these 146s sold for above US$300 so given the AUD/USD exchange rate, I think you did pretty well.

IMHO, the 146 is a good MB 'starter pen': great ergonomics, generous ink capacity and a (usually) wonderful nib. Based strictly on the pictures, it looks like yours is a fine or medium nib, which should give you a good idea of how MB nibs behave...don't be surprised if you end up going broader or narrower in your next (and there WILL be a next) MB FP. Once you get your pen, do a few checks to make sure it's working ok:
- fill the pen with lukewarm water SLOWLY to check the piston (I didn't see any pics of the piston or blind cap extended...make sure the piston is not snapped/cracked.) I emphasize slowly because you have no idea about the state of the piston and you don't want to unnecessarily stress the piston rod...especially if it hasn't been moved in 20+ years.
- if the pen fills with water, turn it nib-up and leave it for a day or so in a small glass to make sure the piston seals are still good. If they're not, you'll see water coming from the blind cap. (FYI - this is much better to discover with water than with ink...personal experience talking here)

If the pen passes these 2 tests, ink it up and enjoy! Otherwise, you might need to get it serviced by MB; if you find this out early enough, you might be able to recoup the servicing cost from the seller.

HTH!

[Sham69]

hopefully no smaller then an m! oh well i can always have it re-tipped. no biggie! broad or m will be fine!

i would say it is most likely an m just by that a lot of m's are made.

[Sham69]

Thank you so much JLS you really helped my confidence there. There should be more people like younin the world. Once again thanks so much for taking the time to do that for me i had no idea you could search previous listings to get an idea of price ranges of an item. This will help me a great deal in the future!!

[orfew]

The 146 is a great pen. Mine is inked quite often.I hope you enjoy yours for many years to come.

[I like mango pudding]

I would say that's an M nib not an F.

[Sham69]

ok guys news is the pen is practically new i would not be surprised if it was never inked as i could not find any ink residue within the pen, piston is quite smooth, no micro scratches anywhere, box is quite new and has a purchase receipt from 1997! i am extremely satisfied it is a medium nib and writes extremely smoothly! anything else i should know?