Do you use a fountain pen?

[x5tuu]

K87 said:

A warning to others, someone showed me a new MB Le Grand today that they had bought on ebay,, cost them £50 and described as MB World from memory, very, very similar to the real thing apart from it was cartridge converter (with Montblanc name) and not a piston filler. Even the nib looked identical.no MB box or packaging.

The fakers have upped their game although I haven't seen a piston filler MB fake, just too complicated to fake at the price.

You absolutely can get piston-fill MB fakes - ive got one that I keep in my work bag - I picked it up in Hong Kong and they have a website with lots of them on for very little money.

They come with boxes, guarantee book/card, sleeve, etc.

https://replicawatchpro.shop/category.php?category...

[blueg33]

K87 said:

blueg33 said:

K87 said:

A warning to others, someone showed me a new MB Le Grand today that they had bought on ebay,, cost them £50 and described as MB World from memory, very, very similar to the real thing apart from it was cartridge converter (with Montblanc name) and not a piston filler. Even the nib looked identical.no MB box or packaging.

The fakers have upped their game although I haven't seen a piston filler MB fake, just too complicated to fake at the price.


,

Surely a MB for £50 is all the info anyone needs? same as a Patek Phillipe Naultilus for £1500 or a Rolex Sub for £200

The point I was trying to make, and obviously failed, is that the manufacturers of fake Montblanc pens have really upped their game, the fake 146 that was handed to me was indistinguishable from a real Montblanc 146, it even glowed red when a torch was shone through the the cap which used to be an acid test. The nib was not magnetic and there was a general feel of quality.

The only difference was the filling system, at first sight.

The price was secondary, it could easily have been on sale at £300 and would still attract bidders.


Going to take a break for a while, all the best guys.

OK. makes sense. Its a useful heads up.

Ironically it sounds like they could have charged more for it and it would be less likely to be seen as a fake.


I may be naive, but one of the reasons I went for Pelikan over MB is that in my mind there is less risk of buying a fake. MB are an obvious target like rolex, because everyone knows what they are. If you tell a non pen person that you have a Pelikan, you get a blank look

Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 7th March 15:52

[Louis Balfour]

K87 said:

Going to take a break for a while, all the best guys.

I'd email you to say this, but you don't accept emails: Thank you for the advice, it has been very helpful.

[McGee_22]

blueg33 said:

K87 said:

blueg33 said:

K87 said:

A warning to others, someone showed me a new MB Le Grand today that they had bought on ebay,, cost them £50 and described as MB World from memory, very, very similar to the real thing apart from it was cartridge converter (with Montblanc name) and not a piston filler. Even the nib looked identical.no MB box or packaging.

The fakers have upped their game although I haven't seen a piston filler MB fake, just too complicated to fake at the price.


,

Surely a MB for £50 is all the info anyone needs? same as a Patek Phillipe Naultilus for £1500 or a Rolex Sub for £200

The point I was trying to make, and obviously failed, is that the manufacturers of fake Montblanc pens have really upped their game, the fake 146 that was handed to me was indistinguishable from a real Montblanc 146, it even glowed red when a torch was shone through the the cap which used to be an acid test. The nib was not magnetic and there was a general feel of quality.

The only difference was the filling system, at first sight.

The price was secondary, it could easily have been on sale at £300 and would still attract bidders.


Going to take a break for a while, all the best guys.

OK. makes sense. Its a useful heads up.

Ironically it sounds like they could have charged more for it and it would be less likely to be seen as a fake.


I may be naive, but one of the reasons I went for Pelikan over MB is that in my mind there is less risk of buying a fake. MB are an obvious target like rolex, because everyone knows what they are. If you tell a non pen person that you have a Pelikan, you get a blank look

Edited by blueg33 on Thursday 7th March 15:52

I have yet to see a Dunhill fake - I had heard of and seen MB fakes well over 20 years ago. As you say, like Roex, they are an all too obvious target.

[dapprman]

Taken me a while to find it, but I think this was the page I used to date (within a 3 year period) my 146 I bought at the 2020 Spring London Pen Show, the last one at the old Hilton location and just before lock down (in fact one of the retailers caught Covid on the flght back). Got mine from a known German (I think he is German) Montblanc expert who has not been back since lock down, can never remember his name though.
https://penstylo.blogspot.com/p/dating-montblanc-1...
(the page covers both 146 and 149)

[x5tuu]

Popped around to my parents at the weekend and my dad (who is very aware of his mortality) had been having a look through some old bits and bobs that havent seen the light of day in 6 decades.

He asked if I would like these 2 ... both were bought for him in 1963 when he went off to Farnborough (from Sunderland) to join the air force in the hopes that he would use them to write home. That didnt happen. They were pretty much filled and never looked at again (although they are very well travelled).

The first is a Parker 17 Lady - there was a lot of residual dried ink in the rubber bladder than is still flexible as well as the cap, nib and body. I let it soak for a couple of days and its all running clear now. Ive not inked it but dont see any reason it wont work well!




The second is a Conway Stewart Dinky 550 - this was more complicated, the fill lever was jammed hard, I left it to soak in warm water hoping to be able to extract the end and bladder in full, unforunately the bladder (original) was totally perished and the warm water destroyed it, but it has also melted the glue substance holding it together allowing me access to clear out all the damaged bits and the lever mechanism is in great working order. Ive zero idea how / where to get a replacement bladder and fix it back together, but god loves a try-er I believe!





Lovely little items and looking forward to getting them into working order!

[C n C]

x5tuu said:

Ive zero idea how / where to get a replacement bladder and fix it back together, but god loves a try-er I believe!

You can get spare ink sacs from Pendragon Pens among other places. I've used them in the past.

[x5tuu]

C n C said:

You can get spare ink sacs from Pendragon Pens among other places. I've used them in the past.

Aha! Perfect, Thankyou!!