Montblanc Fountain Pens

When the Montblanc company was founded in 1906 as the Simplo Filler Pen Company, they advertised themselves as manufacturers of high class gold and fountain pens. The first pens produced by the company included a built-in inkwell. Montblanc's first safety fountain pen, the Rouge et Noir, was introduced in 1909. This is also when the name Montblanc was first used.

In 1924, Montblanc introduced its famous Meisterstrück line of fountain pens. The Meisterstrück 149 is the most iconic of these vintage fountain pens. Meisterstrück 149 fountain pens produced prior to 1962 are the most collectible. The Meisterstrück 149 became famous during President John F. Kennedy's tour of Germany in 1963 when Kennedy loaned his Meisterstrück 149 fountain pen to German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer because the chancellor did not have a pen to sign a guest book.

Other highly collectible Montblanc fountain pens include Montblanc models from the '20s. The Montblanc no. 4 with a spider web-shaped filigree, the no. 0 with silver-and-white incised enamel, and the no. 2 with a repose gold-filled barrel and cap are all highly desirable to collectors. Montblanc safety pens from the '30s are also highly collectible, the rarest of these being the Montblanc no. 128PL from 1936.

Quick Facts

• In 1926, Montblanc began engraving the number 4810 on all of its fountain pen nibs. This number represented the 4810-meter height of Mont Blanc in the Alps
• In honor of President John F. Kennedy, Montblanc currently offers a special limited edition Meisterstück 149 fountain pen designed to honor the president, including platinum-coated accents, a 14K gold nib, and the initials JFK engraved on the clip
• In 2006, Montblanc collaborated with Van Cleef & Arpels to design the limited-edition Mystery Masterpiece fountain pen. Set in rubies, sapphires, or emeralds, each pen was priced at $730,000