Montblanc International GmbH · Hamburg, Germany · 1906–present

Vintage Montblanc fountain pens

Montblanc began in 1906, when Berlin engineer August Eberstein started making simple pens with money from Hamburg banker Alfred Nehemias. The firm moved to Hamburg, traded as the Simplo Filler Pen Co., and later took the name of the pen that made it famous. The white star, a view of Mont Blanc's snowcap from above, was registered in 1913 and first appeared on a cap top in 1914. The Meisterstück name arrived in 1924, and from 1930 those nibs carried 4810, the mountain's height in meters. The 149 followed in 1952. Model numbers tell you a lot. A first digit of 1 means Meisterstück, and on the 149 the 4 marks a piston filler and the 9 the nib size. Dunhill bought the company in 1977, and Richemont took over in 1993.

How to identify one: Meisterstück nibs carry 4810 and a gold mark such as 14C, 585, 18C or 750, and serial numbers on the clip ring only began around 1990, so an older pen without one is normal. Collectors say fakes mostly copy modern pens, and a gold-plated steel nib with a bare steel underside gives one away.

6 pens we cover.