# Montblanc pen, real or fake?



## Orhorolgy

Other than purchasing directly from an authorized dealer or straight from the manufacturer, how can one tell the difference from a "_*real*_" Montblanc pen and a "*fake*"? :-s

What are the signs to look for? :think:

Thanks for everyones input!


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## Therightadvisor

I'd advise you to search on google for "spotting mont blanc fakes." 

Essentially here are the basic things:
1.) If it looks fishy, it probably is
2.) To my knowledge, Mont Blanc has never made a wood pen so rule those out right there
3.) If it doesn't have a serial number and was made within the past 21 years, it's fake. Mont Blanc began putting serial numbers on their pens in 1991
4.) If it was made after 1997, it should say "pix" underneath the clip
5.) Although not 100%, "precious resin" pens should glow a dark red under very bright light.

When buying on ebay
1.) Check the seller's feedback and what they've recently sold. If they're a pawn shop, usually run away fast. If they sell high end items, your chances are better
2.) Always use paypal and learn the buyer protection

After you buy:
Send the pen to the Mont Blanc Customer Service center in Ft Worth, TX. They will "authenticate" the pen for you for free minus the cost of shipping of course.


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## Orhorolgy

Thanks for the advice.


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## D N Ravenna

Excellent response therightadvisor!
Thanks!
Dan


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## Therightadvisor

I'm glad you both appreciated the advice. I'm working on a master "how to spot a fake" post that will hopefully be stickied for people. I have bought 3 fake Mont Blancs since I began collecting. Fortunately, I received a full refund for each of them, but some people will unknowingly buy fakes and no one deserves to spend that kind of money on a pen that is neither authentic nor of good quality.


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## Kittysafe

I got pretty lucky, bought a real Mont Blanc at a garage sale for a quarter about five years back, no box, but the pen was in great shape. I still use it to this day.


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## Orhorolgy

Well believe me I just put your advice to practice earlier today. I asked a local seller if they could provide me with the information about the Mont Blanc pen they were selling and out of the five questions I asked they avoided the most important one. Which was, show me the Serial Number of the pen. He couldn't! Gave me a story that he claims Mont Blanc didn't give everyone of their pens a serial number.
Anyway, point being, I avoided the sale because I'm sure that it was a fake.
Still searching.


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## Kittysafe

Orhorolgy said:


> Of the five questions I asked they avoided the most important one. Which was, show me the Serial Number of the pen. He couldn't! Gave me a story that he claims Mont Blanc didn't give everyone of their pens a serial number.


There should be a serial number engraved on the opposite side of the piston knob, also, "Montblanc" is engraved on the nib, just below the date. Kinda hidden though. I believe there is one exception, the Hemingway - the only pen I don't have so can't verify myself but others have mentioned this in other threads.


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## krazyjoe66

_Great info!!|>_


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## Therightadvisor

Orhorolgy said:


> Well believe me I just put your advice to practice earlier today. I asked a local seller if they could provide me with the information about the Mont Blanc pen they were selling and out of the five questions I asked they avoided the most important one. Which was, show me the Serial Number of the pen. He couldn't! Gave me a story that he claims Mont Blanc didn't give everyone of their pens a serial number.
> Anyway, point being, I avoided the sale because I'm sure that it was a fake.
> Still searching.


Was the pen older than 20 years? 
Here is some more information to add:
1991-Mont Blanc begins putting serial numbers on their pens
Around 1997-Began embossing the word "PIX" under the clip (I previously said 1995, which was from memory, I apologize for the misinformation).

For example:
My Mont Blanc 244G Fountain pen was made in the early 1950s. It has no serial number and only the piston cap has identifiable marks on it.
I also have a Mont Blanc 149 that was made in the early 1990s. It has a serial number but no "Pix" under the clip

Also, do not neccessarily assume a Mont Blanc is fake if it says "France" instead of "Germany" on it. I had 2 Bohemes that were made in France and 2 that were made in Germany. It really just depends. Now if it says CHINA....run!!!


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## Snoweagle

I checked my Mont Blanc 161 Meisterstück Le Grand Platinum and it does have a dark red hue under bright sunlight, and under the clip and the middle ring where the wordings are embossed, there's a 'Pix' wording too.


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## Tag Mac

Therightadvisor said:


> If they're a pawn shop, usually run away fast.


Why is that? I bought a Tag Heuer Aquaracer for a good price from a pawn shop. Sent it to LVMH straight away and they authenticated it within a few days.


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## Therightadvisor

Tag Mac said:


> Why is that? I bought a Tag Heuer Aquaracer for a good price from a pawn shop. Sent it to LVMH straight away and they authenticated it within a few days.


He is an inexperienced buyer and doesn't know what to look for. Pawn shops often times don't know what they're selling, overstate the condition, and occasionally misrepresent the pen. Also, note that I said "Usually." For an inexperienced buyer, it would make more sense to pay a little extra to buy from a reputable pen broker.

Of note: I've bought several pens from pawn shops with great success. However, I'm excellent at spotting fakes, know what to look for, and I know exactly how to utilize the Paypal Buyer Protection in the event the pen is misrepresented.


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## RedBarchettayyz

Another thing to look for when wondering about the authenticity of a Montblanc pen is the filling system, if it is a fountain pen. Fake MB fountain pens all use a cartridge convertor, so if you are looking at a piston fill Montblanc and it uses an integrated piston to fill, you should be OK. For Montblanc fountain pens that use cartridge convertors, along with cartridge only fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs, and fineliners, the list posted earlier is an excellent reference, as most of them have been *heavily* counterfeited. Of course, the easiest solution is to just move straight to piston-fill fountain pens.


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## Therightadvisor

RedBarchettayyz said:


> Another thing to look for when wondering about the authenticity of a Montblanc pen is the filling system, if it is a fountain pen. Fake MB fountain pens all use a cartridge convertor, so if you are looking at a piston fill Montblanc and it uses an integrated piston to fill, you should be OK. For Montblanc fountain pens that use cartridge convertors, along with cartridge only fountain pens, ballpoints, rollerballs, and fineliners, the list posted earlier is an excellent reference, as most of them have been *heavily* counterfeited. Of course, the easiest solution is to just move straight to piston-fill fountain pens.


To supplement your information ( which was excellent by the way), if it is a cartridge fill convertor, it should be threaded at the end so it screws into the section of the fountain pen. Many of the cheaper imitations have a "snap in" style converter.


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## RedBarchettayyz

Therightadvisor said:


> To supplement your information ( which was excellent by the way), if it is a cartridge fill convertor, it should be threaded at the end so it screws into the section of the fountain pen. Many of the cheaper imitations have a "snap in" style converter.


This is an excellent point. If someone is looking at a cartidge convertor MB, *INSIST *on seeing the convertor and look for the threads.


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## D N Ravenna

Therightadvisor said:


> To supplement your information ( which was excellent by the way), if it is a cartridge fill convertor, it should be threaded at the end so it screws into the section of the fountain pen. Many of the cheaper imitations have a "snap in" style converter.


When did that start? I have an early 144, 90's W Germany (serial but no PIX) and the converter supplied by MB has no threads...

Dan


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## Therightadvisor

D N Ravenna said:


> When did that start? I have an early 144, 90's W Germany (serial but no PIX) and the converter supplied by MB has no threads...
> 
> Dan


That's very interesting. I currently own an early 90s Mont Blanc 144 and also owned a late 80s Mont Blanc 144 and both have screw in converters. One is from the early 90s and the other is a late 80s model. Are you 100% certain that both the pen and converter are authentic?

As far as when, I do not know for sure. in the mid 1900s the 144 was actually a piston filler and they migrated to a cartridge/converter fill around the 70s-80s I believe


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## D N Ravenna

Having dealt with counterfeits before, there is nothing on this pen or converter to make one think it is anything but legit. I bought it new. May have been the late 80s, but certainly no later than the very early 90s. As well, the clamshell, box, and outer box look pretty legit and are marked W Germany as well. As is the converter. There is no brassing anywhere. Writes like a dream as well. Very smooth nib; reminiscent of the gold nib that it should be.

I am not saying that I doubt it, but the level of detail in this fountain pen makes me think it is legit. I mean, it would have cost as much as the real one to fake it to this level and then not do the converter.


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## Seele

I can also vouch for the fact that some Montblanc cartridge/converter models used push-in converters; for decades my work pen was a Montblanc 22 bought new, and as a back-up I bought another one that was as close to it as possible from the shops, which was probably the late 70s and it has push-in converter.


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## Therightadvisor

D N Ravenna said:


> Having dealt with counterfeits before, there is nothing on this pen or converter to make one think it is anything but legit. I bought it new. May have been the late 80s, but certainly no later than the very early 90s. As well, the clamshell, box, and outer box look pretty legit and are marked W Germany as well. As is the converter. There is no brassing anywhere. Writes like a dream as well. Very smooth nib; reminiscent of the gold nib that it should be.
> 
> I am not saying that I doubt it, but the level of detail in this fountain pen makes me think it is legit. I mean, it would have cost as much as the real one to fake it to this level and then not do the converter.





Seele said:


> I can also vouch for the fact that some Montblanc cartridge/converter models used push-in converters; for decades my work pen was a Montblanc 22 bought new, and as a back-up I bought another one that was as close to it as possible from the shops, which was probably the late 70s and it has push-in converter.


Well I guess you learn something new every day. I never meant to imply that my word is gold. However, I am very very fluent with what to look for with fakes and I have quite a bit of experience with modern Mont Blanc pens. I have yet to see a 144 cartridge filler that has a snap in converter, but obviously, they do exist.

Would either of you be able to post pictures of your personal pens? I'd love to see what the older snap in converters looked like.


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## D N Ravenna

Therightadvisor said:


> Well I guess you learn something new every day. I never meant to imply that my word is gold. However, I am very very fluent with what to look for with fakes and I have quite a bit of experience with modern Mont Blanc pens. I have yet to see a 144 cartridge filler that has a snap in converter, but obviously, they do exist.
> 
> Would either of you be able to post pictures of your personal pens? I'd love to see what the older snap in converters looked like.


I've got no problems with doing so, but you'll have to be patient as I have limited opportunities in the near future. Shooting these things up close so that you can see the wording is sometimes a challenge. When I do, I'll post in in this thread.

In the meantime, if you go to the 'bay and put in number 330816123006, you'll see a good representation of what I have, boxes, pen, and all. Only difference is that my nib is marked 14K.

Best regards,
Dan


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## D N Ravenna

Yes, I have been lax at posting the picture, but today, at a pen club meeting in Cumming, GA, I saw another original 144 where neither the feed nor the convertor were made for a screw on piece.

I'll post pics of the converter before the end of the week.

Dan


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## D N Ravenna

Therightadvisor said:


> Well I guess you learn something new every day. I never meant to imply that my word is gold. However, I am very very fluent with what to look for with fakes and I have quite a bit of experience with modern Mont Blanc pens. I have yet to see a 144 cartridge filler that has a snap in converter, but obviously, they do exist.
> 
> Would either of you be able to post pictures of your personal pens? I'd love to see what the older snap in converters looked like.


I have taken picture and tried to size them as best as I could. The first shows the end of the converter. Hard to tell, I know, but there are no threads there. The second is an overall shot of the converter. The third shows the top, that has the only marking. It reads first line Mont, second line Blanc, third line W. Germany.

Cheers!

Dan


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## RedBarchettayyz

How about that. I admit my focus is almost strictly on piston fillers, so it is interesting to see threadless convertors in the older models. Thanks for posting these.


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