Part I
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| later and early 149 fountain pens together with an all celluloid 139 Meisterstück (from top to bottom) |
In 1952 it made its first appearance as an addition to the recently introduced series of streamlined 14x Meisterstück pens which replaced the flat-top 13x pens. The 149 directly replaced the 139, keeping some of its features like the #9 size three-tone nib, the thin silver cap bands surrounding the engraved center band, the ski-slope feed as well as the technically superior telescopic piston mechanism. Keeping up with the new design of the 14x series of pens of course the design was streamlined, a new clip design was added as well as a small golden ring separating the filler now from the barrel. Like other Montblanc pens from that period of time the 14x Meisterstück pens were made from celluloid. Different 1950's catalogues can be seen here and here.
With those changes also the curved section was replaced by a straight section with a small raised lip while the design of the gripping section of smaller 14x models remained unchanged from the 13x series of pens. The newly designed, straight gripping section should remain untouched almost identically until today.
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| a later 149 Masterpiece with corresponding engraving on the cap band which was made for export |
The price was 90 Mark; for the comparison the smaller 146 Meisterstück fountain pen was sold for 54 Mark at the same time. While the smaller models 142, 144 and 146 came in schwarz (black), silbergrau (silver striped) and dunkel-seegrün (green striped) the large 149 was only available in black. A tradition which should be kept for many years to come. More information on the 146 pens can be found here.
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| early medium length ink window with some ambering in comparison to a later short ink window with almost no discoloration (from bottom to the top) |
During the next years one could observe some minor changes. The most obvious evidence of early 149 pens is a longer ink window which is approximately twice as long compared to the later design. In comparison to 13x series pens which came with long, medium and short ink windows, it is of medium length.
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| some early pens were fitted with 139 nibs while later nibs show a 149 imprint at the base |
Also the hard rubber feed was changed from the flat design of the ski-slope feed a round design which allows more ink to be absorbed during pressure changes. Also slight changes will occur to the font size of the heat stamped model numbers and nib sizes on the filler knob.
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| early ski-slope feed and later round and grooved version (from left to right) |
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The early 149 pens made on a lathe from celluloid remained in production until c. 1960 when they were replaced by a resin version. Those early celluloid pens are sought after and considered highly collectible as well as great performers. From the regular and non-precious metal version those pens are also the ones which are priced the highest. Like always condition will have a significant effect on value. Ambering of the ink window, worn stripes but also wear of the black celluloid coating will decrease the value as well as cap cracks and loose cap rings or celluloid shrinkage. Early pens and models for export are likely to be priced higher; the same is true for exotic nib sizes.
Keep your eyes open for part II dealing with the first resin versions of the 149 introduced in the early 1960's.