The Meisterstuck Classique Line
The current Meisterstück "Classique" inherited its origin and design format from de Classic line introduced in 1956. At the time, the ballpoint pens and pencils had metallic bodies while the fountain pens used celluloid. Later in the 1970s the complete line was manufactured in the current acrylic material, which Montblanc calls "precious resin".
Today, the "Classique" range consists of a ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil with either 0,5 and 0,7 leads, a rollerball pen and a fountain pen formerly known as the "Chopin" or Nº145. The former model, the Nº144 was discontinued in the early 2010s.
Today, the "Classique" range consists of a ballpoint pen, a mechanical pencil with either 0,5 and 0,7 leads, a rollerball pen and a fountain pen formerly known as the "Chopin" or Nº145. The former model, the Nº144 was discontinued in the early 2010s.
The ballpoint pen (aka as the Nº164) has a twist mechanism and is available in either gold-plated or platinum-plated trim and for a while was also available in a bordeaux colour. Nowadays it is only available in black resin.
The rollerball pen (aka as the Nº163) is very similar to the original fountain pen (Nº144) format with a snap-on cap. It is also available in both trims and in the bordeaux colour for a while.
The mechanical pencil (aka as the Nº167) uses a 0,7mm (or a 0,5mm) lead and has a twist mechanism to dispense the leads. As with the rest of the range it is also available in both gold-plated and platinum-plated trims and in black resin colour (for some years the bordeaux colour was also available).
The Nº144 fountain pen was a cartridge/converter filler and usually sports a 14-carat nib with a snap-on cap. It is the same size as the rollerball and it has been discontinued in favour of the Nº145 (formerly known as the "Chopin". As with the rest of the range, it was also available in both trims and in the bordeaux colour.
The model Nº145 fountain pen was launched initially in honour of the famous music compositor Fréderic Chopin in a special package which contained a CD with some of the best-known works of the composer, and thus became known as the "Chopin". This fountain pen has a screw on cap and is slightly larger than the Nº144. It is now the standard fountain pen of the "Classique" range and also uses a cartridge/converter ink system and comes normally with a 14-carat dual-tone gold nib.
The "Classique" range of writing instruments is the entry-level range to the Meisterstuck line and its most popular. Over the years, the "Classique" was also used as the basis for some of the Solitaire Collection pens.
The prices given here are the low and high average found on the international market between the years 2014 and 2017. The difference between the lowest and the highest values can be due to such factors as the state of preservation, the provenience, the reputation of the seller, and the completeness of the offer (original case, documentation, ink accessories, etc.). Every collector should be fully aware of the difference between selling prices and purchase prices, and between passion and investment.
|
Against the normal "market pricing", the following table provides some guidelines for the valuation and negotiation of collectible (not current) fountain pens as per their condition.
|
WEIGHT |
||
|---|---|---|
No signs of use, New Old Stock, boxed and fully documented, not inked ever
|
||
No discernable user markings, boxed, dipped or once ink filled
|
||
All parts original, slight signs of use, slight surface scratches, minor discolouration, crisp imprints, trim or body with no significant brassing, no dings, may be boxed, fully working
|
||
All parts original, some signs of use, surface scratching, brassing, light discolouration, fully functional
|
||
Not all parts may be original, heavy sign of use, worn imprints, used look, may need repairs, dings/stratches, medium discolouration
|
||
Not working, missing parts, cracks, strong discolouration, very visible dings
|
Another devaluation scale may be considered for particular typologies of damage
|