The Meisterstuck Mozart Line
The Meisterstück "Mozart" range is the smallest line of writing instruments made by Montblanc and is especially targeted to buyers who like to use their pens in shirt pockets or purses. The design format is exactly the same as the standard "Classique" range. The line consists of a ballpoint, a pencil and a fountain pen (no rollerball was made available).
As with the "Chopin" pen, the "Mozart" range was initially launched in honour of W.A. Mozart, in a special package with some of the composer's favourite tunes in a CD. This came out at about the same time as the award-winning movie "Amadeus", launched in 1984.
The ballpoint pen (aka the Nº116) uses a twist mechanism and is available in black resin with either a gold-plated or platinum-plated trim. For some time is was also available in bordeaux with gold-plated trim. It uses Montblanc's mini ballpoint refills.
The mechanical pencil (aka the Nº117) uses 0,7mm leads with a twist mechanism, and is currently available in either gold-plated or platinum-plated trim. By removing the cap, one can access the integrated eraser. It was also available in a bordeaux coloured resin version with gold-plated trim.
The fountain Pen (aka as the Nº114) has a screw on cap and is available in either gold-plated or platinum-plated trim. The fountain pen uses only the standard Montblanc ink cartridges (no converter was made available) and the cap screws onto the barrel when posted, for a more comfortable writing position, as otherwise the body is too small for proper handling. The barrel of the fountain pen is made of metal with a lacquered coating to give it the same colour and tone as the resin cap. It usually comes with a 14-carat gold nib, although a large number of pens were also sold with 18-carat nibs.
The "Mozart" range served also as base models for various Solitaire, Special and Limited Editions versions.
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.
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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.
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No signs of use, New Old Stock, boxed and fully documented, not inked ever
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No discernable user markings, boxed, dipped or once ink filled
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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
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All parts original, some signs of use, surface scratching, brassing, light discolouration, fully functional
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Not all parts may be original, heavy sign of use, worn imprints, used look, may need repairs, dings/stratches, medium discolouration
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Not working, missing parts, cracks, strong discolouration, very visible dings
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Another devaluation scale may be considered for particular typologies of damage
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