Technically the 149 remained practically unchanged over a long period: examples from the late 1980s to the 2000s correspond to the current model, so the packaging is no indication of quality or specification. Anyone who means to use the pen can buy the cheaper option without hesitation. That does not hold for markedly older pens from the 1950s and 1960s, where the piston seal and the celluloid parts need checking for age.
The black boxes were used from the late 1980s until 2006; there then followed, with a gradual transition that depended on demand for the individual nib widths, the new packaging introduced around the company's centenary in 2006. Throughout, the 149 had its own box, larger than that of the other writing instruments. Packaging of the standard size is therefore an indication that pen and box do not belong together.
The black 149 box should also contain a bottle of ink with the special 149 label and blue-black ink; a bottle with the ordinary standard label has been put in later. This special packaging was never limited. There were, besides, standard 149s in limited packaging, for instance in aid of Unicef.