How do you recognise a fake of the Montblanc Writers Edition F. Scott Fitzgerald?

The Fitzgerald is one of the most frequently copied Writers Editions, and the fake can be disproved beyond doubt in several places — but only once you have the pen in your hands.

The decisive feature is the filling system: the genuine F. Scott Fitzgerald is a piston filler. If unscrewing the pen reveals a cartridge or converter system, the case is closed. With the pen open you will also notice that you can see straight through the barrel; the original is made of black precious resin inside. On many copies the threaded ring carries the name “Bohème” into the bargain — a part from an entirely different range.

The nib gives the copy away as well. Montblanc always stamps the nibs of the Writers Editions with 4810, the mark 18 KT and the year of the edition. Stampings such as “IRIDIUM POINT” or “PARIS” come from counterfeiters alone and turn up on copies of various Montblanc models. The copy's nib is not platinum-plated either.

Further features: the section is reminiscent of a Bohème. The cap is almost straight rather than full-bellied, and it cannot be posted so that it holds on the barrel; black from the conical part stays visible when you try. The cap rings of the original are made of silver, those of the copy look chrome-coloured. The clip is made from bent sheet metal, as a glance underneath it shows at once. And on these copies the limitation number is always 04602/16500 — a figure that never existed, because 14,000 fountain pens and 4,500 sets were produced.

Two further features concern the barrel itself: on many copies it is dark-marbled rather than light as on the original — though light-coloured fakes with a nearly correct shade are also known. More noticeable is the girth: the copies are appreciably slimmer than the original. The packaging, by contrast, is no help at all: it now resembles the genuine box so closely that virtually no differences can be made out.

Fitzgerald fakes in blue, black and red are now in circulation as well; those are more obvious still. When buying through auction sites, a seller who shows the nib and the limitation number openly has something in his favour. Blurred pictures, or photographs supplied only on request, are a warning sign.