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Montblanc safety pen no. 2 with Italian rolled-gold overlay

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Safety pen No. 2 with an open-work rolled-gold overlay of Italian work, 1920s

Cap and barrel with an open-work filigree overlay of leaf and scroll ornaments through which the black hard rubber shows; cap top and end of the barrel fully overlaid and decorated, ornamented bands at the cap lip and above the turning knob; clip with a ball end. According to the text of the page the overlay is stamped “14K.R.” (rolled gold). One photo places the pen next to a Semiramis 888 of the Patron of Art series.

Key facts

Production
1920s; “Collectible Stars” I dates the rolled-gold pens of the Italian catalogue to 1922–1930, the Diary a No. 1 of Italian work to 1928–1934; no book lists this overlay; the page title formerly gave 1908–19201
Origin
according to volume I, Italian rolled-gold overlays were made by craftsmen in Italy in agreement with the agency; according to a forum post they lack the old Montblanc lettering with the mountain and are marked “Montblanc 18 k.r.” at the cap lip2
Semiramis
according to the page probably the model for the Semiramis (Patron of Art 1996); according to a Fountain Pen Network post the Semiramis pattern is found on gold-plated size 2 long safety pens with an open-work overlay — not documented in the books3
Filling system
safety pen: filled with a pipette, the nib is turned out and retracted again by turning the end of the barrel4
Nib
14 ct gold nib; 18 ct for France5
Dimensions
gold-filled No. 2 according to volume I 15.3 cm with the cap posted, Ø 1.2 cm6
Sources and notes
  1. “Collectible Stars” I; Diary (Precious Metal Safety Fillers).
  2. “Collectible Stars” I; forum post of 22 April 2007.
  3. Text of this page; Fountain Pen Network post of 22 October 2010.
  4. “Collectible Stars” I.
  5. “Collectible Stars” I; 18 ct for France: forum post of 26 February 2005.
  6. “Collectible Stars” I; length ±0.4 mm, diameter ±0.05 mm; measured with the cap posted as in the collectiblestars.com database.
  7. Semiramis pages of this website.
  8. “Collectible Stars” I.

Montblanc
safety pen no. 2
with Italian rolled-gold overlay (stamped “14K.R.”)

1920s
this writing instrument was probably the model for the Patron of Art edition “Semiramis”

Montblanc safety pen no. 2 with Italian rolled-gold overlay – closed view
Montblanc safety pen no. 2 with Italian rolled-gold overlay – open view

Not to be confused with

  • Semiramis (Patron of Art 1996)7

    Present-day fountain pen with an open-work overlay, gold-plated and as 888.

    See Semiramis · Semiramis 888

  • No. 2 black

    The same pen without an overlay.

    See No. 2 black

  • Astoria in rolled gold8

    Astoria had rolled-gold pens, according to volume I partly probably with an Italian overlay.

    See Astoria No. 2 rolled gold

Photo below: in front the safety pen no. 2, behind it the Semiramis 888

Montblanc safety pen no. 2 with Italian rolled-gold overlay – closed view

Literature

  1. aJens Rösler, Stefan Wallrafen: “Collectible Stars I — MONTBLANC 1908–1947”. 2014. ISBN 978-3-00-044233-9. On this website “Collectible Stars” volume I. more about the book ›
  2. bJens Rösler: “The Montblanc Diary & Collector’s Guide”. Christians Verlag, Hamburg 1993. ISBN 3-7672-1174-2. On this website “Diary” for short. more about the book ›