Montblanc Vintage 1930–1939 Meisterstück push-knob fillers 20 to 45 and 122 to 129

Montblanc brought out the push-knob filler in 1929 as its own development of the push-button filler. As a Meisterstück it came first with the numbers 20 to 45, from 1931 also as luxury versions and short streamlined pens, from 1934/35 as the 122 to 129 and from 1935 in the first shape that was the Meisterstück’s own. From 1937 the piston fillers replaced it; individual versions continued until 1940.

How the push-knob filler works

At the end of the barrel is a knob that is unscrewed as far as it will go; it stays connected to the barrel. Pressing it bends a steel spring that squeezes the ink sac inside the barrel; on release the sac regains its shape and draws in ink. Unlike the push-button filler there is no blind cap that can get lost. Montblanc used the system above all for the Meisterstück and the second series.

An Italian leaflet of 1929, shown in the illustrated book “Meisterstücke for the art of writing”, names three patents:

• the filling control
• an ink reservoir without a slot and without detachable parts
• a feed with separate channels for air and ink

According to maxpens.de the closure firmly connected to the knob was protected by D.R.P. 508058 of 5 September 1929.

The two-digit numbers (1929–1934)

At first the push-knob fillers kept the numbers of the lever fillers and safety pens: 20, 25, 35 and 45 from 1929. In 1931 the 35 and 45 were discontinued and replaced by the 30 in the size of the 35 and the 40 in the shape of the 45. They came in black hard rubber and in these colours, mostly of celluloid:

• malachite green
• azurite blue
• lapis blue
• burgundy
• coral red — on the 20 and 25 of hard rubber according to the collectiblestars.com database

The 25 also came with an overlay of silver or 585 gold and from 1932 also green-gold-brown marbled.

The cap had two cap rings and one of several clips:

• the ball clip (1929–1932)
• the teardrop clip (1930–1934) — the tip of the clip has the shape of a drop
• for a short time the papyrus clip (1932–1935)

The cap reads “4810” and “MONTBLANC MEISTERSTÜCK” with the mountain symbol, the barrel “SIMPLO ORIGINAL MONTBLANC”, according to the Diary with “PA-TENT angem.” (patent pending). What the letter S, M or H in the mountain symbol means is left open by “Collectible Stars” volume I.

According to the Diary the nib was still marked “18 CT” with the model number in the star in 1929/30, from 1930 “4810” with the M in the star, 14 ct, with the size numbers 220, 225, 235 and 245; the 30 had the nib of the 35.

Luxury and streamlined versions (1931–1936)

From 1931 luxury versions with L after the number were added, mostly of black-and-pearl marbled celluloid, the 25 L and 30 L also green-gold marbled. The 25 L, 30 L and 35 L first had a rounded cap top, then the streamlined form with a long, rounded cap top, which could also be black; the 27.5 L and 32.5 L were added as well. In volume I the luxury versions run from 1931 to 1934, the 27.5 L from 1932 to 1934.

In the same form there were short pens with k: the 25 k (1931–1935, also black-and-pearl, lapis blue and burgundy) and the 20 k (1934–1935, also in 585 gold and 8-sided in silver). Some of these ladies’ pens were also sold without a clip (post on Penexchange (thread “Schlangenclip an Füllern verschiedener Marken”)). The luxury versions ended with the new numbering system; the short streamlined pens continued as the 122 k until 1936.

The numbers 122 to 129 (1934/35–1940)

With the new numbering system the push-knob fillers became the Meisterstück 122, 124, 126 and 128 in 1934/35; the 2 in second place stands for the pen with ink sac. At first they kept the shape of the 20, 25, 30/35 and 40/45, in black, malachite green and azurite blue, as the 124 L and 126 L in black-and-pearl and as the 126 PL in black-and-silver stripes.

In 1935 the Meisterstück received its first shape of its own:

• a flat cap top with star
• one wide gold-coloured cap ring
• the tie clip (1935–1952)
• “MONTBLANC Meisterstück” lengthwise on the cap

The letters denote surface and length:

• S — hatched
• G — smooth and high-gloss
• PL — black-and-silver striped, “platinschwarz” (platinum black) in the price list of 1936; PL refers to the celluloid, not to a metal (forum post of 9 October 2009)
• P — black-and-pearl marbled
• E — rose pattern
• K — short

“Collectible Stars” volume I lists these versions:

• 122 K, 122 KPL, 122 S, 122 G, 122 PL and 122 P
• 124 S, 124 G, 124 PL, 124 P, 124 E and 124 K
• 126 S, 126 G, 126 PL and 126 P
• 128 S, 128 G and 128 PL
• in 585 gold the 8-sided 124 K and 126 k
• from 1937 the large 129 L — according to maxpens.de with three cap rings, the outer ones of silver, the middle one of brass

Most versions end in volume I in 1936 or 1937, the 128 G in 1938. These continued until 1940:

• the 122 G, 122 PL and 122 KPL
• the 126 G and 126 PL
• the 124 PL, from 1938 with cap rings and clip in white gold
• the 129 L

According to the Diary all had the two-tone nib that Montblanc introduced in 1935 — rhodium-plated according to volumes I and II, with “Platinmetallauflage” (a platinum-metal coating) according to an advertisement of 1936. They were always gold nibs, 14 ct, 18 ct for France.

From 1937 the piston fillers 132 to 139 with telescopic piston replaced the push-knob fillers (Meisterstück 132 to 139).

Rose pattern, prototypes and overlays

With rose pattern volume I lists only the 124 E (1935–1936) and the safety pen 104 E. The price list of 1936 calls the E “Extraklasse” (extra class), and collectors speak of the “Rosenkavalier”. The 124 E has its own, angular clip and the matching Pix push pencil 72 E.

As prototypes volume I names:

• a coral red 124 S
• a 124 with wave pattern
• three 124 pens as a preliminary stage of a later metal version

Overlays of silver and gold were also made by jewellers and specialist firms such as Sarastro or Fend, who worked for other brands as well (forum post of 2 June 2008).

Export names and Danish Meisterstück pens

Until 1935 Meisterstück pens intended for export carried the name in the local language:

• “MASTERPIECE” — on this website a 30 L marked “MASTERPIECE”
• “CHEF D’OEUVRE” — in the collectiblestars.com database a 45 with this marking
• “CAPOLAVORO” — at penboard push-knob fillers 20 and 25 with this marking are described

France also required the mark “IMPORTE D’ALLEMAGNE”, Great Britain “foreign”. These pens are not to be confused with the Meisterstück 20, 25, 30 and 40 made in Denmark (1935–1946), push-knob fillers engraved “Masterpiece” in the cone-shaped cap (Danish production).

Dimensions

As to dimensions, volume I gives these lengths at 1.20 to 1.70 cm in diameter; the collectiblestars.com database gives them with the cap posted:

• the first numbers: 15.6 cm (20) to 17.6 cm (40, 45)
• the streamlined forms: 13.0 cm (20 k, 122 k) to 15.4 cm (25 L, 27.5 L)
• the shape of 1935: 13.0 cm (122 K) to 16.5 cm (129 L)

Closed, individual pens at penboard measure about 138.5 mm with a cap diameter of 15.3 mm (45) and 123 mm with 12.6 mm (20 with Italian rolled-gold overlay).