Montblanc Vintage 1940–1949 Pix push pencils of the 1940s

Montblanc launched the Pix push pencil in 1934, after acquiring the rights from its inventor Leistenschneider. In the 1940s it came in many versions of hard rubber, celluloid and metal; some ended during the war years, and after the war three-digit numbers were added.

Origin

The Pix had been invented by Leistenschneider — according to the illustrated book “Meisterstücke for the art of writing” a young manufacturer named August Leistenschneider. He had it made in his Druckfüllbleistift-Fabrik in Düsseldorf and put it on the market at the end of 1933. “Collectible Stars” I shows these first Leistenschneider Pix of 1933–1934: black, for a few months also green and red marbled, and a black pencil as a sample for the later Montblanc Pix.

In 1934 Montblanc acquired the rights including the name, because its own push pencil OB of 1924 had not been technically mature. Leistenschneider made a guaranteed minimum sales volume a condition of the licence. To reach it, Montblanc offered the Pix No. 92 in 1934 as an affordable entry model, the “Volkspix”; production in Hamburg was set up by Kressel, a former employee of Leistenschneider.

Only the push pencils are called Pix, a pencil with twist mechanism is not a Pix (forum post of 22 November 2006). “Collectible Stars” II also lists the two as separate systems.

How the mechanism works

In the Pix a feed clutch grips the lead close behind the tip, advances it a little with every push and clamps it firmly, entirely without spring pressure. The mechanism sits in a brass casing, and the last piece of lead is held by the tangentially slit bronze tip; this is how a leaflet of 1934 reproduced in “Collectible Stars” I describes it. The lead chamber takes ten leads of 45 mm each. Montblanc gave a ten-year guarantee on the Pix, as a poster in volume I also shows.

According to the German text of volume I the original mechanism was fitted until well into the 1950s. A defective mechanism cannot be repaired, only replaced, and Montblanc no longer has spare parts (forum post of 8 August 2006).

Most Pix of this period take 1.18 mm leads, such as the 72, 92, 172 and 272; for the 72 the same forum post of 8 August 2006 says so too. According to volume I the 81 to 83 take 2 mm leads.

Numbers and letters

The first Montblanc Pix carried the numbers 1 to 4 in 1934–1935, which became the 71 to 74:

• the 71, 12 cm long and 1.2 cm thick
• the 72 of the same length, 1.0 cm thick
• the 73, measuring 9.5 cm
• the 74, measuring 8 cm

Letters mark versions:

• L before or after the number a cap top of gold-coloured metal (L1 to L4, later L71 to L74 and 71 L to 74 L)
• “lg” the long version of 13 or 13.8 cm
• “-2” two barrel rings
• PL platinum-black striated celluloid

What the G on the 72 G with one barrel ring, the n on the Danish 72 n and the GO on the 92 GO mean is not explained by the book; besides the 72 G it lists a hatched 72 S for 1934–1937. On the Pix of the 1950s, by contrast, K and L stand for short and long (Fountain Pen Network post of 29 April 2017, forum post of 2 May 2005).

After the war three-digit numbers were added. According to volume I the 282 appeared as early as 1947, a revival of the 72 with 1.5 mm leads and another clip. According to “Collectible Stars” II the 172 of the Meisterstück line and the 272 of the second series followed in 1949, both black, the 172 in the long version of 13 cm, the 272 long or short at 12 cm. With these numbers the first digit gives the line and the second is a 7 (forum post of 16 September 2005).

The versions of the 1940s

For the 1940s “Collectible Stars” I records these Pix:

• 71 (1934–1947) and 72 (1936–1947) with papyrus clip
• 72 with a coloured push button in blue, red, violet, yellow or green (1938–1952)
• 72 lg, the long version (until 1940)
• 72-2 with two barrel rings (1937–1941)
• 72 G (1934–1943)
• 72 PL, platinum-black striated, with white rolled-gold trim (1938–1941)
• 72 L (1935–1941)
• 73 (1934–1947)
• 82 with papyrus clip (1934–1953)
• 92 with engraved star and silver-coloured tip but without clip (1935–1943)
• 92 GO with chromed (1935–1943) or gilded trim (1935–1953, according to the book until 1952 also under the number 392)

According to volume I, shapes of the 71, 72 and 73 later returned as the 281, 282 and 283. A red top on the 92 marked a red lead in 1937–1940. According to the collectiblestars.com database the black 71 to 92 are of hard rubber, the 72 PL and the coloured 92 GO of celluloid; the number is on the barrel end. maxpens.de shows a Pix 72 for export without a number imprint.

War years, prototypes and metal Pix

Many versions end in the tables of volume I between 1941 and 1943 — the years in which Hamburg, according to the Diary, was only allowed to produce for export or as supplies for the armed forces. Five prototypes of the 72 L in striated material date from 1942–1943: white-black, red-black, black-white, black with narrow white and white with narrow black stripes.

The metal Pix came in three shapes, each in two lengths:

• eight-sided as the 710 (12 cm) and 720 (9.5 cm)
• round as the 730 (12 cm) and 740 (9.5 cm)
• six-sided as the 750 (12 cm) and 760 (9.5 cm)

They were made in silver hallmarked 835 or 900, in rolled gold, in Alpacca and for special customers in 585 gold; the clips carry the imprints “Alpacca”, “Double” or “Walzgold”. Well over 20 guilloches are known, many made to customer order, and there is no complete survey.

The 710 and the 740 ran only until 1942, the 760 in rolled gold until 1943 and in silver until 1953. Versions of the 720, 730 and 750 ran until 1953 or 1955, and from 1949 the 750 was also made in 585 gold. A push button with an enamelled star belongs to 1934–1936, a different form followed (1936–1953).

For the clips of the metal Pix, volume I names the spade clip (1934–1936), the diamond clip (1936–1953) and the tie clip (1938–1955). Gold and rolled-gold Pix of 1935–1955 cannot be fully classified for lack of documents.

On this website and beyond

Photos on this website show a Pix 72 with a narrow gold clip, the imprint “MONTBLANC” and a star in the push button, a Pix L72 of about 1937 with cap top and centre ring of gold-coloured metal and a silver Pix with barleycorn guilloche whose number cannot be seen in the photos.

The Diary also shows these Pix:

• lady-size Pix in rolled gold (1937–1950 and 1937–1939)
• streamlined Pix in 14 ct gold (1936–1939) and in silver (1936–1950)
• silver Pix (1937–1950)

From Denmark came the green marbled 72 n and a grey and black mottled Pix 92 (1946–1952), see Production in Denmark. How the Pix continued is described on the page Pix of the 1950s.