Montblanc Vintage 1950–1959 Production in Spain: fountain pens in the shape of the 342 and 344

During the Second World War and shortly afterwards Montblanc’s Spanish importer had fountain pens built in Spain. They were inexpensive pens with steel nibs in the shape of the 342 and 344, mostly striped lengthwise; according to “Collectible Stars” volume II they were made until 1952.

Why pens were made in Spain

The reason for the local production was the import restrictions: once the allotted quota was used up, only parts such as clips, nibs and feeds could still be imported from Germany. Until 1952 a small range of inexpensive fountain pens with steel nibs and a design of their own was therefore made alongside the imported pens. In shape they resemble the 342 and 344. The book does not illustrate them because too little was known about them.

“Collectible Stars” volume I names production outside Germany in Denmark, France and Spain and describes the background: cut off by the war, foreign agencies had their own Montblanc fountain pens built by small makers in their countries, using spare parts they had in stock — cap tops, nibs, clips, piston mechanisms. This is why coloured celluloid fountain pens of the 200 and 300 series come mainly from Switzerland and southern Europe.

The maker

The works do not say who built the Spanish fountain pens. According to posts on the Fountain Pen Network and to dealers they came from Enrique Wiese in Barcelona; the Wiese family imported Montblanc into Spain for many years (Fountain Pen Network post of 3 September 2014, Fountain Pen Network post of 25 December 2018). One side of the cap carries the imprint “Fabricado en España por E. Wiese”, that is “made in Spain by E. Wiese” (Fountain Pen Network post of 25 December 2018). According to a dealer the same imprint also appears on three fountain pens of the 1950s that were built entirely in Hamburg.

Numbers

The works give no numbers. According to dealers and forum posts there were two ranges that look the same: piston fillers numbered 42, 44 and 46 and push-button fillers numbered 22, 24 and 26; the last digit gives the nib size 2, 4 or 6 (Fountain Pen Network post of 25 December 2018). A 44 is slightly larger than a 342 and smaller than a 344 (Fountain Pen Network post of 26 July 2016). Also documented are:

• a 220 (Fountain Pen Network post of 20 August 2015)
• a 26 (Fountain Pen Network post of 6 April 2015)
• a long black 344 with a high, streamlined cap top

In Hamburg the numbers 22, 24, 26 and 220 denote other pens. A Fountain Pen Network post of 25 December 2016 describes a 346 as Spanish work by Wiese around 1950. The collectiblestars.com database, by contrast, lists a 346 as a prototype, and according to a Fountain Pen Network post of 21 September 2011 the known 346 pens are rather prototypes — whether the same pens are meant is unresolved.

Colours and nibs

According to the book the pens were mostly striped lengthwise in green, silver or gold and had a steel nib. A green striped 44 with one cap ring, a star engraved in black and a 14 ct gold nib was presented in the forum (forum post of 30 October 2007, forum post of 31 October 2007). A brown striped 44 has a long yellow ink window that the cap does not cover completely (Fountain Pen Network post of 26 July 2016).