Montblanc Vintage 1960–1989 Meisterstück 142, 144 and 146 — the transitional models 1959–1961
Described on this page
Transitional models of the Meisterstück 142, 144 and 146 — piston fillers; the 146 February/March to August 1959, the 142 and 144 1960–1961
There are photos of the 144 on this website; for the 142 and 146 the table links to individual pens at penboard (new tab).
Key facts
- Production
- 146: February/March to August 1959; 142 and 144: 1960–1961 (“Collectible Stars”), each for less than a year1, 3
- Filling system
- piston filler
- 144
- long cap with the cap top and clip of the Goertz design, three rings2
- 146
- body and cap of plastic, nib of the 1950s, light blue ink window, straight cylindrical section3
- 142
- like the transitional 144, only smaller: old nib and old feed, cap still with three rings, otherwise like the later 12 and 14; never documented in a price list4, 5
- Versions
- 3 entries — see table
Not to be confused with
Meisterstück pens of the 1950s
Celluloid, telescopic piston; until 1959.
Meisterstück 12 and 14
The successors in the Goertz design, cap ring shaped like a “bishop’s mitre”, 1960–1970.
146 of the relaunch
From 1974, slightly larger than the 146 of the 1950s.
See 146 of the 1980s
Sources and notes
- “Collectible Stars” volume II: 142 and 144 “1960 – 1961”, “never seen in a price list”; chronology: the whole range redesigned in 1960. A forum post of 3 May 2005 differs: Goertz designs from 1959, transitional models for less than a year, 1959/60 — given as an estimate.
- Page 144 transitional model; the description of the cap in the forum post of 3 May 2005 refers to a 144. Features of the 144 do not apply to the 146.
- Dates of the 146 according to a post on the Fountain Pen Network of 7 September 2008 (this date applies; formerly “c. 1960, about one year”). Features: on the Fountain Pen Network such pens are called “transitional 146”; they are also discussed there as repair pens, on the basis of a factory document of 1973.
- “Collectible Stars” volume II; individual pens at penboard (“142 transitional”, dated around 1960/61).
- Features of the 142: The same as the transitional 144, only smaller; rarer than the 144 according to a post on Penexchange (thread “Neueste Füller-Zugänge”).
When Montblanc switched its whole range to the forms attributed to Albrecht Graf Goertz in 1960, transitional models of the Meisterstück 142, 144 and 146 were made for a short time. They used up remaining parts of the old Meisterstück pens and were each built for less than a year.
The end of the old Meisterstück pens
With the change of 1960 production of the Meisterstück 142, 144 and 146 ended
The 144 of this period
The 144 has a cap with a longer body, the new cap top and the clip of the Goertz design, but kept the three rings — as shown on the page of the 144 transitional model.
The 142 of this period
The transitional 142 was the same as the transitional 144, only smaller. At its core it still had the old nib and the old feed, and the cap still had the three rings; everything else already matched the later Meisterstück 12 and 14. It is even rarer than the transitional 144 (post on Penexchange (thread “Neueste Füller-Zugänge”)).
The 146 of this period
The transitional 146 is a different pen. How to recognise it:
- body and cap already of plastic
- a nib still from the 1950s
- a light blue ink window
- a straight cylindrical section
According to a post on the Fountain Pen Network of 7 September 2008 it was made from February/March to August 1959; after that the 146 was not produced again until the relaunch in the 1970s.
Pens from factory repairs
Similar-looking 146 pens may also come from factory repairs, because Montblanc restored celluloid 146 pens with plastic spare parts. This is shown by a factory document of 1973 discussed on the Fountain Pen Network. It explains individual pens, but does not disprove the transitional model.
All versions 1959–1961 3 entries
Each version has its own row. A dash (—) marks missing information. “Photos” links to a page of this website or to an individual pen at penboard (↗, opens in a new tab).
Fountain pens 3 entries
| No. | Years | Type | Version | Filling system · nib | Source | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 142 | 1960–1961 | Fountain pen | blacknever seen in a price list; transitional model: like that of the 144, only smaller — old nib and old feed, cap still with three rings, otherwise like the later 12 and 14 | piston filler | “Collectible Stars” II, ID no. 1300; penboard | penboard ↗ |
| 144 | 1960–1961 | Fountain pen | blacknever seen in a price list; transitional model: long cap with the cap top and clip of the Goertz design, three rings; less than a year according to a forum post, there, differing, 1959/60; another forum post gives September 1958 to February 1959 | piston filler | “Collectible Stars” II, ID no. 1301; Fountain Pen Network | own photos |
| 146 | February/March to August 1959 | Fountain pen | body and cap of plastic, light blue ink window, straight cylindrical sectiontransitional model, dates according to a forum post (formerly given here as c. 1960, about one year); similar-looking pens may also come from factory repairs | piston filler gold nib of the 1950s | Penboard | penboard ↗ |
Sources
Facts from the following sources: “Collectible Stars” volume II (Rösler/Wallrafen), model catalogue “MONTBLANC Schreibgeräte 1980 – 2015”, forum posts in the archive of this website, in the Penexchange forum and on the Fountain Pen Network, individual pens at penboard (only as a link to photos) and the pages of this website.
This page gives no values or prices — neither original shop prices nor current offers.
Literature
- aJens Rösler, Stefan Wallrafen: “Collectible Stars” — volume I “MONTBLANC 1908–1947” (2014) and volume II “Montblanc writing instruments from 1946 until 1979” (2001). more about the book ›
- bJens Rösler, Stefan Wallrafen: “Collectible Stars — Montblanc writing instruments from 1946 until 1979”. 2001. On this website “Collectible Stars” volume II. more about the book ›