FOR A MORE COMPLETE ESSAY ON THIS MATTER WITH BETTER PICTURES PLEASE VISIT http://rhamielsfountain.com/Rhamiels_Fountain_Pens/Authentication.html

1. Shine a flash light through the barrel of the fountain pen.  The black "precious resin" should have a ruby red glow to it.  I have a fake Montblanc "Starwalker" pen, this pen is not translucent under the flashlight test, and when a really bright light is shown through its barrel, then i get a bluish glow.  The Mont Blanc's will be ruby red.  This test, along with a close inspection of the nib is, for me, the best way to determine an authentic Montblanc Meisterstuck "Precious Resin" fountain pen. In addition to this, I have observed that my Montblanc Meisterstucks will be almost completely translucent if I look at them through a camcorder with "nightshot" turned on. I have a Sony Handycam and If I turn on "nightshot" I can see the entire inner workings of the Montblanc pen through the barrel of the pen. I tried this with my fake "Starwalker" and I could not see through its barrel, and this proved to be the same with my other Montblanc pens. If you have a camcorder, try this, it is incredibly interesting!

2. Montblanc's produced after 1991 should have a serial number etched on them and the word "Germany" on the upper cap ring.  The serial number should begin with two letters and be squarely engraved.  In addition, the word "pix" should appear on the pen after around 1991.  I have a Meisterstuck 144 that also has the word "pix" on the underside of the clip.  Older Montblanc's will not have a serial number, but should have "Germany" on the upper ring.  Notice that the serial number has been etched into the pen neatly.  Fakes tend to have the serial numbers pressed in causing a bubbling, or overdone, effect.

  Look closely at these pictures. As you see, on the older Montblanc's the word "Germany" is (60's & 70's) pressed into the band around the top of the pen.  In later models, there should also be a serial number (post 1991 ?).  Sometimes, the pen may say "made in Germany" (1980's) or even "W-Germany" (around 1990).

3. On the middle band of the cap where the lettering for MONTBLANC MEISTERSTUCK is found, these letters should be evenly spaced, and are etched, slanting toward the left (/) diagonally.  On later models, the word "Pix" will also be located on this band on the 144's. (It will also be there on the 146' on later models and may be on 149's but i am not for certain about that as the 149's that I own are earlier models--please see the end of this article for an in-depth discussion of this issue).  The middle cap band should not buldge out overly, and should have one ring above and one below the brand name band.  I have noticed that the size of the letters on the pen equals the amount of space between the rings on either side of the middle cap band.

4. The nib should NOT say "Iridium" or "Paris" or any such thing. It should have the numbers 4810 and and "M" in the middle, and closer to the barrel of the pen, the nib should have the name Montblanc engraved directly under the karat indication, and then the number 585 or 750 under the name Montblanc (these numbers denote the gold content: 585 is 58.5% gold content or 14k, and 750 is 18k gold).  (Contrary to what many people think, 4810 is not the name of a particular pen.  Rather it is the height of Montblanc Mountain after which the company is named.  The white splat represents the snows on top of the mountain.) I have heard that the Starwalker's have the word "Iridium" engraved on their nib.  I have not observed this to be the case--indeed, I have seen just the opposite and my fake Starwalker has "Iridium" etched on its nib. Finally, the nibs feeder will align perfectly to center with the tines.

Fake Nibs, See how the gold appears painted on the top fake nib? :   Some Authentic Nibs:  

5. Look closely at the nib to ensure that if it is two toned, that the nib has not been painted, or otherwise faked.  The Montblanc will not show the white metal/platinum with rough edges protruding over into the area where the gold is.  The distinction between the platinum and the gold should be quite crisp and noticeable.  While most Montblanc nibs will have the "M" in the middle, some older nibs do not, and may just say "Montblanc" or even "Monta Rosa." But just because the nib doesn't have the Montblanc "splat" on the nib does not mean it is an inauthentic Montblanc nib as there are some earlier vintage Montblanc's that do not have the splat.  Regardless, with the majority of Montblanc's, the nib, is typically the best way to determine its authenticity.

6. The Montblanc snow cap should, when the pen is laid down, extend just a little over the top of the cap of the pen, and typically only two points of the snow cap will be visible from the side view at a time.  Note, however, that the top portion of the cap can be screwed and fitted, so on occasion, you may see three points.  If you do, hold the pen so the middle point is centered, the other two will be barely visible and you will only see the outline of their edges.  Also note, that you should look at the pen from directly above it to see the snow cap extend just a bit over the sides.  Sometimes, this issue is not entirely evident depending on the angle a picture of the pen was taken--especially on the 149's as the cap is larger and rounder, but it should be fairly evident on the 146's and 144's if the picture is taken with the pen lying flat (look closely at the last pictures on this page showing a 146 and a 149 next to each other and you will see what I mean).  Additionally, the snow cap should not be "outlined" in any fashion, but rather a pure white emblem that sits over the cap of the pen.  The snowcap should be rounded at the tips, not pointed, and should be centered exactly on top of the pen. (Note, there are some earlier, vintage Montblanc's that do not have a snowcap at all on the cap, and still others that have an outline only of the snowcap.  These are not, however, the pens we are discussing here (144's, 146', & 149's.)

7. The clip ball will be solid, not indented inward, and later models are ovaled.  Some of the earlier models have more of a rounded clip ball.  In addition, the clip should extend from the entire top cap band, not under it or above it.  Look at the above original pic.  You will see that the clip is even with both the top and the bottom of the gold circular ring on the cap top (clip ring).  Fakes frequently will have the clip coming from underneath the ring, look closely at the pics below for some examples of this tendency.

These are fakes:  Close up's, look at the clips & nibs:

8. The end of the pen should not have an extended area prior to the nib (note, not all Mont Blanc's have a gold band at this end)

Fake-->  <--real Montblanc.

9. The box: The Montblanc snow cap on the inside lid of the box should be white stroked with a thin black line.  Fakes invert this.  The Mont Blanc snow cap is black.

The real deal:   Sometimes, the box is white and padded inside, but still, in both cases the Montblanc snow cap emblem is white and outlined in black. Again, the Snowcap "splat" Montblanc emblem tends to be black in the fake Montblanc boxes.  If the box is fake, then it surely casts doubt on the authenticity of the pen.

10. Price.  Although everyone wants to get a great deal, it is highly doubtful that you are going to purchase a Montblanc fountain pen for $39.95.  Sorry.  Typically, these pens are going to be in excess of $100.00--and you will be lucky if you get one under $200.00.  The Montblanc144's can typically be found for around $180.00.  While a smaller pen, the 144's are the perfect size for a ladies hand, and tend to be superb writers.  The earlier 144's were plagued with significant problems with cracking, and therefore have not earned much respect, however, this problem was corrected in the post-1991 144's.  The 146's can sell for up to $400.00 used (these are the nicest pens in my book, just the right size for my hand). The 149's are the larger pens and can sell for $500.00--even used! The 149 is the signature Montblanc fountain pen, and writing with it is akin to writing with a cucumber.  If you are looking for an everyday pen, I doubt this one will do the suit you unless you have very large hands...

The 144's are also referred to as the "Classique" which is a smaller, slimmer pen.  The "LeGrand" is the 146 and is just a little smaller than the "Churchill" or cigar shapped "Diplomat" which is the ubiquitous 149.

The LeGrand and the Diplomat side by side:      The Classique/144 :   If you notice, the LeGrand 146 and the Diplomat 149 are "piston" filled (you can typically tell by the transparent window on the barrel of the pen).  This means that you have to draw the ink into the pen from a bottle as they do not take cartridges.  The 144 takes cartridges and SHOULD come with a converter that you can use to draw ink into from a bottle if you would prefer that over cartridges. 

Also, an 11th sign of a fake 144 is if the converter simply pushes into the pen.  With a true Montblanc you should have to screw the converter into the pen rather than simply push it in tightly as with most converters.

You should ask for a pic of the nib to ensure that the pen is authentic if the dealer is questionable. I would not suggest buying a pen from overseas, such as from the orient as you may have increasing difficulties should the pen be fake.  I would suggest purchasing from a dealer that accepts payments through PayPal as this affords some fraud protection, and ALWAYS check the sellers feedback before purchasing.  If they have negative feedback, I would question the purchase.  If the seller cannot communicate with you, choose a seller who can for surely, if there are problems with the purchase, you won't be able to expect their behavior to improve much on that score :/

These are beautiful pens, and they offer a distinctive pleasure to write with.  You should take care of your pen when you get it, and refrain from allowing others to use it as fountain pens tend to "become" their owners, and over time, you should find that the pen becomes easier to write with as the handcrafted nib should wear to your writing style (You can also use very light sandpaper and write your name ten times, using the same pressure you would typically apply to a fountain pen on it to wear the nib to your own writing style faster).  On the other hand, there are many fine fountain pens out there.  For example, I have an old Waterman (France) that I have had for years for which I paid a mere $49.00 for.  The thing writes like a dream and I absolutely love it... Pelikan (Germany) also makes a superb pen--some would argue that a Pelikan rivals a Montblanc, and Sailor pens (from Japan) are superb as well, as are Conway Stewarts (England)... And let's not forget Parker--although be extremely cautious when bidding on a Parker Vacumatic or Duofold, these pens tend to not hold up well with age, and you will frequently find that you will have to have the insides cleaned and the filling mechanisms replaced (usually at a minimum cost of $35.00 per pen).

***A side note.  It has frequently been erroneously stated that a real Mont Blanc pen will have the word "pix" on it and will NOT have a groove on the underside of the clip. This is completely wrong. Although some pens after 1991 (certainly by 2001) did add the word "Pix," Mont Blanc pens previous to this will NOT have the word "Pix," and may not even have a serial number. In addition, while the 144 does not have a groove on the underside of the clip, most, if not all, 146's and 149's do have such a groove.  I have several 149's and 146's.  Every one of them has a a groove, including the ones that were most recently produced (up to 2006). The 146's that I have that were made after 2006 have the word "Pix" on the underside of the clip, they do not have this on the middle cap band as does the 144, and they each have serial numbers and "Germany" on the top cap band.

You should also be aware that there are numerous vintage Montblanc writing utensils out there. Many Montblanc's prior to 1960 were made with celluloid plastics rather than "precious resin." If you have a Celluloid Montblanc, you probably know it--because you would have really paid through the nose for it. The flashlight test will not work on a celluloid plastic pen because, well... it isn't made of "precious resin." However, the nibs will typically look like what was described above. The underside of these pens nibs (the feed) tends to be flat rather than rounded with horizontal grooves as the newer nibs have. The ink windows on these pens also tend to yellow a bit with age, as well as the Montblanc snowcap on the top of the pen. The ten steps outlined above are primarily for authenticating a Montblanc Meisterstuck Fountain Pen made from 1960-present.

Happy bidding!