There’s this famous story in my family. Of how my grandfather took my grandmother, my father and my uncle to Europe in the 1950s. While there, he stopped in several different stores to try out Mont Blanc pens. And he dithered and hemmed and hawed and decided he needed a Meisterstück 149 and purchased it before coming home.
Then he got home and filled it up with ink, and promptly decided it was too big to be comfortable writing with it. So he put it back in the box and there it stayed.
Sometime in the late 1990s or early 2000s he remembered he had it, and decided to pass it down to my father. My father inked it up, found that the nib leaked, and sent it off for repairs. This particular pen, purchased so long ago, has a lifetime warranty. Oh and he also decided that it was WAY to big to be comfortable to write with.
This weekend, my father brought out the pen and handed it down to me – the third generation. I’m not even going to ink it up because I know without a doubt it’s too large for me to use. But it is in great shape (do you see that case – it’s amazing!) and I won’t be letting this piece of history go for a good long time – and hopefully to a fourth generation of fountain pen users.
Great story and history!
Not only is your treasured family pen beautiful, but (what I can see of) your sweater is gorgeous as well. I’m guessing it’s your own creation, and it looks fall-ishly lovely! Thanks, as always, for your posts, and happiest of holidays to you and your family!
Haha thank you! It’s a Weekender (by Andrea Mowry) knit in my handspun. There are pictures on my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/CvqEwo7p6aq/?img_index=1
Congratulations! A great story and a fabulous writing implement! Pls keep it in the family by creating a true love of writing and analog tools and fine writing instruments in the family who comes after you. Cursive is coming back to many schools!!!
Love the nails, too!
Haha thanks!
Forgive me please for asking (it’s the wee tiny pratical side of my thought-box…) why didn’t grandpa try some kind of permute within the brand for a more “usable” model? Considering the price and the fame and the garanty Montblanc would probably comply, provided they wouldn’t loose money in the process… Anyway, gorgeous pen. Cheers! Vic, from Portugal
Honestly I have no idea. But if you knew him, this is spot on for him. It doesn’t make sense to me either! 🙂
maybe too big – but beautiful!
My husband inherited his dad’s Montblanc 149, which we refer to as the treaty-signing pen. As yet, nobody has asked him to sign a treaty, so it mostly sits unused but gets taken out and admired every now and then.
Haha I love it!