Posted by Administrator on 12/29/2011 to Fountain Pens

In 1914 Montblanc became registered as a limited company and the founding families operated the business as partners opening the first specialist Mont Blanc shop in Hamburg in 1919.
The white star symbol over the top of the pen cap symbolising the mountain crest of snow was introduced as the company trade mark early in 1911, this was re designed in 1913 to become today's well known six pointed white star emblem, the height of the mountain in metres calculated to be 4810 was also adopted as a further enduring trademark which was firstly engraved on the cap section from 1924, although Mont Blanc did make self filling pens during the early1920s, including a side lever filler model, but these very early models are extremely rare they have a distinctive milled serrated band seen between the barrel and the turning piece sections.
The Meisterstuck (masterpiece) pen was also launched in 1924, at this time the side lever ink filling system was also introduced as the standard ink filling method.
In 1932 the digits 4810 became engraved only on the pens nib, and by1935 Montblanc changed the ink filling method to the piston filling system which remains today.
1933 and the German Nationalist Party had gained power having established control of all industries.

This 1920s side lever filling pen is engraved Simplo Montblanc model 35 on the barrel section and engraved 4810 Mantblanc Masterpiece, with the mountain range in outline seen on the pens cap section.
The accompanying metal cedar pencil holder has the German Eagle motif above a Morse code telegraph transmitter key emblem highlighted in black.
Some brief details relating to the owner are printed in the residence permit valid for the period July 1933 to July 1934 in Bern Switzerland.
This fountain pen and cedar propelling pencil holder would once have belonged to a high ranking Nationalist Party member.

The Excelsior Fountain Pen Company

In 1913 Mont Blanc had formed a subsidiary company specifically to cater for the production of other brands produced as commission custom made proprietary pens unidentifiable as having been manufactured by their supplementary company Excelsior, these pens would be marketed under a wide variety of other names, not identifiable as having been produced by the Mont Blanc company. The Super Rotax model R89 fountain pens marketed by Mutschler GmbH of Heidelberg West Germany in the early 1970s are believed to have been made to specification and design by Mont blanc's Excelsior company.

Some models were even made for other pen manufacturers such as Faber Castell.
The Alfred Dunhill Company became sole owners of Mont Blanc in 1985.