How to Spot a Fake Montblanc Fountain Pen Part 2

A sequel to a video I did a while ago. The purpose of this video is NOT to promote the selling of counterfeit products, but to give potential buyers some clues to look for to ensure they are buying a GENUINE product.
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[@KenCrooker]

Great video, Stephen. Thanks so much for doing putting this together.

[@NicholasAarons]

Fantastic Video Stephen. Really Helpful. Keep up the great work. Nick.

[@johnblackburn3331]

Thanks for the clarification Dr. Brown!

[@toddsoper8709]

GREAT information!!! I just picked up a Mount Blanc at a flea market today. The woman had no idea it was a Mount Blanc, I had no idea it was fake, until I watched your video!!! I just subscribed!!! Oh, I only paid 7.00 for the pen, lol

[@MrPleers]

Copyright. In Chinese "Right to copy".

[@AAG981]

lol

[@Perktube1]

you've got that right! lol

[@rhuxley5130]

One of the best videos on this subject. Well done sir,well done.😌

[@drasiritzbir]

Just a note, my 2006 "vintage" No.145 has also "Pix (R)" on the capband... I know it is genuine as i bought it directly in a Boutique :)

[@rantsanchez]

I maybe have one as well. Does yours also have the words Made in Germany followed by METAL under the clip? Also my 145's nib says Au 585. And what it says under that doesn't have a circle around it like the newer 145's.

[@nevillesmith5022]

Thank you Stephen, some great tips. In addition I would like to add the nib of the fake Starwalker is very different to a genuine one, the genuine Starwalker nib is a similar shape to a Lamy (only much fancier, of course) and has a smooth feed, with no fins.

[@Perktube1]

Than you for bringing this up. I'm not in the range of collecting Mont Blanc pens yet, but this is good to know.

[@303HammerHead]

Great video with lots of information. It also makes you appreciate all the details in real pens. Also, be careful because the real serial is visible when you show the back of the clip at the end...

[@AnzanHoshinRoshi]

Very interesting. Thank you, Stephen.

[@randy25rhoads]

Excellent video! Another interesting way you can tell the real resin from the fake is if you happen to have a camera that can image the near infrared part of the EMF. Most “precious resin” is translucent in the infrared spectrum, so if you have a DSLR that you have modified to be an IR or full spectrum camera, you’ll end up seeing the body in the pictures or video as translucent. That’s also the reason why it’s turning that deep red when you put your light in it. Cheaper plastics tend to be opaque to IR light, at least in my experience.

[@nianticcinemas6124]

Great video. Very helpful!

[@saifudeenalaudeen6486]

Great Very good Explanation Stephen its Really useful for Montblanc lovers thanks.👍

[@haicautrang5304]

I have friends who have bought fake purses in foreign countries and paid outrageous prices... I can't imagine buying something as coveted and expensive as a montblanc and find out later that it is a fake.... very helpful video

[@Tom_-]

Even though fake pens are pretty dire, I really wish some of the more iconic/rare designs could be accurately faked just so I can have one as a display piece, like a Pilot MYU.

[@AllanEngelhardt0]

What - no writing sample? :D Amazing the effort they put in. If that 146 was labelled Jinhao or whatever then I might actually buy it - looks like a good pen. Thanks for the video.

[@sbrebrown]

Yes, that's the sad thing: that "164" actually has a nice, stubby nib and a rich ink flow, and no baby's bottoms either.

[@chadwaite5418]

Thanks for the video Very helpful

[@richieh2006]

What a cracking video. Thank you, my friend :-)

[@deakdeagen938]

As others have said, if whoever made the fake 146 was to just put their own brand name on the pen (minus the MB branding and white star on the top) and sell the pen for $50 or so and just be honest about it, they could probably sell quite a few of them. Despite the fact that it was fake, it is good looking pen and i would probably buy one.

[@llindstad]

Not using the brand logo and name would make it real, not a fake ;)

[@DanielSpielmann]

Very interesting video, thanks. Some comments on the writing experiences would have been interesting as well.

[@Rumbo7]

OMG! 😱 You are the best. Thank you!

[@MrCarGuy]

Great follow-up.

[@user-qi5jw2hg1c]

Unfortunately, I found a fake Montblanc Boheme a few years back and did the flashlight test on it- it had the red sheen. That said, the flashlight test is probably one of the more subtle Montblanc characteristics to test for; I'm only warning that from my experience, it isn't unique.

[@Kai_Sau]

Thx for the flashlight test. Never knew that.

[@quepasatiburon]

When you got to the 146 there was no need to look at the clip or shine the light on the Montblanc "Precious Resin". All one has to do is look at the ink window on the barrel and the piston filler system to know that it is a genuine 146 or 149. I have been selling and collecting Montblanc fountain pens for the past (30) years and I have yet to see a fake 146 or 149 with a piston filler and ink window.

[@sbrebrown]

Not really, no: m.aliexpress.com/item/1005003756986450.html?gatewayAdapt=Pc2Msite. As you can see, fakes with pistons definitely exist - it sounds like you have been lucky so far.

[@marjanderuijter3718]

Thank you Stephen, very useful. I noticed that more and more of these fake Montblancs appear on Marktplaats, and it really gets to me because there is no way to warn potential buyers that it is very improbably that the Greta Garbo pen that is offered for 80 euros is genuine ...

[@sbrebrown]

Exactly, it is annoying and a shame. So maybe this will help.

[@marjanderuijter3718]

+alex mood I agree if you know what's what, but I suspect many people buy a cheap fake in good faith, however naive. And if the seller consciously rips you off on eBay or a similar site, that's not okay with me.

[@PartOfTheGame]

So either I bought a rollerball Montblanc that was part of a stolen shipment, or the counterfeit techniques have gotten MUCH more advanced. I, truly, cannot tell if the pen I've gotten off an auction website is real or fake. Rediculously low price compared to new, but everything I've checked on it matched with what a pen bought directly from Montblanc's own site shows. I'm leaning towards it was stolen, but I don't have a retailer anywhere near me to be able to verify if it's real or not.

[@arthurrmcphee]

Nice video!

[@edsonosvaldo]

Also in the middle ring you show the word “Pixs” and you said that for that reason is fake, but is not true, some MB pens has that word in the middle ring. I think you have to show the real fake parts of the pen, because you confuse people showing as fake parts something that MB pens have it.

[@argilaga]

You have to check the brand new wingsung 629, I guess it is made in the same factory where fake montblancs are: ink window, fully functional piston filler, and even the red shine of the resin...

[@vitoscatigno4207]

I have a 149 Meisterstuck which I purchased recently and it doesn’t have the word ‘pix’ on the underside of the clip, it has ‘Made in Germany’ and metal. Also where the serial number is on the clip ring it doesn’t have the word Germany on the other side, and one more note is that not all these serial numbers start with MB, some start with MA. Last thing is that some of these 18K nibs are depicted as 750 on them.

[@drexplordinaire]

MIne has pix on the circle of the cap while your real one does not... I know mine is real bc it came from montblanc.com.

[@NicholasAarons]

On a side note Stephen What Montblanc Rollerball Pen would go with my Montblanc Meisterstück 149 I have 2 one with a Medium Nib & one with a Medium Oblique Nib. If you can let me know that would be great. Kind Regards Nicholas.

[@rbmarcus]

the third pen looks really good. It would be much betteer (and honest) if they sold it as a real chinese fountain pen brand, may be something like Jinhao or Hero do with some os their knockoffs...

[@christiankirkenes5922]

I actually ordered a hero from taobao once and got sent a fake mont blanc, unfortunately for me it was really bad fake, it was not anywhere close to that fake 146, it was a chopin sized 146 pen. but still i took the nib and feed and re-used them on another pen, and still got the Hero :)

[@edsonosvaldo]

What you said about calling montblanc to ask if the serial number is good, it’s not true, montblanc doesn’t do that

[@racerx1326]

If it looks like a duck, quacks like a duck, its a duck. Why pay $800+ for a MB. If you can't tell the difference that well, then it really isn't worth that crazy price.

[@skiffens]

The 'GERMANY' on the fake 146 looks like it was laser etched. There are short horizontal lines inside the letters, which would have been the path the laser took during the etching process. The real one did not have those lines, so it was done using a different process.

[@johnblackburn3331]

stephen, could you provide the name of the small flashlight with magnet you used?... thanks in advance....

[@sbrebrown]

Definitely, an Olight S1 Baton. Flashlight snobs might not like it because it's made in China, but it has serious light output, a strobe, and a magnet at the back. I have a slight preference for its even brighter bigger brother, the Olight S2, but this small one is ideal to keep in a bag or car.

[@sbrebrown]

Actually, I think that is my S2, not Azizah's S1, sorry.

[@jamesalwell7736]

where can you buy the knockoffs

[@sriramkumar9577]

thanks for the information sir. it's definitely helpful.

[@dstevenson9489]

What is the brand of your LED Loupe that you are using & where can one like it be acquired, please? Thank you

[@sbrebrown]

Someone gifted it to me. I don't have a brand name but it's available on Amazon

[@dampfnudel6801]

Mine doesn't have a Pix under the clip and on the band. But the remeining factors are positiv. Are there authentic montblancs without pix on clip and band?

[@shopjay8291]

I was given a set of Montblanc pens from my father that was an artist. I Recieved them about 20 years ago and they were old then. They seem to be Genuine to most of your points. However, I don't see the Serial #'s. Did Montblanc always etch serial #'s into the clip bezel? Thanks...

[@sbrebrown]

No, that started mid 90s, I think

[@shopjay8291]

@@sbrebrown well thanks for the great video and your help.

[@mooncake4511]

the star on the fake does not line up with the clip but the original does

[@federalisticnewyorkians4470]

Another giveaway for the first one is that it’s nib is split! So whatever it is it doesn’t matter.

[@daveswatch5825]

The star at the top is also not aligned

[@ManuelMijaresCh]

love the video, btw the fake ($40) is metal and the real ($1000) is plastic? we live in a weird world :-)

[@zoazoacocoa5504]

Clearly Montblanc pens are over-priced pens, but I am very much sure there are many things that affect the price other than just the material itself.

[@ManuelMijaresCh]

+beast of burden you're right, the gold nib alone is awesome, I'm just a little sad because 2 of my MB have cracked, but you're right, there is a lot more than just the material

[@ToriZealot]

Of course they are not available on sale because of the brand positioning.

[@lukashei1870]

Mit all plastics are created equal.

[@tygajob7936]

How can i tell if my StarWalker Precious Resin Ballpoint Pen if fake or real?

[@flaviocipriani7200]

My tip has outside gold middle silver inner gold????

[@rknine7998]

You missed the part where you take the cap and shine a LED light into it. If it glows then it is legit, but if it does NOT glow it is a fake.

[@chunnanlin8982]

11min. 用 iPhone flashlight 比較方便。光源只ㄧ點不會照到外殼。

[@brettwilkins781]

You spend a lot of time in this and your other similar video on the "Pix" marking, but it was only put onto pens for a relatively short amount of time. My 1970s 146 has no authentication markings at all, not even a serial number (started in the early 1990s), my early 2000s 145 has "Pix" on both the underside of the clip as well as on the gold cap band, though neither of the modern 146s I have say anything other than "Montblanc" and "Meisterstück" there. Neither one says "Pix" under the clip, but rather "Made in Germany" and "Metal". I have a Starwalker Midnight Black with the same stamping under the clip - it would seem Montblanc switched over some time in the past few years of production. That said, checking the resin under intense light, magnetism of the nib, verifying any serial number, and checking lettering/craftsmanship in the metal fittings are all good starting points. What I've learned is that, especially if you're going after a Montblanc, particularly a C/C filled one, you really need to brush up on your authentication markings, as well as the history of the model. It would be a shame to get a pen and dismiss it as fake due to lack of serial number or some faded gold plating when in fact it's just an older model.

[@Triaed]

I recently acquired a 146 Ultra Black. No "Pix" in sight and under the clip it says (crisply) "Made in Germany" and "METAL"

[@edsonosvaldo]

You gave the real fake spots in the pen to be aware, I think that your explanation was better than the 16 min of the video.

[@chrislj2890]

The Chinese make some very nice and ridiculously low priced pens such as Jinhao, so it's a shame they are doing this. They will continue this practice as long as their corrupt government allows it, which appears to be forever.

[@AAG981]

exactly

[@wilfho8792]

There is no way you can change their mentality. Looks like it’s something that will be passed on from one generation to the next...

[@kevinalexander8201]

you also have to take into account the mentality of the people in the west that think they can get a real MB 149 for $60 on the internet. It is easy to blame the Chinese government, but the market for the counterfeits is created by the greed of people who want an expensive pen without paying an expensive price. Be honest, can you really blame the Chinese government for not making their top priority saving the potential profits of a German company? Your government is not spending the money to inspect each package entering your country to ferret out the counterfeits, so why should they spend the money to stop the package from leaving their country? The counterfeiters pay taxes on their earnings, MB doesn't pay them squat to stop them. And the people who buy the fake ones NOT ONLY will likely never pay the $900+ to buy a new one from official channels (or they would have) BUT ALSO would not be very likely to pay the $5-600+ for a used one, so they aren't really costing MB anything except having to deal with the frustrations of people, who would likely never really be their customers anyway, when they have to tell them the pen they sent in because it has issues is not real. We live in a world where information is readily available, so the idea, that you will get a super deal on a MB 149 on the internet because someone (on the internet, mind you) does not have the ability to look up the name and model on the cap band to see what they are selling, is kinda naive. You may find some deals out there, but like he said, "...if the price is too good to be true, it's probably fake". If you want a guaranteed genuine one, go to a real store, if you go to the grey market (or dark grey market) you roll the dice and take your chances. Don't blame the Chinese government for your greed. Customer greed feeds the counterfeit market! The customers think they are taking advantage of the seller's lack of business sense, when they are the ones being taken for a ride. Most scams work this way. Maybe look in the mirror, and don't be greed, and you don't have to look to others.

[@kevinalexander8201]

@@wilfho8792 so change your mentality and theirs won't matter.

[@dutch_blades]

3:33 They tried I suppose :')

[@HCLaw1]

Just wonder since you have yellow gold but why you don't want to compare it with fake one..🤔🤔🤔

[@flaviocipriani7200]

My pen is 149 thanks

[@bulran87]

1030

[@TheKillWizard]

Hate fakes

[@flaviocipriani7200]

My pen says 14 C, is good or B.

[@jamesdcaldeira]

Buy Appelboom 👍🏼🖋

[@miguelangelrivascalleja5421]

me gustaria que estubiera subtitulado en español

[@luciliopereira4453]

Hello can you tell to us The websites to buy a good réplica pen bu

[@edsonosvaldo]

The SideQuest i agree, for example the snow flake of the second reviewed pen (minute 2:46) it’s some fcking horrible, in the first second we could see that it’s a fake pen, buuuut he used a lupe to see the snow flake and his conclusion was that snow flake is not clear for that reason is a fake one. Come on man look again the snow flake is not a snow flake is a “snow fake”. I think he did not give the real reason to know how to spot the fake pen.

[@MicheleLHarvey]

Thought this may apply from the movie Donnie Brasco: kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6ixo6OGnK54oLM BTW, it's fugazi (not fugazzi)

[@sbrebrown]

I knew exactly what scene you meant, before I'd clicked the link :-).

[@wagsbass]

don't skip your face Doc.

[@NotUrTube]

Another giveaway with the special edition pens is that the nibs have elaborate designs commemorating the edition. I own the JFK special edition, not the limited but the nib has an engraving of the lunar lander. The outside details are much higher quality, of course. I've also seen the real Defoe and it's their precious resin but in a faux wood design and the filigree is much sharper and more elaborate. The nib has an engraving of the parrot. Another thing is that I can't imagine someone buying a special or limited edition MB without keeping the packaging and the book. It also has a warranty stamp in the back from the retailer who sold the pen. If someone is selling one of those without the accompanying packaging, it should raise a lot of red flags. Thank you for helping people spot these fakes.

[@ws813]

Wow, those Chinese workers really put time into this. I kinda appreciate them selling it for $20, instead of defrauding you

[@Yootjoob]

When will the chinese STOP with this.....copy business.

[@opulan]

They will never unless something fundamentally changes

[@wilfho8792]

They’re definitely more interested in making money by the most “economical” means in the shortest possible time than producing something on which they are not afraid of putting “Made in China”.

[@kevinalexander8201]

when you stop buying them

[@Thuglifeeeeeeee]

If it doesn't say Germany on the clip, is it definitely a fake product? This was not written in the pen I bought yesterday. Is it possible for me to contact you via whatsapp? If it is a fake product, I will have to return it.

[@watster]

No engraving until "W. GERMANY" 1980-1991, "GERMANY" with serial number 1991-2012, serial number only from 2013. (According to non-official information).