No. 25 Push knob Filler
This pen is from the personal collection of Joudenali. Watch out for reviews of truly rare pens from his treasure chest!
This Meisterstück No. 25 was manufactured in Hamburg between 1931 and 1934. It is part of the original Meisterstück range but it is the 'streamlined' variant because the cap top is long and torpedo-shaped rather than short and flat-round (see examples here -->No. 25 lapis). These pens were available in many colours, but this particular one has a very striking and special colour of marbled green, gold and brown which Collectible Stars I rates as a 10 out of 12 points in terms of rarity. The streamlined Meisterstück series came in two sizes - a short version denoted by 'k' in its model number, and the regular-sized version that we are reviewing here. The series also had a luxury edition which had an "L" in its model number, unlike our pen here. An additional variation found is that some of the cap crowns in the streamlined series were of the same colour as the body while others (like our pen) had black caps.
In 1924 Montblanc introduced the "Meisterstück" series which was intended to be the company's top-of-the-line offering. MB's marketing department came up with the clever idea of offering the pens with a lifetime guarantee allowing them to be sold at a premium price even at a time when the economy was in a difficult position. The series were numbered based on their price. So, No. 25 meant that it cost 25 Reichsmark (RM) which was the currency in Germany at the time. The smaller numbers meant that the pens cost less but also that they were smaller in size. The No. 25 was amongst the smaller pens in the lineup. The largest was the No. 45.
The body and cap of pens in this series are believed to be made of celluloid, but one particular advertisement from the late 1920s showing this series of pens in its lever variant distinguishes it from that of other pens in the market by asserting that, "In keeping with our tradition of quality, we do not make pens made from cheap celluloid material that is flammable; our material is absolutely breakage and fireproof".
Different clip types are possible, and this teardrop clip is period correct as is the nib design. The push knob filling system on this pen was known as Stoßfüller. It was advertised as being so convenient to use that it needed only a single hand to fill the pen.
See the pen review section of our website for examples of other sizes, colours, and filling systems, of this series.
For bibliography, see Resources page -->link