Partially due to the price of their products, Montblanc tends to be a very polarising manufacturer of writing instruments and accessories. They’re either a company that you love, or a company that you love to hate, or a company that you have a love-hate relationship with.

Personally, I like Montblanc products. I’m not so sure that I LOVE them – certainly not for the retail prices – but I do like them, for the styling and the designs that they come up with for their various products, and their simple elegance, which has stood the test of time. Not for nothing, after all, is Montblanc one of THE most faked brands in the world, right up there with Rolex, and Louis Vuitton – after all, you don’t fake something that isn’t worth faking.

In this posting, I’ll be talking about another addition which I made to my humble Montblanc collection, shortly before all this coronavirus malarkey started going off around the world – and that addition isn’t a pen, it isn’t a watch, or even a piece of jewelry – but rather – an inkwell!

Montblanc has been making inkwells to go with their pens for many years, and if you search Google Images, there’s a surprisingly wide range of Montblanc inkwells out there, made of crystal, glass, brass and, if you can find one to buy – even solid silver! But the one in this posting is the one Montblanc inkwell that I’ve always wanted to own.

I won this particular inkwell at auction shortly after the start of the year, and just a handful of weeks before everything went into lockdown over the coronavirus. I’d been chasing an inkwell like this for years, ever since I’d seen photographs of it online, and I finally had my chance to grab it!

I wanted this inkwell specifically because of its design and styling. I liked the fact that it was big, black and chunky – substantial – heavy – and decidedly executive-looking – like it belonged on the power-desk of some sort of high-ranking CEO or something like that. I also liked the black and gold detailing, which was clearly designed to match the black and gold detailing of Montblanc’s classic flagship pen – the infamous No. 149. The two items – the inkwell, and the pen – were clearly designed to go together – and for that reason alone (among perhaps…a few other reasons!), I just had to have it!

The inkwell is not a standalone piece, however. It was originally sold as part of a four-piece set. The complete set included a paper-knife, a desk-stand for the 149 fountain pen, a rocker-blotter, and finally – the inkwell. All four pieces had the same basic design – black and gold, with clear resin in between to break up the colours.

As for how old the inkwell is, I’m honestly not sure. My research suggests a manufacture-date of the late 80s or early 90s, but that’s all I’ve been able to figure out. I believe that the inkwell (and the matching blotter, pen-stand, etc) all came out at the same time, as a sort of limited-edition thing, specifically designed to tie-in with the styling of the famous Montblanc No. 149, but that’s all I’ve been able to surmise. That being the case, they are relatively scarce.

Cool Inkwell! I Want One!!

Having seen the inkwell, you might be wondering – how much do they go for? The price varies. I’ve seen everything from $550, to $900, to $1,000+, on eBay. I’m glad to say I didn’t pay anywhere NEAR that for my inkwell. Despite that, I was lucky enough to buy the whole set, with the box, and everything that went along with it! As far as I’m aware, they’re no longer sold by Montblanc directly, (and aren’t mentioned anywhere on the company website), so if you decide that you do want one of these inkwells, then you will have to buy one secondhand.

So, if you CAN only buy these beautiful black and gold inkwells secondhand – what should you be looking out for?

Given that the inkwell isn’t nearly as well-known as the fountain pen which uses it, it’s unlikely that you’ll ever see a fake Montblanc inkwell, but even so, it’s nice to know what the inkwell comes with, so that you’ll know whether or not you’ve got the full set.

Originally, it came in a black and white MONTBLANC cardboard box, with foam lining and the obligatory Montblanc user-manual. It also comes with a fascinating little gadget which I’ve never seen before…or since. It’s a little black plastic spout or funnel, with a detachable screw-on ring, which goes over it. After a bit of umming-and-aahing, because its function was not explained in any paperwork that I could find, I realised that this screw-down funnel or spout is designed to screw onto the neck of a Montblanc ink bottle! The contents of the bottle can then be decanted into the inkwell through the spout, thereby minimising the risk of spilling any ink!…Pretty nifty!

The inkwell also comes with a removable, round-bottomed, clear plastic inkwell liner-cup – this is to stop any ink that you put into the inkwell from staining the clear resin midsection of the inkwell – possibly permanently – depending on the ink you like to use! Given that this is the function of this clear plastic liner-cup, it’s probably a good idea to check that your inkwell has this, before you bid on it at auction or buy it online. Otherwise, you could end up with an inkwell full of ink-stains, which would be irritating, to say the least!