# Fake MontBlanc Pens?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-montblanc-pens/171566>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 28, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-montblanc-pens/171566 "2003-04-28T01:16:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![texxxas57](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@texxxas57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/texxxas57)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-montblanc-pens/171566/1 "2003-04-28T01:16:09Z")

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I am in hopes that the board can assist me in determining whether my MontBlanc fountain pen is fake or real.

I have recently come to understand that authentic MB pens have a serial number engraved on the clip-band, and the letters “PIX” engraved on the underside of the clip. My MB has neither of these features.

I purchased it several years ago at Sam’s Club, which should have been a potential warning flag to me…

I have done various Google searches with “fake montblanc, imitation montblanc, montblanc copy, montblanc imitation”, etc., and only gotten hits which make passing reference to the phenomenon in a presumptive fashion, as in referring to a “fake Rolex watch”.

Could anyone out there with definitive knowledge of how to spot the real article vs. an imitation please share their wisdom on this issue? I’d like to know whether I bought a pig-in-a-poke.

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**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-montblanc-pens/171566/2 "2003-04-28T02:59:55Z")

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If you bought it at **Sam’s Club** , then you probably have the real article.  
[http://www.rickconner.net/penoply/mb.0.html](http://www.rickconner.net/penoply/mb.0.html)

The Article to which I linked says what I suspected. Montblanc is a whore, just like most retailers today. They’ll sell to anybody, even deep discounters. There are very few manufacturers who protect their market by limiting distributors/retailers.

You got a real one.

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**Author:** ![bondman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@bondman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bondman)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2003, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fake-montblanc-pens/171566/3 "2003-04-28T03:42:50Z")

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I can tell you that my MontBlanc pen does not have any “PIX” engravng anywhere, but it does have a serial number on the clip…although not where you might first look. The serial no. on mine is on the part of the clip that attaches to and wraps around the body of the top of the pen…not on the main body of the clip that parrallels the body of the pen. The serial no. is follwed by the word “GERMANY” .

I received this pen as a performance reward for my job at a very major bank some years ago…Lord kows where they got it, but I have no reason to suspect its authenticity…it came in a nice box with warranty documentation and everything!

BTW, (not to make you feel bad) I have numerous other pens at a fraction of the cost that perform much better. I’m glad I didn’t pay for this thing myself.