One of the questions that I got asked often as a vintage restorer is: "Do you keep some for yourself?" And the answer is yes, of course. But most of the pens that I kept for myself are the ones with flaws and quirks that I can't expect most pen people (not restorers or tinkerers) to be comfortable dealing with. But once, in a blue moon. I find a flaw-less pen that just grab my heart and won't let to. Montblanc 344 is one such pen. This pen in the photo, is my second 344. And yes, before you ask, I am keeping one for myself. Now, I know many pen people are "allergic" to the MB brand thinking that their pens are status symbol first, which, in my experience, is not true especially for their vintage pens. Montblanc in the 1950s produce among others, this 344 model. This one has a small but filled out MB logo on the cap finial, my other one has a larger one but only the outline. Not even close to their top of the line, but this pen, especially the nib, is a reflection on what a superb quality should be. Just like my other one, this 344 has a crisp stub nib that keeps amazing me with how nice it is to sketch with. Writing, of course, but stub nibs that are excellent sketchers are not easy to find. The sketch, is of an ornate ox-powered cart. Based on my research, these are found in the service of Japanese noble families and royalties. What attracted me to this subject is the simple outline shape that is conducive for me to "hang" many different details from. Like it? (My Sketching with Fountain Pen ebook now has a cover, and I'm proof-reading it using Kindle, so far so good). Tinta: Vinta Armada Gray.

Where do you learn how to sketch like that?! Serious question.

Through my first, second, third ... nth sketches. :D

Do you draw from scratch, as in dont know what you are going to end up with when you start, do you have something in mind like “I’m going to draw a cart without a horse” or do you find inspiration by something you see whether in person or another drawing?

My inspiration comes from everywhere. Photos, a book that I read, sometimes a song lyric or poem, sometimes films, etc. For this one, I've been sketching East Asian themes and the photos that I've seen of this Japanese cart (pulled by an ox, not a horse) impressed me, so I consulted at a few reference photos and sketch my own interpretation of the cart. The key here is not to copy a photo, but to synthesize a sketch out of those references. Pulling the interesting details that makes the sketch subject uniquely recognizable. Wow, this feels like I'm writing my ebook all over again :D

I wouldn't be able to say goodbye to that one either. gorgeous x2

Don't envy me, now I have to decide which of my two 344 I'm going to keep. This one and the other one both have absolutely amazing nibs.

Not sure if this question will be allowed here, but how do I find reputable seller for Montblanc vintage pen? I’m staying away from the new Montblanc bc they aren’t suitable for my pocket. So… I don’t know, I’m hoping a vintage can give me some comfort of trying them out without breaking my retirement saving! Besides, I absolutely love vintage nibs. Thanks!

Your best bet would be to luck it out on [eBay.de](https://eBay.de). I have bought about twenty 342/344 from eBay at very affordable prices. Mind you they are pretty old pens and we’re meant to be daily writers and therefore heavily worked horses. And it is to the credit of Montblanc workmanship of yore that none of them were dead- even I was able to flog them to life with a little work. Barring one cork piston 342, I was able to make them all work. Most needed just a water soak. A few needed a little nib tuning— surprisingly the nib tuning was required on those that were in good cosmetic condition. All the pistons worked. And I paid between 80 to 200 usd for each one of them. These pens are wonderful work horses.

And these come in a variety of nib sizes. And except for the ones with manifold nibs, they are all soft writers and most have some degree of flex.

It depends on your budget. The few dealers specializing in vintage MBs will have mint condition rare models which will be a lot more expensive than new MBs. Every now and then almost all reputable vintage pen restorers/dealers will have vintage MB or two. I am one of these. Your best bet is to get to know these people and check their inventory.

Why won’t you keep both? As always, love reading what you’ve put up!

Because I only need one :D And having one of these go to a loving home, would be a better outcome, even for me.

I would be thrilled to assist with that! I’ve been looking for a vintage one now and am ok with a “not flawless” one.

Beautiful pen! And nice drawing, too. P.S. eh, rather long.... Sorry. ​ >Now, I know many pen people are "allergic" to the MB brand thinking that their pens are status symbol first, which, in my experience, is not true especially for their vintage pens. While I guess I am somewhat allergic to the MB brand, that is to say, I think the current models seem to be over priced to me, I love my Montblanc 22s that I bought around US$20 each. The white stars are not missing. The thin metal rings at the threads are not missing. No crack in the ink windows. They write fantastic. True, they can be broken into half one day at the blue ink windows... as they were produced in 1960s. So I am afraid to carry them around and I use them at home. But they are good writers. In Japan, THE best selling fountain pen in those luxury shops is Montblanc Meisterstück Le Grand (146). In some stores, it is said that 70% of quantity sold is that particular pen. And 70% of the quantity sold are F, and 20% are M. The pen is bought by people who know nothing about fountain pens. They are not interested in fountain pens at all. They do not use fountain pens. The pen is bought to be used as a gift. Since the receivers of the gifts do not use fountain pens, are not interested in fountain pens, those Montblanc Meisterstück Le Grand end up in pawn shops. Unused, preowned, like new, with original boxes... To me, a pawn shop should be THE place to buy the pen. Since almost all of those preowned ones are F, but I wanted B, I had to spend some time to find B, and ended up paying like US$250 or something like that (nobody here wants to remember how much you have spent on fountain pens, right?), in this way, the price is in the okay range, eh, that is, to me. That is to say, as a daily writer. It works. It works very well. It is almost "boring" since every time I uncap, it writes well. It is the workhorse pen, eh, the pen per se is. Of course, if a Montblanc is given by your be loved one, that pen can be priceless to you. Or if you buy one to yourself at certain life event, say at the graduation from a collage, the pen can be THE pen for the rest of your life.

I have a MB 342G with a soft OB semi flex nib !! It’s amazing ! Congratulations

I also have a MB 342 G with the same nib. I really love it! I prefer most of my vintage pens to the newer ones I have recently gotten.

I am a newby in fountain pens and am enjoying the learning experience. am also a bit of a sketcher but have never used a fountain pen for that. What would you recommend for a more cost effective option for a new fountain pen sketcher? Maybe if I get lucky I can sell about 100K of my sketches and be able to afford a 333 some day. and don't think i won't try. thanks for the guidance

I just wish you had’ve coloured your cart in yellow! It looks like Mr Toad’s “canary coloured cart” from, “The Wind in the Willows”! PS. Gorgeous pen!

A Gypsy cart? That's another beautiful subject for sketches. Thanks for the inspiration!

I love 344s. I have a few. And I love them. Such wonderful writers and comes in a whole wonderful range of nibs. Cherish them!

And I absolutely adore the 342s. I have about a dozen in assorted nib sizes.

Montblanc - their pens are the gold standard, while their watches are like the michael kors of watches though

I know this post is old but i just want to bring some good news for MB fans ( I am one although I agree with everyone's adversity towards the brand because of their high prices ): They recently ( i don't know exactly, but a few years ) bought a little known swiss watch brand called Minerva that was going bankrupt for one reason or another and this brand was a pretty decent swiss watch maker some decades ago and they still had all the machines and means to make really great in house movements and that 's what they use when they make MB watches now. They might still be a little bit overpriced, but all of their movements are in house and quality made now!

Because of this post I have a Montblanc 344 on my “watchlist” on eBay now. I may go ahead and bid! Its not a stunner to look at but looks and sounds like it performs beautifully! Thank you for sharing your beautiful post!

Good luck with the bid. In the future, check my website out, I restore unique and cool vintage pens like this. I'd say it's a better place than ebay :D

Gladly! (I need a link) I haven’t bid yet Edit: found it! https://redeempens.com/ Thanks!

Beautiful pen, I already collect « regular » fountain pens and I’m afraid you’ve dragged me down another rabbit hole 😂 this one is really beautiful

I was dragged into restoring vintage pens myself years ago. And I can't say I complained 😁

I’ve ordered one because i was so obsessed by your picture, i like it much better than the current montblanc look which is flashier. Fingers crossed it’s a genuine one 😅

That's cool. In the future, do let me know if you're in the market for vintage pens. My website is [redeempens.com](https://redeempens.com) . My selection of vintage pens are unique and I guarantee the quality. I have sold literally hundreds of them many to people in this subreddit.

Thanks ! I’ll save your website for the future, I would much rather buy off of there than bigger platforms. Do ship to Luxembourg ?

I have many international buyers (relative to me in the US). As long as the US Postal Service deliver to Luxembourg, we're good to go.

The awesomeness of your sketch....

You are too kind.