If you know me, you know how much I love details. In fact, I'm so focused on small details that I'm usually more aware of them than I am the big picture. If I visit a large awe-inspiring monument, it doesn't make much of an impression on me, but, instead, I'll be drawn in by the intricate beauty of a tiny flower growing at its base. It's just the way I am, and it certainly helps me when I'm creating these blog articles, often highlighting subtle but important details of pens. Well, when it comes to writing instruments and accessories that really take details to the next level, Montblanc's Special Editions and Limited Editions are hard to top. Whether you're a collector or not, it's fun and fascinating to explore the details that Montblanc's designers choose to home in on and express creatively in their Great Characters, Writers Edition, Masters of Art, Patron of Art, Muses, and Great Masters collections.
It's always intriguing to see who or what Montblanc chooses to honor next, and this week, we are excited to unveil a brand-new release in the Great Characters collection: a tribute to the British rock band Queen! You heard me right: Queen! How cool is that?! To celebrate Montblanc's brilliant selection, and indulge my love of details, I decided to devote this article to the details spotlighted in six of the most recent Great Characters Special Editions: John F. Kennedy, Enzo Ferrari, Jimi Hendrix, Muhammad Ali, The Great Gatsby, and, of course Queen. I didn't receive the Queen pen in time to include it in my cover image, but, rest assured, there are plenty of photos ahead.
[Pictured: Montblanc Enzo Ferrari Giallo Modena, Muhammad Ali, Queen, and Jimi Hendrix Special Edition pens. Closeups await below!]
What are the Great Characters Editions?
On Montblanc's website, they describe the collection this way:
With the Great Characters Editions, the Maison acknowledges those who left an indelible mark on our common history. From Gandhi to Einstein and Lennon to Warhol, these exceptional individuals profoundly changed the way we view our world. Montblanc celebrates these Great Characters with exclusive, limited edition writing instruments expressing their unique contributions to humanity through exquisite craftsmanship.
The Great Characters series was introduced in 2009, with a truly inspiring individual: Mahatma Gandhi. This first selection set the stage for what was to come, and included both Special Edition and Limited Edition variations devoted to details of Gandhi's life. In this article, I'd be focusing on the Special Edition writing instruments, which are time-limited, rather than quantity-limited. They are the most attainable version, and are very popular with collectors. The Limited Edition pens are numbered, produced in smaller quantities, and made even more elaborately and with still more precious materials. They are, also, of course, more expensive and harder to find.
For example, at the time I'm writing this article, the Muhammad Ali fountain pen is available as a Special Edition for $1,420, but also in two different Limited Edition versions. One is an edition of 1942 (the year of Ali's birth) for $4,700, and one is an edition of 98 (a reference to 1998, the year of his third World Championship Title win, as well as the year when he became a United Nations Messenger of Peace). That version is sold out with Montblanc, but cost $41,500. Other Great Characters pens have more than one Limited Edition variation, each with a different design and different limited quantities inspired by significant numbers. Although the writing instruments in each collection share a cohesive design scheme, they can be wildly different, and each focuses on a different aspect of the personality being honored, with many precise details incorporated into the designs.
Montblanc writes in the opening page of the booklets that accompany these pens that each one "tells its own individual story":
The inspiration for these writing instruments emanates from the cultural history of mankind: its historical milestones, landmark architecture and eminent characters are the creative source for fascinating editions of strictly limited writing instruments. Created from select materials and shaped by highly skilled craftsmen with great care and meticulous dedication, these writing instruments make their proud owners themselves a part of this history--a history of unconditional devotion to culture and passionate craftsmanship.
So far, Great Characters have included many unforgettable personalities: Mahatma Gandhi, John Lennon, Alfred Hitchcock, Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci, John F. Kennedy, Miles Davis, The Beatles, James Dean, Walt Disney, Elvis Presley, Enzo Ferrari, Jimi Hendrix, Muhammad Ali, The Great Gatsby, and now, Queen. Each collection usually includes limited production accessories, such as an ink and notebook, also with creatively and thoughtfully considered reasons behind their color and design details.
[Pictured: Jimi Hendrix rollerball, Enzo Ferrari rollerball in Rosso, John F. Kennedy ballpoint in Navy Blue, Muhammad Ali fountain pen, The Great Gatsby fountain pen, Muhammad Ali ink, and Enzo Ferrari notebook in Giallo. The wild clay and algae ash pen stand was made by Alexandra Ozga, a very talented ceramics artist who sells her work at pen shows.]
It's impossible to choose a favorite Great Characters collection (for me, at least), as each one includes so many fascinating details that invite you to learn more about the subject in question. Even if it's a topic you think you know well, the ways that Montblanc's designers decide to express the story of the Great Character are always surprising and creative.
John F. Kennedy
Montblanc's Homage to John F. Kennedy Special Edition is very popular, both because Kennedy is such an enduringly beloved president, but also because the pens in this collection are simple, streamlined, and bold, with a size and shape that is appealing to both men and women. Like President Kennedy himself, this pen is charismatic, intelligent, and easy to admire. There have been two different colors released in the Homage to John F. Kennedy Special Edition, and both are very handsome.
[Pictured: Homage to John F. Kennedy Special Edition Navy Blue rollerball, Burgundy Red fountain pen, and Navy Blue ballpoint.]
Kennedy's time in the Navy is honored in the original navy blue precious resin version, and the two stripes on the lower barrel represent his final rank of lieutenant. The burgundy precious resin release pays tribute to his Ivy League style, and is inspired by his years at Harvard College, from which he graduated cum laude, with a Bachelor of Arts in government, concentrating on international affairs. The burgundy color matches Harvard's seal. The blue version features platinum-coated fittings, while the burgundy one has champagne-tone fittings.
On the pens' caps, three rings represent John's brothers, Joseph (who died in World War II), Robert, and Edward. I really like the smooth shiny resin and wide shiny cap rings, and the balance between the three cap rings, two stripes on the barrel, and one stripe intersecting the upper part of the clip, which features John Fitzgerald Kennedy's famous initials.
Like the pen itself, the clip design is simple, strong, and streamlined but not boring. Beneath the upper part of the clip is an integrated base that adds to the pens' nautical look.
Along with his unforgettable role in politics and as a style icon, Kennedy's gift as an inspired speaker and visionary is hinted at by the inclusion of engravings on the three cap rings that are described as recalling "the pattern of the footprints left on the moon by Neil Armstrong in 1969." To further pay tribute to Kennedy's role in committing the US to "landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to the Earth" as the major objective of the space program, the handcrafted 14k gold fountain pen nib (which is further rhodium-coated in navy blue edition) features an engraving of the lunar module. Who can forget Kennedy's electrifying words, "We choose to go to the Moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard"?
Enzo Ferrari
Perhaps not as well known by name in the US as John F. Kennedy, but extremely influential all the same, was Italian racecar driver and entrepreneur Enzo Ferrari, founder of the Italian luxury automobile manufacturer, Ferrari, and, before that, of Scuderia Ferrari, Ferrari's division that competes in Grand Prix motor racing. As with the Homage to John F. Kennedy collection, Montblanc honors Ferrari with not one, but two, different color variations in its Homage to Enzo Ferrari Special Edition, each featuring a bold color significant to this very charismatic and innovative Great Character.
The original red edition was inspired by "Rosso 70 Anni," a color developed by Ferrari to celebrate its 70th anniversary as an homage to the racing spirit that brought the company to life in its earliest years. More recently, the Giallo Modena version was inspired by the iconic color of the Ferrari racing Scuderia's logo, as well as the crest of the city of Modena, Enzo Ferrari's hometown. ("Giallo" is "yellow" in Italian, while "rosso" means "red.")
The red version's precious resin cap and barrel are complemented by platinum coated fittings, while the yellow version features ruthenium-coated trim. Both pens have a ruthenium-coated clip, and incorporate a combination of matte and shiny finishes into their trim, which provides visual interest as well as a delightful array of different textures to enjoy while using the pens.
The pens' clip design reflects a streamlined racing shape and includes twelve engraved lines, which symbolize the twelve cylinders of the first car made by Ferrari, a V12 developed by Gioacchino Colombo. Enzo's thrilling motto, "You cannot describe passion, you can only live it" is inscribed on the clips. Enzo Ferrari's signature and "Officina Meccanica Alfredo Ferrari" (the name of his father's workshop in Modena, Italy, where Enzo was born), are engraved on the cap top.
The Montblanc emblem is yellow on the red pen and blue on the yellow one. Both colors were inspired by the crest of the city of Modena, and are surrounded by intricate metalwork reminiscent of a vintage car grill. Very cool design! The prancing horse ("Cavallino Rampante"), Ferrari's famous logo, is engraved on the cap along with the words, "Le porterà fortuna" ("It will bring you luck"). There is a very interesting story behind this quote, and you can read about it on Montblanc's website, as well as many additional details of Ferrari's exciting life and career!
The cone at the end of the barrel highlights the dates of Enzo Ferrari's birth in 1898, and his first racing victory in 1923. I love the Ferrari engine design on the matching Italian leather notebooks!
The Enzo Ferrari fountain pens' solid 14k gold nib is rhodium-covered in the red edition and ruthenium-coated in the yellow edition, and both are engraved with the word "Pilota" ("pilot" in Italian), one of Enzo Ferrari's famous nicknames from early in his career, inside the steering wheel of the Ferrari 250 GTO, one of the world's most renowned racing cars.
Jimi Hendrix
I still remember how surprised and excited I was when the Homage to Jimi Hendrix Special Edition was released in 2022. It was fairly early in my career at Pen Boutique, and, at the time, we still had the Beatles, James Dean, and Elvis Presley Great Characters pens in stock. What a set of titans of 1950s and '60s popular culture! I fantasized about a Montblanc Great Characters "supergroup" (James Dean would play bongos), tried to explain to my younger colleagues what a cool choice Hendrix was, and even played some of his music while we put the pens on display. We have very few Jimi Hendrix pens left, but its unusual and attractive design, with bent clip and two-tone body full of delightful contrasts in texture, still stands out as one of the most interesting in our display case.
Right away, the clip drew a lot of attention and conversation in the store. Its shape echoes the tremolo bar (or "whammy bar") of an electric guitar, a perfect tribute to Hendrix's status as "guitar god," due to his revolutionary and extremely influential playing style.
The creamy white precious resin of the cap was also inspired by Hendrix's guitar, with geometric patterns taken from his embroidered guitar strap, and the cap ring's texture is a reference to the connecting end of a Fender guitar cable. I love this detail! The number on the platinum-coated cap ring is 18-06-1967, date of Hendrix's thrilling performance at the Monterey Pop Festival, which cemented his rise to fame.
Around the top of the clip, Hendrix's famous album title, "Are You Experienced" is engraved, and I love the font chosen. This album was the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Hendrix's band, and is widely regarded as one of the most groundbreaking albums of all time. At the very top of the cap, the finger positions for the opening chords of the album's searing and psychedelic opening track, "Purple Haze," are embossed between the Montblanc emblem and a purple ring. This small detail is very difficult to photograph because the shiny cap crown is so reflective, but I finally was able to get a picture that shows it! "'scuse me while I kiss the sky!"
At the pens' other end, a red precious resin inlay is inspired by the pilot light of a Marshall Super Lead amplifier, and the word "WAH" encircles the cone, referencing the wah-wah pedal that Hendrix loved to experiment with to manipulate the sound of his electric guitar when recording in the studio. The texture of the black precious resin barrel pays tribute to the surface of the pedal itself. I really like the feel of the smooth vertical ridges.
The nib on the fountain pen is decorated with an awesome psychedelic portrait of Hendrix, but we no longer have a Special Edition fountain pen in stock, unfortunately. To make up for it, you can amuse yourself with my messy artwork below. I'm not sure if I should actually include this ink painting in the article, but I loved making it for our YouTube show, For Your Penjoyment. My co-host Leila and I each challenged the other to draw three pens, without actually picturing the pens themselves, so that the other person could guess them. My Montblanc Great Characters Jimi Hendrix was the culmination of the very fun and funny segment! My favorite part is the Mont Blanc mountain, with Montblanc logo snowcap, towering behind Jimi.
I'm sad that we no longer have Jimi Hendrix Special Edition fountain pens, but, even as a rollerball, this pen is electric! (I've never seen the Limited Edition fountain pen with my own eyes, but it looks spectacular.)
Muhammad Ali
As a longtime fan of 1960s pop culture, the release of the Jimi Hendrix Special Edition definitely excited me, but the 2023 Homage to Muhammad Ali Special Edition created even more waves in our store. I remember the buzz surrounding its release, and the way so many customers talked about how inspiring Ali had been in their lives. As described eloquently in Montblanc's accompanying booklet, Ali's skill and power as the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time were legendary, but his greatest triumph "resulted from his humanitarian efforts. As an outspoken and tireless advocate for civil rights, he sacrificed a long period of his career to stand up for what he believed in, [and] transcended sport [to reach] a level of influence few others have attained when he made the leap from sports icon to generational role model." Even customers who didn't collect Montblanc wanted to see the Muhammad Ali pens and hold them in their hands.
Ali was born in 1942 as Cassius Marcellus Clay, Jr., and first rose to public attention at the 1960 Olympic games in Rome, where he won the gold medal as an amateur light heavyweight. This pivotal victory is recorded on the pen's gold-coated cone with the engraving "ROMA MCMLX." Only four years later, he dethroned the world heavyweight champion Sonny Liston and became the youngest boxer to ever take the title from a reigning champion, boasting, "I am the greatest! I shook up the world. I'm the prettiest thing that ever lived."
The details of this unforgettable first heavyweight championship victory are engraved on the gold-coated cap ring alongside his triumphant silhouette, with the inscription, "TKO-W 7 (15)" which signifies a technical knockout in the 7th of 15 rounds. "I shook up the world!" encircles the precious resin above. To additionally celebrate this first title, the Montblanc emblem in white resin on the top of the cap is adorned with a bold number "1." Soon after the fight, Clay changed his name to Muhammad Ali, upon converting to the African American religious organization The Nation of Islam.
A skeletonized clip depicts the title belt Ali wore to capture his second and third world titles. Underneath, a laurel ring symbolizes his triumphant victories, both civil and athletic.
To illustrate Ali's famous description of his fighting style, "float like a butterfly, sting like a bee," the cap is engraved with a butterfly, and the pointed end of the cone recalls the bee's stinger. The cap itself is shaped like a punching bag, and the four ropes surrounding the boxing ring are depicted in the four lines engraved on the cone.
The fountain pen's solid gold 14k nib also pays homage to Ali's boxing prowess, featuring a simple but powerful engraving of his boxing glove.
My favorite part about the Muhammad Ali pens is the barrel, which has an absolutely wonderful texture. I recently did a blindfolded texture face-off between the most interesting-textured pens in our store for a For Your Penjoyment segment, and I had difficulty putting down the Ali pen once I started touching it! Its unique look pays tribute to the bandages that boxers use to protect their hands under the boxing gloves. The pleasingly bumpy matte black precious resin appears to wrap around the barrel in layers, creating an easily grippable, very satisfying, and quite attractive surface.
The Great Gatsby
I don't think any of the Great Characters tributes have surprised me as much as the 2024 Homage to The Great Gatsby edition, Montblanc's first selection inspired by a work of fiction rather than a real-life entity. Montblanc's booklet that accompanies the pens explains that they feel that F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary masterpiece has come to symbolize an entire epoch.
Published in 1925, the novel paints a fascinating picture of the Jazz Age and the Roaring Twenties, a time of unprecedented affluence and self-indulgence. The reader is transported to a world full of glamour and decadence in which the country's rich and famous live out their hedonistic fantasies. Pulsating New York City, the opulent mansions of Long Island and dazzling high-society parties are the backdrop to the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire, who will stop at nothing to regain the affections of the lost love of his youth, Daisy Buchanan.
I read The Great Gatsby as a sophomore in high school, but again as an adult, enjoying it even more the second time. The novel's insights into the corruption and moral decay underlying the American Dream of success and prosperity through hard work and determination actually do have a lot in common with the other Great Characters, who are, without exception, complex and at times controversial figures, not simply heroes.
My very favorite part of this Special Edition is its strikingly beautiful blue stacked resin barrel. It was inspired by the glittering Art Deco skyscrapers of "the city that never sleeps," but is also a tribute to the early Montblanc writing instruments of the same era.
The barrel is especially gorgeous in the sunlight, but is very striking even under the fluorescent lights of our store. I love the way this pen looks in my hand.
The Great Gatsby Special Edition has a surprise waiting after dark, too. Like Jay Gatsby's fixation, the elusive light at the end of Daisy's dock, the Montblanc emblem glows green. I was surprised by how bright it actually is, whether in dim light or complete darkness.
Below the emblem, Jay Gatsby's initials decorate the cap in an Art Deco monogram, and the sturdy clip is designed to resemble a money clip!
At the opposite end of the pen, the cone imitates the engraved screw cap of a flask, popular during prohibition and a reference to alcohol's unsettling and pivotal role in the plot. Red and blue bands once again ironically reference the American Dream.
Like the matching notebook, the fountain pen's solid 14k gold rhodium-plated nib depicts Gatsby's sumptuous car. No spoilers, but it's a chilling and powerful image.
Queen
Like its Homage to The Beatles, Montblanc's Homage to Queen Special Edition pays tribute to a wildly creative, influential, and internationally successful musical icon. As Montblanc says in the accompanying booklet, Queen "created their own musical universe, made up of a combination of hard rock, glam rock, pop, funk, and opera, shattering the boundaries between the genres," and their powerful performances have thrilled audiences for generations.
The pens' striking color combination is inspired by the elegantly understated cover of the double LP, Greatest Hits II, from 1991, one of Queen's most successful albums and the band's last release while frontman Freddie Mercury was still alive.
Queen's talented musicians were all crucial to the band's virtuosity, so each one is honored in the dark blue precious resin, with Montblanc's depictions of "the tools of their trade": charismatic frontman Freddie Mercury's microphone and John Deacon's bass are on the cap, while Brian May's electric guitar and Roger Taylor's drum kit wrap around the barrel, offset by gold-coated fittings.
The spectacle of Queen's sensational and record-breaking shows is honored in the clip, designed to resemble the microphone stand Freddie Mercury wielded so effortlessly and fabulously in live performances.
Above the clip, the crown often worn by Mercury during their traditional concert-closer, "God Save The Queen," was the inspiration behind the silhouette of the cap top, and is also "a metaphor for the majestic character of the band and its musical legacy."
Brian May's guitar playing, crucial to the band's special sound, is further referenced in my favorite detail: the cone resembles the finely fluted volume and tone control knobs of his famous electric guitar, complete with a small red level indicator dot. (An engraving of the release date of the Greatest Hits II album encircles the top.) This is so cleverly done, and I love both the texture and the way it catches the light! It's a very enjoyable knob to turn, whether to piston-fill the fountain pen or access the rollerball's refill.
The cherry on top is the fountain pen's beautiful 14k gold nib, featuring the band's logo, designed by Mercury himself. A stylized letter Q surrounds Mercury's crown, flanked by the band members' zodiac signs (lions for Roger Taylor and John Deacon, a crab for Brian May, and two fairies for Freddie Mercury, a Virgo). Towering above is a phoenix with outstretched wings. The logo decorates Greatest Hits II's album cover, as well as the outer part of the Homage to Queen ink box. The red ink and inner box were inspired by the cover of the single "Hammer to Fall," an energetic rocker about life and death.
I hope you enjoyed exploring these fascinating Montblanc Great Characters Special Editions as much as I did. It was impossible for me to fully recount the stories behind each detail selected to be creatively featured on these pens, as each character chosen is worthy of becoming a full-flown obsession, if you're the kind of person who loves to jump down the rabbit hole and really get into a special interest. Have fun reading more on your own, and, if you are local to Pen Boutique, please come into the store and take a look at the details yourself. I'd love to show them to you.
-Laura P.
I love comments on my blog! Please leave comments if you like the articles, and, if you have any questions about this article, or any of the other blog articles, you can e-mail support@penboutique.com. Thank you!
