A Closer Look at the Montblanc Writers Edition William Shakespeare Fountain Pen

In 1992 The luxury pen maker Montblanc began releasing a Writers Limited Edition fountain pen each year in honor of the great writers of history. In 2016 Montblanc honored one of the greatest writers and dramatists in the history of the world, William Shakespeare. The William Shakespeare fountain pen limited edition 1597 is exquisite. The handcrafted pen reflects the “Bard” honoring his theatre “The Globe”, the Elizabethan Tudor era and the histories, tragedies and comedies that Shakespeare wrote. This years’ pen honors Rudyard Kipling, but Shakespeare’s pen is truly special and will certainly increase in value. Here’s a closer look at the Montblanc writers edition William Shakespeare fountain pen limited edition 1597.

Montblanc Writers Edition

In 1906 in Hamburg, Germany engineer August Eberstein and banker Alfred Nehemias got together to produce pens. A few years later, Christian Lausen and Wilhelm Dziambor bought the company. Their second pen created was named Montblanc. In 1977 Montblanc was bought by ed by Alfred Dunhill, Ltd. The new owners of Montblanc expanded the business to include other luxury goods besides the pens including jewelry, watches, leather goods, fragrances and sunglasses. Montblanc is now owned by the Rupert family. It shares luxury goods sister companies including Cartier, Chloé, Van Cleef & Arpels and Baume et Mercier.

In the 1990s Montblanc began releasing hand made fountain pens in limited editions. Limited Edition pens honor patrons of art, grate writers, historical figures, classical and contemporary musicians and historical artisans. Limited edition fountain pens also include fountain pens made with exclusive materials and fountain pens representing the zodiac signs. The Writers Limited Edition fountain pens are released each year to honor history’s treat writers with designs representing their work, life, personality, and spirit. The first Writers Limited Edition fountain pen was released in 1992 and honored Ernest Hemingway. The pen was made with rhodium platings and a motif representing Hemingways’ writing twentieth-century writing period. The 18 karat gold nib was hand cut.

Collectors pay a good amount of money for the intricate and valuable limited edition pens. Many purchase the pens to enjoy themselves but many purchases the pens to make a profit. The fountain pens are handcrafted and made with valuable materials and are intricately designed to honor great writers. They are also released in limited numbers, typically honoring an important year in the life of the writer. Therefore, the pens increase in value. A pen in new condition complete with its box is worth more money. Montblanc’s William Shakespeare Limited Edition 1597 fountain pen was originally sold with a set of cuff links, so these would add to the value.

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare is one of the most prolific and famous dramatists and poets of all time. He was born in the English town of Stratford-upon-Avon in 1554. At 18 years old, he married Anne Hathaway, who was 8 years his senior, in 1582. They had three children together. Soon after their marriage, Shakespeare moved to London to be near the theatre and produce his plays. Throughout his career, Shakespeare produced nearly 40 plays and 154 sonnets. Most of his plays were produced between 1589 and 1613. His plays consisted of comedies, tragedies, and histories. Shakespeare established a playing company, Lord Chamberlain’s Men. Shakespeare and his company built The Globe Theatre in London, and it opened in 1599. One of the first plays performed there was Shakespeare’s famous play “Hamlet”. William Shakespeare was able to direct his plays which were performed at The Globe Theatre and were very popular. William Shakespeare’s most famous plays is “Romeo and Juliet” which was published in early in his career in 1597. The play is based on an Italian tragic story of two young lovers whose feuding families will not allow them to be together. The remains were popular today.

William Shakespeare Limited Edition

Two versions of the William Shakespeare Limited Edition pens were released by Montblanc in 2016. Slightly less expensive than the Limited Edition 1597, there were 8,700 fountain pens released and 9,000 ballpoint pens released in a simpler style than 1597. The pens are unique and the fountain pens are worth approximately $1,400. This version of the pen honoring William Shakespeare has a barrel set in black and white resin. The black and white represent the color of flags used at The Globe Theatre to show the audience whether they were about to see a comedy or a tragedy. The black represents tragedy and the white represents comedy. The pen features a gold plated top, ring, clip and nib. The top of the pen is octagon representing the shape of The Globe Theatre. The engravings on the ring represent Shakespeare’s life.

William Shakespeare Limited Edition 1597

The second version of Montblanc’s pen honoring William Shakespeare is strictly handcrafted fountain pens and there were only 1,597 made. The 1,597 represents 1597, the year that Shakespeare’s play, “Romeo and Juliet” was released. The tragic story of young love is one of Shakespeare’s most famous works. It’s often praised for its use of comedy with supporting characters mixed in with the tragedy of two young lovers’ fate.

The William Shakespeare Limited Edition 1597 fountain pens are more rare, more exquisite and are worth about $4,100. The pen is designed to resemble a quill pen which is what Shakespeare would have used to write his great plays and poetry. The intricate pens are made with black, red and blue guilloche covered with lacquer. The cap is just lacquer. The entire pen is octagonal shape representing the shape of The Globe Theatre. The gold clip represents the gold earring that Shakespeare wore in one of his most famous portraits, the Chandos portrait. There is a Tudor rose carved at the base of the pen which honors Queen Elizabeth I, Shakespeare’s most valuable patron. The pen is adorned with black, white and red flags. The black represents tragedy, the white represents comedy and the red represents historic plays. The handcrafted nib is Au750 18 karat gold and features an engraving representing “Romeo and Juliet”. The cone ring has engravings featuring elements of four of Shakespeare’s famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Hamlet”, “Henry V” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. The William Shakespeare Limited Edition 1597 was sold with a matching set of cuff links. These are yellow gold or stainless steal. They feature the Tudor Rose as a central design.