ME261 Mentmore No. 46 (Medium/Broad)

ME261 Mentmore No. 46 (Medium/Broad)

Date: c1940s

Size: Length - 128mm capped; 149mm posted.

This glossy black Mentmore 46 is in excellent condition with no damage that I was able to spot at all.  The cap on this pen is made of sterling silver with a horizontal fine ribbed decoration.  The top button is gold plated with a flat top, and the rather angular pocket clip is also gold plated and has "MENTMORE" imprinted down the stem.  The 46 was Mentmore's rather unimaginative name for their answer to the Parker 51, but its styling is quite unique.  The nib is set into a rather curiously shaped section that seems to me to be rather tacked on at the last minute design-wise.  This is a button filled pen.  The barrel end blind cap unscrews easily and smoothly revealing the original brass filling button.  The barrel imprint is deep and crisp with no noticeable wear.  The hooded nib is in 14 carat gold and appears to be a medium point.

I have fully serviced this pen.  The nib is very smooth as so many of these Mentmore nibs are.  It writes with a very nice wet and medium to broad width consistent line.  

A very interesting model designed at a time when all the manufacturers had to have a hooded nib pen in their range.