BUYING A PEN? THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SPOT FAKE PENS

PLEASE RATE THIS ARTICLE AFTER READING (LINK CAN BE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE)BUYING A PEN? SOME THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW TO SPOT FAKE MONT BLANC, DUPONT, PARKER PENSIn the world of pens, there have been countless examples of "styling cues," "design inspiration," and yes, even downright fakes offered for sale through the years. Some have been pretty good, some downright ridiculous (anyone for a pink marble acrylic "Mont Blanc Starwalker"?) While Mont Blanc, with its position as the premier status symbol among writing instruments, serves as the principal target for counterfeit products, it seems no brand is safe. There is always a market for those wishing to cash in on the marketing success of others, whether it be with pens, watches, cigarette lighters, handbags... Almost any brand name product.Before you buy an expensive pen on eBay can you be sure that it isn't a counterfeit?Always look at other eBayers feedback rating; this is important because it tells you their trading history on EBay. If they have numerous negative comments which make them sound un-trustworthy, then its best to contact them first or leave it and look else where. If they have no feedback and are new, it is best again to contact them. Never buy or sell to places from abroad such as Nigeria, Africa etc. These are again fraudsters using stolen credit cards and if they do pay you, well that money is guaranteed to be stolen which will be retracted from your account so you would lose out basically. When buying from an overseas seller, make sure they have good feedback history.Always email or contact them some other way if unsure. At least this way, you'll know about their communication standards. Ask for a tracking number for a valuable item. This way you can track the item and you'll know that they have sent it. Always pay using PayPal, you know you'll be covered.Always do your research before you bid or buy. Every leading pen manufacturer has a website. Compare the photos of pen you are trying to buy with the photos in the manufacturers website.Finally you get what you pay for.How to spot a fake Mont Blanc pensThe nib is the most difficult aspect to fake. Always ask for a close up picture of the nib section - iridium tip and 'made in Germany' stamped on the nib is a dead give away. To my knowledge, Mont Blanc do not stamp 'iridium tip' on their nibs. The exception to this is the Genuine Mont Blanc Starwalker pen - it does have the words 'iridium' stamped on the nib section, is nearly always silver (hence, this pen is faked more than any other). Always ask for a picture of the floating star on the cap, if it appears to be irregular or not dead centre, it is likely to be fake. The best tip I can give is go to a genuine dealer and actually take a picture of a starwalker (barrel and cap). That way you know what to look for. Ask for a picture of the underside of the nib section. A genuine Mont Blanc's black section will be aligned perfectly with the ink aperture between the tines (a genuine article is accurately produced down to the smallest detail). If the black section is not aligned and is either side of the aperture, then it is likely to be a fake. Before you bid, get an emailed assurance from the seller that it is a genuine Mont Blanc - because if turns out that it isnt, you can ask for your money back or get eBay involved. If you get a vague response to your question - don't bid.Another dead give away, ask the seller if he has more than one item and if you can purchase more than four. A faker always buys in bulk and then sells them individually. Genuine Mont Blancs are expensive, and if a seller has more than four - it's likely that he has bought in bulk. A sure thing about a fake Meisterstuck legrande 146 is the nib section - it always has a nib similar to the cheap German fountain pens with the words 'iridium tipped' made in Germany - it is definitely a fake. The original nib is beautifully crafted and a faker will not spend more money on trying to recreate this.Every Mont Blanc has a unique serial number on every pen. Unfortunately the presence of a serial number is not a guarantee that the pen is genuine, as most counterfeit pens have fake serial numbers on them. Serial #'s don't have a specified number of digits. Older models will most likely have fewer digits than current production. Some of the #'s started with GE or GER on the first pens to be produced with serial #'s in 1991. There is no database at Mont Blanc of serial #'s except for limited editions. Serial #'s are now being reissued or reused, so the same # might be found on 2 different pens made years apart. The logo "PIX" was introduced on the underside of the clip in 1997. And lastly, Mont Blanc does not confiscate counterfeit pens. They said that is not company policy. At the Boutique they will hand them back over and if you send it to the factory service centre, they will send back your pens and a letter stating either way if your pen is genuine or fake.How to spot fake Dupont pensMost fakes are copying the Orpheo, Dupont's flagship model. The counterfeits are, so far at least, being made in the mid-sized version. Most of the auction descriptions we've seen don't mention the size, so that might not be a huge help, but if you can get the seller to answer an inquiry, get the pen's dimensions. If it matches with the size of a large-sized Orpheo, there's a better chance its real.One method of detecting the counterfeit is to look at the barrel end under strong light. The real Dupont is perfectly finished; the counterfeits clearly exhibit some slight roughness to the metal under the plating. On one of the counterfeit examples, there was already some plating wear to the barrel bottom, which is obviously something you're not going to see on a brand-new Dupont!The counterfeits are engraved with "Made in France" and a serial number on the side of the clip, just as on the real Duponts. However, the engraving on the counterfeits is not as crisp, and interestingly enough, the same serial number was used on every one of the counterfeit samples.Removing the cap gives the next clue that you've got something short of the real thing. Although, again, you really need to have the two side by side to see the difference. The real Orpheo cap releases from the barrel with less force applied than the counterfeit requires. There's a much more precise feel to the Dupont cap than to the counterfeit. They both close down on the barrel well enough, and with a clear "click" sound, but once closed, the counterfeits caps will spin slightly, while the Dupont cap will only revolve on the barrel with a bit of effort. The counterfeit is marked as 18K gold, but let's put it this way . . . an 18K nib would not be picked up off the desktop by a magnet! Aside from the fact that it's made from steel, the counterfeit nib gives the game away with a slightly rougher finish than the real nib, poorer, thinner plating, and on some examples, not always precisely within the engraved markings.Inside the counterfeits' brick-red outer box is a nicely made, heavy presentation box. The real Duponts had the Chinese lacquer symbol running along the upper edge of the outer box. Both the real one and the counterfeit are embossed with the S.T. Dupont Paris logo in silver on the box top. The counterfeits have a white sticker on each end flap, one with a "SKU number" and a bar code, the other with the same number and the model designation. The real Dupont box has only one white sticker on an end flap, with the model designation, bar code, and SKU number. The real Dupont sticker has slightly rounded corners; the ones on the counterfeit have square edges. Also, like the "serial numbers" engraved on the sides of the clip, the counterfeits all use the same "SKU numbers" and model names on the box labels. Just to be petty and snide, their French is atrocious, as well.The associated paperwork is located under the flat bed of the counterfeit box. On the real Dupont box, the paperwork comes in a separate packet, in a specially made spot between the inner and outer boxes. Pulling the paperwork out of the counterfeit box reveals three items of paperwork: a "collections" info sheet, a guarantee card, and an instruction booklet. These fairly accurately reflect what you might expect to see in a real Dupont box, and when spread out for an auction photo, they look convincing. It really takes a close look (and admit it, when was the last time you actually read one of the instruction booklets than came with a new pen?) to tell the difference.How to spot fake Parker Sonnet pensAll of the Sonnet counterfeits I have seen have been sold "without box", making it at least somewhat easier to eliminate a fake from your shopping list. Look for pens sold with proper Parker packaging to begin with, and you'll go a long way towards ensuring that your Sonnet is real.The lacquer finish is not evenly applied, and has a slightly rippled texture to it. Finish is really not up to Parkers standards.On the genuine Sonnet, the feather accents on the clip are very distinct, on the counterfeit, they appear much lighter.If the counterfeit has what purports to be an 18K nib, there is a chance that you can differentiate it by checking the nib with a magnet. Obviously, a plated steel nib will be attracted to a magnet, a solid gold nib will not. However, there are some alloys of stainless steel that won't be attracted by your magnet either.The real Sonnet Chiselled Tartan has a two tone nib; the counterfeit has a single tone nib.