Men of the Month: Michael Rheinländer and Patrick Huber
Experts for Montblanc fountain pens for writing, giving as gifts and as a special investment.
The content of this article was published by Finanzpraxis magazine. ( click here to go to the original article )
The Montblanc myth has been known for generations among mountaineers as one of the most beautiful and at the same time the highest mountain in the Alps and among lovers of fine writing instruments as the exquisite and world-famous brand for fountain pens and ballpoint pens.
However, only insiders know, at least so far, that select and very rare Montblanc writing instruments can be a very discreet investment with exciting value development potential.
A good reason for our editorial team to take a closer look at the topic.
In our search for experts with expertise and experience in this market, we have been able to contact Michael Rheinländer and Patrick Huber from
Handelshaus Rheinländer (www.montblanc-schreibartikel.de) and were impressed by the beauty of the writing instruments as well as their potential as an investment.
Fulfillment of a dream
Michael discovered his passion for Montblanc fountain pens at the age of 15 when, without his parents' knowledge, he scraped together his pocket money to secretly buy a masterpiece.
The first purchase was not only the fulfillment of a dream, but also the starting point for his professional success story. After Michael Rheinländer had completely become enthralled by the Montblanc myth, he began to buy, refurbish and collect various writing instruments from the brand at flea markets. What was particularly fascinating about Montblanc was that up to that point he had not known of any luxury segment in which the market share of a single brand was perceived as high as in writing instruments. Montblanc's market share for writing instruments in the price range of 1,500 euros and above is over 90%.
Driven by curiosity, he started trading Montblanc products on the online marketplace eBay. Immediately after the first sales, Michael Rheinländer was certain: Montblanc writing instruments are almost exclusively bought by very successful people. This confirmed the preconceived notion that lawyers, doctors, tax consultants, entrepreneurs, etc. always sign with Montblanc fountain pens in various TV films and series. Further research revealed that even the German Bundestag is equipped with the high-quality products and that all state contracts are signed exclusively with Montblanc writing instruments.
Since dealing with these special customers was a lot of fun and the founder found the clientele very pleasant, Michael delved deeper and deeper into the subject and began trading Montblanc products full-time on a commercial basis in 2005. Now in his 16th year of business, Michael, along with Patrick Huber, who joined later, is one of the world's most sought-after experts in this segment. As a great Montblanc enthusiast, Patrick brings his knowledge of almost all facets of the commercial sector, based on his business studies, to the international orientation of Handelshaus Rheinländer GmbH.
The current business premises, including an attractive showroom, were moved into in Ravensburg in April 2015. The Rheinländer trading house is happy to personally welcome its customers there by appointment and present the range of products on offer to them live.
Montblanc fountain pen as an investment
You are probably now wondering what kind of return you can expect from purchasing such a masterful writing instrument. We would like to show you this using a concrete example:
This writing instrument is dedicated to one of the greatest writers of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway. The object dates from 1992 and was the first writing instrument in the "Writers Edition Series". The issue price was the equivalent of less than 500 EUR. Today they are traded in a price range of 3,300 to 3,500 EUR.
1992 was an important year in the history of Montblanc - in addition to the first edition of the Writers Edition series, this was also the year the "Patron of Art series" was born. These special, strictly limited fountain pens honor important patrons who have provided important services to art and culture far beyond their time.
Particularly worth mentioning in connection with the “Writers Edition Series” is the Montblanc Shakespeare:
It is a prime example of Montblanc's unique position in the writing instruments market: the Montblanc William Shakespeare fountain pen, which was released in 2016 and is limited to 1,597 pieces and was a groundbreaking success worldwide. The issue price was EUR 3,700, but today it sells for EUR 11,500 and up.
The increases in value observed here are consistent with the latest statistics, which report an annual growth rate of 5% in the luxury writing instruments segment.
Compared to other sectors, this is far above average. This development is supported, among other things, by the fact that the target group is growing rapidly worldwide. In addition, investors with such an investment are very well protected against inflationary risks, which more and more market participants are expecting due to the expansive monetary policy in the course of dealing with the Corona crisis. Protection against crisis scenarios that have recently been discussed repeatedly in specialist circles, such as gold bans and compulsory levies, should also be provided here in a charming way.
The diverse buyer groups have so far included not only classic collectors and lovers of older items, but also business and private customers who want to give Montblanc writing instruments as gifts to their customers, employees or friends. As the interest of investors is now increasing sharply, as described above, the sales and infrastructure of the Rheinländer trading house have been growing continuously for years in line with demand. Sales, which were around 100,000 euros at the start of commercial business in 2005, will be over 3 million euros in the 2020 financial year.
This size and the well-stocked warehouse as well as the ability to deliver make online shopping a pleasant experience for prospective customers who know what they want. As numerous reviews show, the goods arrive quickly, reliably and in first-class condition.
Anyone who would like advice can contact Michael Rheinländer either by telephone or by prior appointment in person on site in Ravensburg, whose professional advice is highly valued by numerous buyers.
And anyone who currently owns a Montblanc writing instrument and is thinking about selling it will find in Michael Rheinländer and Patrick Huber highly competent contacts for evaluation and resale. As part of the profit sharing, all parties are in the same boat and are interested in the best possible sales price.
In conclusion, our editorial team agrees with the numerous, exclusively positive customer reviews . With Michael Rheinländer and Patrick Huber, interested parties not only have two very competent contacts on this topic, but also two equally personable, reliable and trustworthy ones.
For further information and current offers please visit: https://www.montblanc-pen.com/