The Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen belonging to Lee Kuan Yew sold for Sin$355,000 (£204,788) at Hotlotz.
Offered by Hotlotz (30% buyer’s premium) online sale in Singapore, the Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 pen with ‘SM [senior minister] Lee Kuan Yew’ engraved on the silver cap, was estimated at Sin$30,000-50,000 and attracted over 100 bids.
Matt Elton at Hotlotz said: “We had huge interest in the pen pre-sale with dozens of enquiries and many people coming to view it in person. It was exciting to watch all the bids roll in with the final bid being placed at 7.43pm Singapore time on Sunday evening.”
This pen was previously sold at Sotheby’s charity auction in Singapore for Sin$52,000 (about £18,000) in June 2003, as part of the Lee Kuan Yew Family Collection. Lee Kuan Yew was still alive for this sale, but died in 2015, still a member of parliament. Accounting for inflation, this pen would have sold for Sin$84,000 in 2026, where in reality it made over four times this amount.
The pen was offered up by the previous buyer, who purchased it from Sotheby’s.
The Montblanc Meisterstuck No 146 fountain pen belonging to Lee Kuan Yew sold for Sin$355,000 (£204,788) at Hotlotz.
Lee Kuan Yew became Singapore’s first prime minister in 1959, a post he held for 31 years. He famously merged the country with Malaya, Sarawak and Sabah to form Malaysia, leading to their expulsion from the British Empire (Singapore was then expelled from Malaysia and became independent in 1965). Lee Kuan Yew played a major role in transforming Singapore into the wealthy port city we know today.
He stood down as prime minister in 1990 but continued in parliament as senior minister until 2004 and then mentor minister until 2011. It was during this time as senior minister where Lee Kuan Yew favoured his Montblanc pen.
Founded in 1909, Montblanc launched its Meisterstuck range in 1924. Engraved on the nibs was 4810, 18K, Montblanc, referencing Montblanc’s altitude, the gold on the nib and the very mountain the firm is named after. Models ranged from the No 142, 144, 146 and 149.
With its iconic cigar shape, 18ct gold nib and 925 sterling silver case, the Meisterstuck collection quickly established Montblanc within the luxury pen market. Prices for Montblanc Meisterstruck No146 can generally range anywhere from £500-1500, depending on condition.
Pens owned by prominent figures have recently been in high demand at auction. Buzz Aldrin’s felt tip pen sold for $857,000 (£630,000) by Sotheby’s New York in July this year.
The pen played a key role in the Apollo 11 mission, as it was used to fix a broken circuit breaker with its plastic top. This allowed Neil Armstrong and Aldrin to send power to the ascent engine, so they could escape the lunar surface to get back into orbit. The broken switch that caused the issue on Apollo 11 was also on offer in this lot.
