Montegrappa Smiley Heritage The 1972 Fountain Pen

Following the release of our Smiley 50^th Anniversary Artist’s Edition earlier this year, Montegrappa is suitably happy to announce a continuation of the relationship with the limited-edition Smiley^® Heritage Collection. The smiley-face icon has been a major force in popular culture since the 1960s. This internationally trademarked version of Smiley dates back to 1972, when a journalist at the newspaper, France-Soir, began using it to tag good news items on its pages – helping to kickstart a global positivity movement. Fifty years later, smiley faces have become a language in their own right, and are found widely throughout the worlds of fashion, art, activism and – of course – digital communication.

Happiness has a warm, golden glow on the Smiley® Heritage Collection. Bold colours and crisp golden lines join forces with the global symbol of happiness to heighten the joy of writing.

Italy's first pen producer, Montegrappa, began manufacturing pens in 1912 in its factory in Bassano del Grappa in Italy. Utilizing natural celluloid and precious metals, Montegrappa combines traditional methods such, as die-casting, with more recent innovations like low-relief engraving to form their precious art objects. Whether Montegrappa use colors reminiscent of the master painters, or ornamentation suggestive of Baroque palaces, the Italian heritage and romance is infused into each product.