A silver Montblanc fountain pen owned by Singapore’s founding prime minister Lee Kuan Yew is up for auction.
The Montblanc Meisterstuck No. 146 with the custom engraving “SM Lee Kuan Yew” traces its lineage to his years as senior minister, from 1990 to 2004. The pen is from a later chapter of his statecraft after his 31-year tenure as prime minister.
The writing instrument features a sterling silver cap and body accented by yellow-toned metal highlights, and an 18K gold nib.
It returns to the market under home-grown auction house Hotlotz, after it was originally sold more than two decades ago during the Sotheby’s landmark 2003 The Lee Kuan Yew Family Collection charity auction.
While that event raised S2.04 million for charity, the winning bid for the Montblanc pen was not detailed in public records. At the time, it carried a modest estimate of S$4,000 to S$6,000.
Hotlotz has placed an updated estimate of S$30,000 to S$50,000 for its current release of the pen.
The pen (Lot 51) will be showcased at the Hotlotz Saleroom in Bukit Merah for bidders wishing to view it in person. The online auction is open for bidding and closes on Aug 16 at 6pm.
Mr. Lee’s pen headlines Hotlotz’s sale, called Interiors & Collectibles – August, Fine Art Focus, which includes works by three of Singapore’s master painters: Chua Mia Tee’s Singapore Chinatown, Temple Street; Chen Wen Hsi’s Gibbons; and two ink works by Lim Tze Peng, Unabating and Dragon.
A stoneware pot by Cultural Medallion recipient Iskandar Jalil is also among the highlights.
View the Interiors & Collectibles catalogue and register to bid at str.sg/N6jo - THE STRAITS TIMES
