Montegrappa Premieres Yuri Gagarin Limited Edition Pen

LOS ANGELES, April 11, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Montegrappa, Italy's most revered manufacturer of fine writing instruments, today announced the introduction of a new set of limited edition pens to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of notable Russian cosmonaut, Yuri Gagarin's flight into space. As the first man in space, Gagarin's historic journey launched manned space flight and began an exciting period of global interest in space exploration.

Born in 1934 in Klushino, Russia, Gagarin was a Soviet Air Forces pilot who, in 1960 after completing the selection process, was chosen with 19 other pilots for the Soviet space program. Gagarin was further selected for an elite training group known as the Sochi Six from which the first cosmonauts of the Vostok program would be chosen. He became the first human being to journey into outer space when the Vostok 3KA-3 (Vostok 1) spacecraft completed an orbit of the Earth on April 12, 1961.

Originally conceived as part of Montegrappa's new Cosmopolitan collection, the importance of the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's space flight has elevated the pen to the status of a stand-alone limited edition set.

Montegrappa's artisans have engraved the barrel with the image of Yuri Gagarin in bas-relief, bordered with an interplanetary motif, while the cap features the coat-of-arms of the USSR. The pocket clip, fitted with a rotating ball at its tip to facilitate smooth insertion to and removal from a pocket, is flanked by reproductions of Moscow's monument to Yuri Gagarin, completed in 1980 and located in Gagarin's square. The fountain pen features a built in piston-fed filling mechanism which provides ink to the two-tone 18K gold nib with ebonite feeder.

Both the roller ball and the fountain pen arrive in wood presentation boxes. The lid of the box is embellished with a metal plaque bearing an engraved image of Yuri Gagarin along with a commemorative message in Cyrillic characters. The box for the fountain pen also includes a complimentary bottle of ink.

To honor the 50th Anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's historic space flight in 1961, Montegrappa will issue the Yuri Gagarin pen in a limited edition consisting of:

• 1,961 silver fountain pens
• 1,961 silver roller balls
• 50 solid 18K gold fountain pens
• 50 solid 18K gold roller balls

The Yuri Gagarin commemorative pen will premiere during the Fountain Pen Hospital's Spring Pen Expo. This annual event will be held Friday, April 15 through Saturday, April 16 at the Fountain Pen Hospital, which is the largest individual pen store in the United States, located at 10 Warren Street, New York, 10007.

For more information about Montegrappa and to preview the company's new luxury offerings, please contact Amanda Bialek at [email protected] or (310) 854-8151.

Editor's note:  High resolution images are available upon request.

About Montegrappa

Since 1912, Montegrappa has been manufacturing high-quality writing instruments in the same historic building in Bassano del Grappa, North East Italy.  Please visit www.montegrappa.com to learn more about Montegrappa's hand-crafted fine pens and authorized U.S. retailer locations.

U.S. Media Contacts:
Rogers & Cowan for Montegrappa
Amanda Bialek / Sallie Olmsted
310-854-8151 / 310-854-8124
[email protected] / [email protected]

SOURCE Montegrappa