You’ve probably heard of Leonard Bernstein, an award-winning American composer, through the 2023 film “Maestro” where he was played by Bradley Cooper. If you’re an avid fan of musicals, however, you may already know him as the man behind West Side Story. Bernstein was someone who wore many hats: he was also a highly-regarded conductor, the musical director of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, and a talented pianist.

While he was a towering figure in music, his life achievements go beyond performance arts. He protested the Vietnam war, helped fund AIDS and HIV research, and strongly advocated for human rights. At the wake of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, he had said, “This will be our reply to violence: to make music more intensely, more beautifully, more devotedly than ever before.”

As a homage to a prolific musician and change maker, Montblanc has created the Donation Pen Special Edition 1996 Leonard Berstein. Made from precious resin, it features gold-plated fittings: its cap rings are inscribed with a few notes from the West Side Story song “Maria”, and its clip is beautifully crafted into a g-clef. Engraved on the pen’s 18k gold nib is a dove.

We have for sale today a used Donation Pen Special Edition 1996 Leonard Berstein with a B nib. It’s in very good condition with minimal signs of use and signs of aging on the box. We’re offering only the pen with its inner box, papers, and CD set.