diff --git a/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormat.java b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormat.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fb102a45f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/java/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormat.java
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ * 
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ * 
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.commons.lang.text;
+
+import java.text.FieldPosition;
+import java.text.Format;
+import java.text.ParsePosition;
+import java.util.ArrayList;
+
+import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
+
+/**
+ * Format that tries a number of delegates in turn until one is successful.
+ * Contrast to {@link CompositeFormat}.
+ * 
+ * @author Matt Benson
+ * @since 2.4
+ * @version $Id$
+ */
+public class MultiFormat extends Format {
+    private static final long serialVersionUID = -6128683973856547540L;
+
+    /**
+     * Provides a builder with a fluent interface. Example:
+     * <p>
+     * <code>
+     * <pre>
+     * MultiFormat mf = new MultiFormat.Builder().add(new FooFormat()).add(
+     *         new BarFormat()).add(new BazFormat()).toMultiFormat();
+     * </pre></code>
+     * </p>
+     */
+    public static class Builder {
+        private ArrayList delegates = new ArrayList();
+
+        /**
+         * Add a delegate format.
+         * 
+         * @param delegate
+         * @return the builder
+         */
+        public Builder add(Format delegate) {
+            Validate.notNull(delegate, "delegate format is null");
+            delegates.add(delegate);
+            return this;
+        }
+
+        /**
+         * Render the {@link MultiFormat} instance from this Builder.
+         * 
+         * @return MultiFormat
+         */
+        public MultiFormat toMultiFormat() {
+            return new MultiFormat((Format[]) delegates
+                    .toArray(new Format[delegates.size()]));
+        }
+
+    }
+
+    private Format[] delegates;
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new MultiFormat.
+     */
+    public MultiFormat() {
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Create a new MultiFormat.
+     * 
+     * @param delegates
+     */
+    public MultiFormat(Format[] delegates) {
+        setDelegates(delegates);
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * (non-Javadoc)
+     * 
+     * @see java.text.Format#format(java.lang.Object, java.lang.StringBuffer,
+     *      java.text.FieldPosition)
+     */
+    public StringBuffer format(Object obj, StringBuffer toAppendTo,
+            FieldPosition pos) {
+        Format[] d = getValidDelegates();
+        for (int i = 0; i < d.length; i++) {
+            try {
+                return d[i].format(obj, toAppendTo, pos);
+            } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+                continue;
+            }
+        }
+        throw new IllegalArgumentException("No delegate Format can parse "
+                + obj);
+    }
+
+    /*
+     * (non-Javadoc)
+     * 
+     * @see java.text.Format#parseObject(java.lang.String,
+     *      java.text.ParsePosition)
+     */
+    public Object parseObject(String source, ParsePosition pos) {
+        int start = pos.getIndex();
+        Format[] d = getDelegates();
+        for (int i = 0; i < d.length; i++) {
+            Object o = d[i].parseObject(source, pos);
+            if (pos.getErrorIndex() < 0) {
+                return o;
+            }
+            // set up for next attempt:
+            pos.setIndex(start);
+            pos.setErrorIndex(-1);
+        }
+        pos.setErrorIndex(start);
+        return null;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the delegates.
+     * 
+     * @param delegates
+     *            the Format[] delegates to set.
+     */
+    public void setDelegates(Format[] delegates) {
+        Validate.noNullElements(delegates,
+                "Null elements present in delegates Format[]");
+        this.delegates = delegates;
+    }
+
+    /**
+     * Get the delegates.
+     * 
+     * @return Format[].
+     */
+    public Format[] getDelegates() {
+        return delegates;
+    }
+
+    private Format[] getValidDelegates() {
+        Format[] result = getDelegates();
+        Validate.notEmpty(result, "No delegate Formats configured");
+        return result;
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormatTest.java b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormatTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c77dac507
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/MultiFormatTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,133 @@
+/*
+ * Licensed to the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) under one or more
+ * contributor license agreements.  See the NOTICE file distributed with
+ * this work for additional information regarding copyright ownership.
+ * The ASF licenses this file to You under the Apache License, Version 2.0
+ * (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with
+ * the License.  You may obtain a copy of the License at
+ * 
+ *      http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+ * 
+ * Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+ * distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+ * WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+ * See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+ * limitations under the License.
+ */
+package org.apache.commons.lang.text;
+
+import java.text.DateFormat;
+import java.text.FieldPosition;
+import java.text.Format;
+import java.text.NumberFormat;
+import java.text.ParseException;
+import java.text.ParsePosition;
+import java.util.Calendar;
+import java.util.Date;
+import java.util.GregorianCalendar;
+import java.util.Locale;
+
+import org.apache.commons.lang.ClassUtils;
+import org.apache.commons.lang.Validate;
+
+import junit.framework.TestCase;
+
+/**
+ * Test MultiFormat
+ * 
+ * @author Matt Benson
+ * @since 2.4
+ * @version $Id$
+ */
+public class MultiFormatTest extends TestCase {
+    private class GuardedFormat extends Format {
+        private static final long serialVersionUID = 1L;
+
+        Format delegate;
+        Class[] allowableTypes;
+
+        /**
+         * Create a new MultiFormatTest.GuardedFormat.
+         */
+        public GuardedFormat(Format delegate, Class[] allowableTypes) {
+            Validate.notNull(delegate);
+            this.delegate = delegate;
+            Validate.notNull(allowableTypes);
+            this.allowableTypes = allowableTypes;
+        }
+
+        public StringBuffer format(Object obj, StringBuffer toAppendTo,
+                FieldPosition pos) {
+            Class c = obj == null ? null : obj.getClass();
+            for (int i = 0; i < allowableTypes.length; i++) {
+                if (ClassUtils.isAssignable(c, allowableTypes[i])) {
+                    return delegate.format(obj, toAppendTo, pos);
+                }
+            }
+            throw new IllegalArgumentException();
+        }
+
+        public Object parseObject(String source, ParsePosition pos) {
+            return delegate.parseObject(source, pos);
+        }
+    }
+
+    private Format format;
+
+    /*
+     * (non-Javadoc)
+     * 
+     * @see junit.framework.TestCase#setUp()
+     */
+    protected void setUp() throws Exception {
+        super.setUp();
+        // silliness to avoid the DateFormat grabbing the Integer, or the
+        // integer parsing the first (month) date component:
+        format = new MultiFormat.Builder().add(
+                new GuardedFormat(DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.SHORT,
+                        Locale.US), new Class[] { Date.class })).add(
+                NumberFormat.getIntegerInstance(Locale.US)).toMultiFormat();
+    }
+
+    public void testWTF() {
+        System.out.println(DateFormat.getDateInstance(DateFormat.SHORT,
+                Locale.US).format(new Integer(1000)));
+    }
+
+    public void testFormatNumber() {
+        assertEquals("1,000", format.format(new Integer(1000)));
+    }
+
+    public void testParseNumber() throws ParseException {
+        assertEquals(new Integer(-1000).intValue(), ((Number) format
+                .parseObject("-1,000")).intValue());
+    }
+
+    public void testFormatDate() {
+        assertEquals("1/1/70", format.format(new GregorianCalendar(1970,
+                Calendar.JANUARY, 01).getTime()));
+    }
+
+    public void testParseDate() throws ParseException {
+        assertEquals(new GregorianCalendar(1970, Calendar.JANUARY, 01)
+                .getTime(), format.parseObject("1/1/70"));
+    }
+
+    public void testFormatObject() {
+        try {
+            format.format(new Object());
+            fail("expected IllegalArgumentException");
+        } catch (IllegalArgumentException e) {
+            // okay
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void testParseGarbage() {
+        try {
+            format.parseObject("garbage");
+            fail("expected ParseException");
+        } catch (ParseException e) {
+            //okay
+        }
+    }
+}
diff --git a/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/TextTestSuite.java b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/TextTestSuite.java
index 59f2953c3..cbcb1b126 100644
--- a/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/TextTestSuite.java
+++ b/src/test/org/apache/commons/lang/text/TextTestSuite.java
@@ -56,6 +56,7 @@ public static Test suite() {
         suite.addTest(StrMatcherTest.suite());
         suite.addTest(StrSubstitutorTest.suite());
         suite.addTest(StrTokenizerTest.suite());
+        suite.addTestSuite(MultiFormatTest.class);
         return suite;
     }