Parker
Pens and Ephemera

We like to call these nibs "farmers' specials." Click the headline for close-ups. When I was just getting started, I bought a Parker pen with a custom ground nib from the 1930s. All the tipping was gone and the nib had likely been broken in a drop. The farmer or handyman fashioned the remaining nib into a smooth writing affair, as it was too expensive to get the pen fixed during the Great Depression. This nib looks just like that. It is a smooth, wet and triple-broad firehose. The pen is a fully restored Parker Challenger Deluxe from 1935. No cracks, some wear and brassing. We gave it a new ink sac. Slender. 11.8cm capped.

New to vintage pens and looking for a reliable daily user? Old to vintage pens and looking for a reliable daily user? Either way, this Parker 51 Special is a reliable daily user. Burgundy with a polished steel cap, it is a handsome pen with only light wear from use and neither cracks nor dents. Its aerometric filler is original and working well. Specials are different from standard 51s in that they have steel nibs. However, this pen writes as smooth an extra-fine to fine line as any gold nib. There is a black jewel in the top of the cap. 13.9cm capped.

Few cheap pens really impress us much, but our Parker Reflex definitely surprised us. We found its steel nib to be a very smooth fine-point writer. The wider rubberized grip made for easy holding and writing, too. The 1990s successor to the Parker Vector, this pen is in great condition with minimal wear. It takes Parker cartridges or converters, but it comes with neither. Ya can't beat the price, though. 14.1cm capped.

Made in the late 1940s or 1950s, we believe this to be a Danish Parker Duofold. Not the most common of finds here in the U.S., it is a fully restored pen with a new ink sac. It has a button filler just like the Parker VS pens in the U.S. It feels like a Vacumatic Maxima in size. No cracks. There is some wear from use and brassing on the clip. You will write a smooth nib that just when we think it writes a fine line...it writes a medium line. Whatever it is, we love writing with it. 13.6cm capped.

As World War II came to a close, the Parker Pen Company wanted to mark the occasion. As such, this 1945 Parker Duofold was fitted with a 14k gold "Victory" nib. Click the headline to see the large "V" imprint. We restored this vintage pen with a new diaphragm. Showing only a little wear from use, we think this blue-and-grey art deco pen is still a handsome edition. No cracks or deep scratches. There's a little ring around the tail, where the cap posted. You will write a smooth, fine line with its special nib. This is the larger size version of the pen at 13.6cm capped.

Vintage pens are the heroes of communication from yesteryear to today. Our Parker 51 is pretty heavily worn and scratched, but it is still in great working order. A proven work horse, it still makes for a great daily writer more than 70 years after its birth. The pli-glass ink sac still works well. You will write a nice fine to fine-medium line with its 14k gold nib. 13.6cm capped.

Here's our first-ever in-the-box Parker 41 set with both the fountain pen and "Liquid Lead" pencil! We thought it was a 51 set, at first. Then we read the imprint on the sac protector. The set is in great shape with only light wear from use. The ink sac remains in excellent working order. You will write a fine line with a little feedback and drag using its steel nib. The pencil still seems to have a little liquid lead in it! This is incredibly cool, considering Parker abandoned making those refills in the 1950s or early '60s. Box included.

We don't think we can call this a pure-bred Parker Challenger. It seems to us that some long-ago repair person fitted it with a new cap band and section. We don't think that Parker Challengers ever came with an ink-view window. And although this section fits well in the barrel, the grip seems a size to small for the barrel. Regardless, we restored it with a new ink sac. ANNNND, it is a great writing pen with a delightfully smooth medium-point 14k gold nib! Our vintage pen shows the wear of past hard work, but there are no cracks. Ready for more hard work, this pen can make for a great daily driver. 13cm capped.