Parker
Pens and Ephemera

Easily confused with a Parker 51, this Parker 17 is actually a British model. Instead of a metal cap, such as the 51, this one has a plastic cap made of the same lovely green material as the barrel. It also sports a wider cap band and a tail jewel. You will see some scratches that were mostly made by the cap in its closed position. There is a tiny dimple in the wide cap band. The original pli-glass ink sac still works well. We get a kick out of how the sac protector instructs to squeeze the sac 5 times just to fill it. Early aerometric 51s were imprinted to squeeze 6 times and laters ones said to squeeze only 4 times. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib.

The rebirth of the Parker Duofold in the late 1980s as a modern pen with a vintage look was absolute genius on the part of Parker. We especially love that they adapted the vintage pencil look for the modern ballpoint pen. Many colors have been made for the newest Duofold line in the past 35 years. However, one of the rarer, and more collectible, colors is this jade green. Only made for a short while, it wasn't very popular with customers at the time. Now, however, it is a special treat for modern Duofold collectors. Our preowned pen show a little wear from use. There is a 1mm hairline crack in celluloid near the pocket clip and a tiny chip missing not far from it where the celluloid meets the metal topper. The twist mechanism works smoothly. We just installed a new blue-gel refill. 13.1cm capped.

The famed Parker Duofold got a fresh makeover in art deco with a Vacumatic filler in the 1930s. Our Parker Duo-Vac, as they are sometimes called, has been fully restored with a new diaphragm. This vintage pen was made in Canada. There are no cracks. It has some wear from use and heavy brassing on the pocket clip. One of the greater features is that it has a semi-flexible 14k gold nib. You will write an extra-extra fine line to nearly 1mm wide. The matching twist-action pencil has the same amount of wear and lots of brassing. Engraved "H. M. Stockder", it is actually an American-made model. There's a hardened eraser under the cap and a .9mm lead loaded in the pencil. Works well.

We've got a fun mystery for vintage Parker Pen collectors. What is this pen? It looks like a streamlined senior Parker Duofold. Yet, it also has the Parker Televisor pattern in burgundy. Of course, we don't think they made Televisor pens this large. No barrel imprint. We found it in this box from Parker in the UK. However, it might not be its original box. We don't know. We do know it has been fully restored with a new ink sac. Click the headline for a close-up. You'll see the nib is ever-so-slightly bent to the left. However, it is fairly smooth and writes like a firehose. 13cm capped.

Hunters of the Parker 51 are always on the quest for the elusive 1948 aerometric first-year pen in plum. Our pretty purple vintage pen is only the 2nd one we've featured in 17 years! It is in good working order after all this time. No cracks or deep scratches. There is a fair amount of light wear from use and one dimple on the back of the gold-filled cap. You will write a very nice extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. Parker only made this color for about a year. That is why it is so sought after. 13.7cm capped.

Among the less commonly found colors of the modern Parker Duofold line is this beautiful jade. Similar to vintage pens, it is nice tribute to the early Parker Duofolds of the 1920s and '30s. Our modern Parker Duofold pencil works well and sports a .5mm lead. You advance it with a twist of the tail cap. Our preowned luxury pencil does show a little wear from use, but there aren't any cracks or deep scratches. Under the golden blind cap of the tail is a used but still-fresh eraser and spare leads. 13.1cm.

We love that Parker Duofolds have made a return in their original design language. This Parker Duofold pencil looks sharp in its black and pearl design. Yet, impressive to us is that it uses the older pusher-style lead-advance system. Just keep twisting the tail cap in a full circle to extend or retract the .9mm lead. There are no clicks. Just smooth, continuous operation. Our preowned luxury pencil shows a little light wear from use but no egregious blemishing. Comes with spare leads and a partially used--but still fresh--eraser under the tail cap. 13.1cm.

The backbone of vintage pens has to be the ever-popular Parker 51. The flagship of Parker production for 30 years, this aerometric-filler comes from the very peak of production and popularity in the 1950s. There are a couple little dents on the back of the gold-filled cap and a little wear on the body of the pen. However, this vintage pen remains a fantastic writer with its original "pli-glass" ink sac! You'll love the smooth fine line it lays down. 13.6cm capped.