Parker
Pens and Ephemera

Premier New York sculptor James Cady Ewell created the bronze golfer on this desk base for Parker in 1927. It was known as "The Drive." This Parker Duofold desk set holds two senior-size pens. The two Duofold trumpets appear to be in good condition, as is the onyx base. A price sticker under the base reads that it is a Parker set that originally cost $53.50, which is nearly $1,000 in today's money. No model I.D. number. We restored two Duofold senior desk pens with new ink sacs. Click the headline for a close-up. The 14k gold nib on the black pen is a smooth stub that has lovely line variation. The lapis pen's Lucky Curve 14k nib is semi-flexible and writes extra-fine to almost 1mm wide! The base is about a foot long and 8 inches high. It weighs about 5 pounds and will cost extra to ship internationally.

Needing a quality pen that was also affordable to help get through the Great Depression, Parker developed the Challenger line. Our Parker Deluxe Challenger is a handsome green marble with the older Duofold-style button filler. It is an average sized pen with a small 14k gold nib. You will write a nice, firm fine line with it. A lower-tier pen they did some cheap plating over a steel clip. Most of the plating has worn away. No cracks, but the pen does have wear from use. Fully restored with a fresh ink sac. It is a nice vintage pen daily driver. 12.7cm capped.

Don't be so quick to blow past this rather average looking Parker 51 set. More than a double-jewel set from 1946, these writing instruments offer something extra special. A very close examination will reward you with hallmarks for solid 14k gold. The caps are gold-filled, but the pocket clips, tail-jewel tassie and pencil's nose cone are all solid 14k gold! This was a special upgrade feature that is rather uncommon in the wild these days. We are selling these pens for our friend and legendary pen repairman Stuart Hawkinson who replaced the diaphragm in the vintage pen. No engravings mar the caps. The pen cap is dent free. The pencil has a small impression on the back of the cap. Under close examination the pen shows a fair amount of wear from use but no cracks or ugly scars. You will write a nice extra-fine line with the 14k gold nib of the pen. The pencil uses 1.1mm leads. Click the headline for a close-up.

Now if you really like Parker pens, this early Parker 20 made between 1906 and 1910 out to be the pen for you. It is a mottled hard rubber design with super crisp imprints. You won't find many pens this nice from this long ago. It is an eyedropper pen with its original "Lucky Curve" inkfeed intact. Click the headline and you can see its cap imprint and nib. No cracks. Museum worthy. We haven't dipped the nib, as we don't know who would actually want to write with such a pristine early Parker. Using the thumb-nail test, the nib separates easily from the feed meaning it loses inkflow. The feed can be heated to get tighter against the nib, but, again, this is so old and nice, why risk doing damage? 13.6cm capped.

In 1987 modern Parker struck gold with its Parker Duofold Centennial pen line to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Parker Pen Company in 1988. In many respects, this pen revitalized the company as a luxury brand. Plus, by basing the new design on vintage Parker Duofolds, it was the perfect touchstone for vintage and modern pen collectors. This marble blue pen is a Parker Duofold Centennial MKI. It likely isn't the 1988 model, as only 50 were made and given to notable individuals. However, it was a very early one as evidenced by its short pocket clip and 18k gold nib markings on the nib. Under the nib is an 83 on the feed, which means this was a medium nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Only light surface wear from use. Includes converter. You will write an insanely smooth medium line. 13.5cm capped.

Its imprint is faded, but we think we spy a 1951 date code on this Parker 51 fountain pen. There's a burgundy barrel with a gold filled cap. The cap looks pretty darned good, but you can see some big scars on the pen's hood. Click the headline for close-ups. Happily enough, the aerometric filler is still working great with its original pli-glass sac. You will write a nice smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. There's a pearl-grey "jewel" on top of the cap. 13.7cm capped.

Parker was rather genius for resurrecting its classic Duofold design for a modern luxury pen. Our Parker Duofold Centennial in burgundy is a handsome classic. We love the way the sparkly acrylic burgundy undulates under a light as your rotate the cap or barrel. Our pre-owned luxury pen comes with its original box and papers. There's a Parker converter in it, too. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 18k gold nib. No monogram or significant wear. 13.5cm capped.

Easily mistaken for a Parker Challenger Deluxe, this appears to be a large Parker Thrift Time pen...or possibly another Depression era vintage pen from Parker. We restored it with a new ink ink sac. We find it to be a really handsome pen with some wear from use back in the day. No cracks but heavy brassing on the pocket clip. You will write a nice, wet medium line with some feedback using its 14k gold nib. These pens helped sustain Parker during the Great Depression when most people couldn't afford their premium Vacumatics. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.9cm capped.