Parker
Pens and Ephemera

One could argue that the Parker 75 was the last of the golden era fountain pens Parker made with the intention of it being a daily luxury pen. Our preowned pen is a later model that was made in France. No dents mar the sterling silver cap and body. The top and bottom element looks like a dinner plate. We fitted this pen with a more modern Parker converter. It also takes Parker cartridges. The cap has a tight closure. You will write a nice, fine line with a little feedback while engaging its 14k gold nib. 12.9cm capped.

Due to their unique filling systems, Parker Vacumatics remain a perennial favorite for us. We restored this World War II era vintage pen with a new ink sac and really went to town wet-sanding it to restore its factory luster. No cracks. No brassing. No deep scratches. The only imperfection is an impression on the cap where the pocket clip dug into the celluloid. The blind cap aligns with the barrel about 99% of the way it should. You will write a wet, fine line with its 14k gold nib. The lighter your touch as a writer the less feedback you will feel. We can get it to be almost feedback free, but if you are more heavy handed you will feel a little more. Made in 1944, this one is a beaut that should work well for decades to come. Click the headline for close-ups. 12.8cm capped.

Parker Vacumatic Maxima pens in burgundy can be difficult to find, but a matching set is tougher. These fully restored writing instruments hail from 1937. They look divine with minimal wear, no brassing, no cracks and with crisp imprints. The vintage pen is missing some of its original silvery plating from its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. We dipped said nib and it is a very hard starter that writes a fine dry line. If you want to make this pen a daily user, you'll have to break in the nib a bit. It isn't difficult, it just takes a little time and practice. The barrel of the pen is ambered, but you can still see through it. The vintage pencil works great and comes with an original lead cartridge case in the tail.

Parker Vacumatic nibs are notoriously rigid and fine, but this Parker Vacumatic Maxima from 1937 sports a tasty two-tone 14k gold nib that writes a semi-flex line from medium to about 1mm wide! Also awesome is the fact that this vintage pen has some great barrel clarity. Yeah, it's a little ambered, but you can still see through it easily. Click the headline for close-ups. Minimal, if any wear. Has a working diaphragm. The tail cap is about 98% flush with the barrel. The only warning we have about this pen is that its long nib snags on the cap if you overtighten it. Never close the cap tighter than the first evidence of snugging up. 13.6cm capped.

Whether you are filling in a museum worthy collection or stepping up your pencil game at the office, we think you will love this burgundy Parker "Vacumatic" pencil. It does not appear that Parker actually called the pencils Vacumatics, but they were designed to match the Vacumatic pens. We believe this near-mint condition pencil to be an oversized model from 1937. Aside from a little mark under the imprint, it looks close to perfect. Included is the original spare lead cartridge with a hardened eraser under the tail cap. In excellent working order with spare 1.1mm leads. Burgundy is among the rarest colors for this pencil, and Parker reported way fewer sales of these pencils compared to the pens. 12.7cm.

Behold this likely once-in-a-lifetime vintage pen. New Old Stock Parker Vacumatic Maxima fountain pens complete with their original price sticker don't come along very often. Our "golden pearl" stunner has seen minimal if any use. Click the headline for a close-up. You can easily see through the pale-green-yellow barrel with factory fresh clarity. It has a working diaphragm, but we aren't sure who would use such a magnificent museum piece. No cracks, scratches or noteworthy wear for a pen made in 1939. Its aluminum shows a touch of wear. The double jewels are golden pearl. The sticker says this is a medium point nib, and you can see the 14k gold nib still retains almost all of its original two-tone plating. We didn't dip this one, though someone might have in the past 85 years. 13.6cm capped.

Some vintage pens work perfectly well, but their cosmetics turn-off some collectors. This is one of those pens in a Parker 51. The cap is dented, rusted, stained and imperfect. The fountain pen still works well with its original "pli-glass" ink sac. The hood and barrel have some wear and scratches. There's a little rust staining where the cap rested against the barrel. Clearly, this pen can survive Hell, and it is still ready to write. You'll write a firm, fine line with a little feedback using its 14k gold nib. 13.7cm capped.

Blue Parker Vacumatics seem more difficult to find these days, but we lucked out with this Debutant-size double-jewel model from 1941. We restored its aluminum speedline filler with a new diaphragm. The barrel is too dark to see the ink, but it is working well. The pen has some wear from use and visible brassing on its cap band and jewels. Click the headline for close-ups. We tuned the nib after shooting the nib photo. You will find it writes a smooth medium line. The clip is on tightly. A great vintage pen daily user. 11.9cm capped.