Parker
Pens and Ephemera

We don't normally showcase a vintage pen fully disassembled, but we wanted to show off this Parker 61 that looks as if it is somewhat new old stock. We thought it was a daily user be cause it had several cracks in the barrel and the hood was missing a chip near the nib. When we tried unscrewing the barrel the hood unscrewed and revealed a pristine ink collector. As it had so much damage we already were selling it for parts, but maybe it is in better shape than we credited it...at least the parts are. Includes an original 14k gold nib that looks fine but we didn't want to dip it and mess up the ink collector. Click the headline for a close-up of this vintage pen. 13.5cm capped.

Time to cash in on that grail pen you've always wanted, Parker 51 fans. We have a nearly mint condition Yellowstone/Mustard Yellow Parker 51. There's hardly a trace of wear outside of where the cap snugs against the hood, and even that is feint. When we opened the pen to put in a fresh diaphragm, there was nothing in the barrel. A previous owner had already given the pen as thorough a cleaning as possible. As such, we didn't install.a new diaphragm. We suspect it has seen ink at some point, as light through the pen shows some dark spots under the hood, but, holy cats, this pen is still worthy of a museum. Its gold-filled cap saw more wear. There are a few dimples and scratches. We replaced the missing top jewel with a new, reproduction jewel. Its 14k gold nib is either an extra fine or fine. It could use a really good tuning to become a daily writer, but we suspect most people will want this vintage pen as a display piece.

Lighting is challenging when trying to capture fluidity of the pearlescense of the cap and barrel, but we think we nailed it. Click the headline for a close-up that really captures the beauty of this more oversized modern Parker Duofold Centennial fountain pen. Aside from a thin line of scuffing around the main cap band, this pen looks barely used. Fans of the pearl and black models know that some lean more white and others lean a shade more yellow. This preowned luxury pen is the latter. It comes complete with its gray-felt-covered box and larger cardboard outer box. The felt box is in mint condition, but it looks as if the outer box was damaged by humidity. You'll write a nice medium line with the two-tone 18k gold nib. The pen's date code is for 1993, and there's a chrysanthemum/spiralgraph design on the cap's top metal plate. 13.6cm capped.

As far as we're concerned, Parker Duofold Espartos are the holy grail of modern luxury pens for Parker lovers. Only fitting that it pays tribute to Spanish papermaking, and the fiber patterns therein, our Parker Duofold Esparto ballpoint pen is made from solid sterling silver. Parker didn't scrimp on the silver, either. Ours is new in the box. It does not appear to have done any writing. Click the headline for close-ups. Its lacquered wooden presentation box looks grey in some lights, and green in others. There is an outer cardboard box for the wooden box. You will see the pen has a working blue Parker refill inside it. Under the pad is the paperwork and another refill.

Will it be the burgundy-marble streamlined design or the rare two-toned nib that creates instant salivation in fans of the original Parker Duofold? Click the headline for close-ups to decide for yourself. This vintage pen is a Junior size set that has been fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks will be found on either instrument. The pen cap has a couple short deep scratches, but they should not deter most collectors and users. The imprint on the barrel is clear. Still working is the 1.1mm lead pencil that has a classic refill cassette in it with one spare lead and a retro-fitted fresh eraser. The pencil shows wear from use, but it has been a reliable friend of writers for nearly 100 years! The rare two-tone 14k gold nib writes an extra-fine line with a little feedback.

Let your writing take flight with this brushed stainless steel Parker 51 Flighter set. Another of the more-coveted variants of the Parker 51 line, this vintage pen set is a fountain pen and pencil set. You won't find any dents or egregious wear. It has light scratches from use, but at writing distance these classic writing instruments look great. Fill the fountain pen with an aerometric filling system that is in great working order. The matching pencil is an early click model using .9mm leads. Click the tail cap to advance the lead. It includes its original hardened eraser and spare leads. The pen's original 14k gold nib writes a dry, fine line.

Amber jewels are some of our favorite rare traits in Parker 51 pens. Our Parker 51 set features a burgundy fountain pen, a 1/10 12k gold filled cap and an amber jewel on top. Click the headline for a close-up of the jewel. This is a great aerometric filler with minimal wear on the hood and barrel. A couple of dents were pushed out of the cap, which looks really nice. It sports pinstripes that angle into steep mountain peaks. Its original 14k gold nib writes a dry, fine line with a little feedback. The mechanical, click pencil matches almost perfectly, except it has a grey jewel, and a little ding on the back of the cap. You click the back cap to advance a .9mm lead. It works great and comes with a hardened eraser and extra leads. Somebody did write in asking if the FP jewel was a "dead" jewel instead of an amber one. I'm not sure I'd know the difference, but this one is decidedly more yellow/orange than standard grey/pearl versions we have here.

As far as we're concerned, Parker Duofold Espartos are the holy grail of modern luxury pens for Parker lovers. Only fitting that it pays tribute to Spanish papermaking, and the fiber patterns therein, our Parker Duofold Esparto fountain pen is made from solid sterling silver. Parker didn't scrimp on the silver, either. Ours is virtually new in the box...all of its boxes. It does not appear to have done any writing. Click the headline for close-ups. Its 18k gold nib is platinum plated and sports a spade design, just like the cap jewel. Inside the pen is a converter. You can also write with Parker cartridges. Its lacquered wooden presentation box looks grey in some lights, and green in others. There are a couple of long scratches by the hinges and a dent the size of a thumb tack on the side of the lid near the back corner. The nib is marked medium, but we haven't written with it, in case it has never seen ink.