Parker
Pens and Ephemera

Not every vintage pen is going to be the belle of the ball. Today's Parker Duofold from 1942 seems to have been somebody's loyal workhorse. A great deal of the cap band is heavily brassed. There's a hairline crack in the cap lip running up under the cap band. The pen shows overall wear, and the 14k gold nib looks a little wonky. Click the headline for close-ups. HOWEVER, we restored it with a new diaphragm, and it writes surprisingly well. You'll find it is a wet medium with a touch of feedback. It actually writes much better than it looks. Perfect for a daily driver that doesn't mind another ding or two. 13.2cm capped.

It is difficult, in this day and age, to imagine a time when wealthy, sophisticated young ladies were brought on to the more genteel dating scene as debutantes. Nevertheless, it wasn't that long ago. This Parker Vacumatic Debutante set was made in 1938 and intended for young women of class and culture. Fully restored with a new diaphragm the fountain pen is in good working order. There are no cracks, and its grey pearl design is lovely with nickel trim. The barrel has ambered and is difficult to see through. We think this is a replacement filler unit, as it is plastic instead of aluminum. The nib is a little tarnished, but we also think it still has a shadow of its two-tone look. You will write a nice extra-fine line with a touch of feedback. We can polish it for you, but that will guarantee it is a monotone 14k gold nib. The matching pencil still works and clicks to advance lead. 11.7cm capped.

Building off the nostalgia for the Parker 51, the company launched what they hoped would be a more modern version of the pen in the Parker 100. This set included both the rollerball and ballpoint version of the pens in the original box. To be honest, it is quite possible they were never sold as a set in the box when they first came out, but that is how we found and are selling them. Each instrument looks great and works well. There's a little scuffing from the cap snapping to the section of the rollerball. Otherwise, they are still cosmetically beautiful. Each has its respective working, black refill.

Perhaps our favorite color combination on the Parker 100 pencil is this sky-blue and brushed-gold design. Our preowned luxury pencil is in great working order with a new eraser and spare .5mm leads. You'll see some scratches on the brushed gold cap and nose cone. Twist the cap to advance the lead or close up/retract the lead mechanism. Makes math, crosswords and sudoku more fun. 13.8cm.

Some pens are just difficult to define. Our Depression-era Parker looks a lot like a Parker Challenger in a demi size. However, it is the Parker Thrift Time pen. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. A little of the nickel-plated trim is worn away, and there are some bite marks on the blind cap. Yet, the marble design helps to hide the wear. You will write a nice extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. We don't find the line to be scratchy, but it isn't buttery smooth, either. A slender pen that measures 12.2cm capped.

As a luxury pen, the Parker Sonnet often gets overlooked. However, we dare anyone not to fall in love with the solid sterling silver Parker Sonnet Fougere. Feathered herringbone is the best way to describe the pattern in the silver. Classically elegant, the silver on this pen doesn't show a trace of wear, denting or scratching. Unfortunately, there is a ring of wear around the gold-filled cap band, as if it were rolling around inside a desk for a while. Otherwise, the pen is quite stunning. It comes with its original boxes and converter. You will write a smooth fine line from a high angle of attack on the paper and a scratchier medium with a lower angle of attack. Click the headline for a close-up of the two-tone 18k gold nib. 13.3cm capped.

Easily one of our favorite vintage pen designs of all time: the Parker Duofold Geometric! Who doesn't want a pen covered in flying toothbrushes?! Fully restored and ready for action, the fountain pen has a new ink sac. No cracks in the cap or barrel but significant brassing on the trim. You'll also find some wear from use and that the barrel is discolored a couple shades darker than the cap. You'll write a nearly buttery smooth fine line with the 14k gold nib. Cracks won't effect the performance of the nib, but there is a short sideways crack on each side of the nib just above where it enters the section. Click the headline for close ups. The matching pencil shows brassing and wear, but it is in good working order with spare 1.1mm leads.

Parker mastered marketing during the Great Depression. Instead of reducing the price of flagship Vacumatics and Duofolds, Parker Thrift Time pens were essentially Parker Duofolds with bargain-basement pricing. Barely even advertised, these pens were actually decent sellers at stationary and pen shops and helped keep Parker afloat during the darkest days of the Depression. On the collector market, they can be a little difficult to come by. Here is a fully restored green marble Parker Thrift Time with a still-working grey-marble pencil. Click the headline for close ups.