Filling Mechanism: Vacuum Filler

We don't know about you, but we find a decidedly romantic allure to the Parker Vacumatic design in blue celluloid. Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new diaphragm. It is dated from 1945. Was it bought by a returning World War II veteran? A young service man or woman who enlisted just as the fighting was coming to an end but would eventually serve in Korea? Who knows? No cracks and only light wear. The barrel clarity is almost completely ambered black, but the rest of the pen looks amazing. You will write a smooth, wet extra-fine line with its original 14k gold nib. 12.8cm capped.

Parker Vacumatics were such a huge leap forward in fountain pen technology. Getting rid of the traditional sac by using a rubber diaphragm and hollow barrel led to a huge increase in a pen's ink volume. Plus, these celluloid designs were stunning. We restored this Parker Vacumatic Major with a new ink sac. There is almost no barrel clarity left, but it has a desirable aluminum filler annnnnd a "stacked coins" cap band! Its 14k gold nib is a replacement nib, and it writes a nice wet medium line with a little feedback. No cracks in the pen. Just light wear and a little brassing. 13cm capped.

Parker got creative with some of its Vacumatic variants over the years. This is the rarer Parker Vacumatic Long Major. It is the same width as a Major at the length of a Maxima. Our vintage pen was exquisitely restored. It has a fresh diaphragm and the cap and barrel are without blemishes. A crisp imprint shows a 1942 date code. As you can see in the photo, the barrel clarity is excellent with some ambering. Even the nib still has most of its two-tone plating. You will write a firm, extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. There is a little feedback with the nib, and we think you might have to break it in a bit to get it consistently flowing. Although you could make it a daily writer, cosmetically, it is good enough for a museum. 13.1cm capped.

Do you wish your vintage grail pen came with a Japanese extra-fine nib? This 1939 Parker Vacumatic Maxima gets pretty close to Japanese extra-fine with the right paper. It is a beautiful silver pearl design with tolerable barrel clarity with ambering. No cracks, no scratches, no significant wear. It comes with a fresh diaphragm and a clean imprint and top and bottom silver pearl design jewels. There's monotone 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. Great aluminum speedline filler. Its only flaw seems to be the darkened metal trim around the blind-cap jewel. 13.6cm capped.

The larger Parker Vacumatic Maxima fountain pens are a difficult find these days. However, we are proud to showcase a very handsome golden pearl model from 1941. Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new diaphragm. It is in excellent condition with no cracks or brassing. There is minimal wear. Its only flaw seems to be that the barrel is ambered. You can still see through it when empty, but the celluloid is fairly dark. Click the headline to see its beautiful two-tone 14k gold nib. You will write a firm, wet, fine line. The firmness gives it feedback, but it isn't scratchy for those who appreciate the nuance of a smooth nib with feedback. 13.6cm capped.

Perfection is difficult to achieve in vintage pens, but this 1940 Oversize Parker Vacumatic gets close. No cracks, only light wear and incredible barrel clarity with celluloid that is on the light orange-dark yellow spectrum. No brassing. A feint barrel imprint. Close to perfect two-tone plating for the 14k gold nib. (Click the headline for a close-up.) YET, as you can see on the main photo, the name "James A. Kunkel" is engraved on the barrel. We looked up the name, and there are too many James Kunkels to know who owned this specific pen. You'll write an extra-fine line that is a bit dry but can sometimes look fine. Restored and in great working order. Museum worthy rare burgundy...yet, still a good writer. 13.5cm capped.

In 1936, Fred & Ginger lit up the silver screen in the classic "Swingtime," King Edward VIII abdicated the British throne to marry an American divorcé, television broadcasts first began, Jesse Owens showed up the Nazis in Berlin, Joe DiMaggio was a rookie, FDR won a second term and this Parker Vacumatic standard set in burgundy was made. It was an elegant era, and this pen in many respects marks the pinnacle of art deco design. This particular set is in excellent condition. No cracks, maybe 1% brassing, no scratches, restored and working. Its two-tone 14k has some cosmetic issues. Click the headline to see close-ups. It writes an extra-fine line with a little flex but not much. The matching pencil works great in excellent condition and comes with spare 1.1mm leads. Pen measures 12.8cm capped.