Parker
Pens and Ephemera

Parker brilliantly made myriad tiers of pens during the Great Depression to make sure there was a writing instrument for every budget. The Parker Deluxe Challenger was a modernized Parker Duofold with art deco styling and a button filler. The green and black marbling still look sharp. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It has some wear from use, and the cap bands on the back of the cap are very darkened. There's some brassing on the pocket clip. Yet, the super smooth medium nib made of 14k gold is still a crowd pleaser. The barrel imprint is fairly faded, but you can see from the nib it was made in 1937. A great daily user then and now. Click the headline for a close-up. 13cm 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.

Looking fresh from 1942 comes this near mint Parker Vacumatic Long Major fountain pen. Our vintage pen is fully restored with a new diaphragm. With barely any trace of wear on the cap or barrel, the most impressive thing is the barrel clarity. It is lightly ambered but very easy to see through. No brassing. Click the headline for close ups of this golden pearl beauty. Its 14k gold nib still has most of its two-tone plating intact. You will write a firm, extra-fine line that can be a little scratchy. 13cm capped.

We don't often get excited about ringtop fountain pens, but this Parker Lady Duofold is something else. It is pretty close to mint for a 100-year-old pen. Really crisp milling on the top of the cap and blind cap. Deep, sharp imprint that is kinda uncommon for Lady Duofolds. Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac. The only real imperfection with the pen is that the cap is several shades lighter than the barrel. Yet, it has a raised cap band, which is often desired. Click the headline for close-ups. Its 14k gold nib writes a smooth fine line with a hint of feedback. It has a "Christmas tree" inkfeed. No brassing. 12cm capped.

How about a blast from the past with this Parker 20 eyedropper. Aside from being really old, it has many other reasons for being cool. Our favorite reason is the the bakelite barrel and hard rubber cap! How do we know it is bakelite? It says so right on the barrel imprint that is still pretty crisp. No cracks in the cap or barrel. Some mostly light wear from use for its age. There's brassing on the ball of the pocket clip. Click the headline for a close up of the 14k gold nib. It says "Parker / Lucky Curve / Pen / 2 / Made in U.S.A." There appears to be a crack running from the breather hole about halfway down the "k" in Parker. Be gentle with this nib, but it is flexi and goes from fine to about 1.5mm wide. 12.4cm capped.

Its the one and only Parker 51, titan of the vintage pens. Certainly the best-selling vintage luxury pen of all time, this is the 1950s version with an aerometric squeeze-bar filler. Black with a gold-filled cap, it is a go-to crowd pleaser. The cap has a couple little dings and scratches from use. The hood and barrel of the pen likewise show wear from use. Nevertheless, the original "pliglass" ink sac still works great. You'll write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. The blue diamond on the pocket clip indicates this might be an earlier cap or an older replacement clip for the pen. The barrel part of the pen was made a few years after the clip/cap. 13.8cm capped.

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.