Parker 45 From Memory

[Ian the Jock]

Around 30 or so years ago I had a small darkroom in my grandmothers house who lived across the road, which meant that I spent a fair bit of time there with my "gran" (my grandfather passed away about 10 years previously).

I had always admired a pen stand which sat on her unit, which was a base with a pen holder at either end and a solid standing suit of armour in the middle, and was a pretty impressive looking thing.

It's very odd how things come back to you, and you remember apparently insignificant little things many, many years later.

I had never given the pen stand another thought until recently (after becoming a fountain pen nutter), and I remember taking the most impressive looking of the 2 pens out of the stand to have a look at it.

It was a Parker (of course) and when I uncapped it, I found that it was a fountain pen, which to me, at that time, was an extremely posh piece of kit.

Again it's odd that I should remember (I can actually see the pen in my hand when I close my eyes) that it had a semi hooded nib, and that the top of the cap was like a small cone, both things which stood out on this all metal "beaut" of a pen.

 

Now, the fact that I'm now into fountain pens, has allowed me to hunt about and identify the pen as being a 45 flighter, however, that isn't really what this is about, as, when I was looking at the pen, my gran nodded towards the pen and said "mind and put that back, that was your grandas' registration pen", and of course I did put it back, and she explained to me that, this was the pen that my grandad "loaned" to my father and my 2 uncles to register our families' births (namely myself, my brother, and my 4 cousins, of which I am the eldest) as the birth certificates had to be signed with a fountain pen.

The pen was used on each occasion then returned to my grandfather, where it held pride of place in the armour stand.

 

Unfortunately I have no idea what happened to the pen and stand after my gran passed some 15 years ago, but the upshot is that, I want one, and for the obvious sentimental reasons, I want it to be as historically accurate as it can be.

This is where I need a bit of help.

After some research, I've found that the conical cap top that I remember is hugely significant as this was only on pens produced between 1964 and 1970, however, as I was born in 1967, the pen would need to have been one of the earlier models to have been used in that year, which means the pen would have a black plastic barrel end, which I don't recall on the pen I held in my hand.

So

Does such a pen exist before 1967?, or am I just not remembering correctly (which may be the case) and my grandfathers pen did have a black end cap.

Also

Is there anything else other than the coned cap that I should be looking out for that will help me find a pen made between 64 and 67?

I know this is going to be a bit of a task, but I'm up for it, as it would be great to have such a historically important pen (to me) as part of my collection.

 

Any help would be very much appreciated.

 

Cheers

Ian

[Mike 59]

Hi, There were so many variants of the '45', over so many years, but the advantage of that is, many are still being used and collected.

A good reference is at http://www.parkerpens.net/parker45.html

I can post a couple of pictures of my own versions if it helps.

[icardoth]

Do you mean something like the first pen from the left? As far as I know, the conical clip screw was the very first included in Parker 45s. By the way, in the picture below the pens were accommodated in chronological order.

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/P2210003_45s.jpg
 

[Ian the Jock]

Do you mean something like the first pen from the left? As far as I know, the conical clip screw was the very first included in Parker 45s. By the way, in the picture below the pens were accommodated in chronological order.

 

http://i939.photobucket.com/albums/ad236/icardoth/P2210003_45s.jpg

 

Yes, a wee conical "clip screw" like that, on an all metal pen.

I am unsure as to whether or not there was a black plastic end to the barrel part due to auld age and "patchy" memories of the actual pen, but I do remember that it was an "all metal" pen, possibly brushed steel.

Was there ever a brushed steel 45 flighter with a conical clip screw, but no black end part produced before 1967?.

From what I have read, any 45 flighter produced before 69/70 should have the black endy bit, or does anyone know otherwise.

 

Ian

[Captivelight]

All the 45 Flighters from this time period would have had an end cap, usually black plastic but other colors did exist.

 

The only other candidate I can think of without a black plastic cap would be a Parker 61 - although I believe that on the 61 the clip screw/jewell stuck out rather then in like the 45 inverted conical one.

 

This is a Gold Trim one although there was a chrome trim one that was, I believe, discontinued in the early 60's. The gold nib arrows had a habit of falling out - and the 61 seems a more likely candidate as an heirloom pen then the humble 45!

http://pencollect.co.uk/personal/27.jpg

Edited November 21, 2015 by Spikey Mike

[Ian the Jock]

The cone on the cap screw did stick out the way, like a wee pointy hat.

I thought that one 1st left in the pic above was an "outy".

I found a pen on ebay which fits the bill perfectly, and could be the very pen.

It's an all steel fella with a gold coloured clip which was produced between 1960 and 1964, and is defo a 45 (the semi hooded nib is the thing that stuck in my mind the most.

I can't remember if my grandfathers had a gold clip and clip screw, but the overall look of the pen is ringing bells, and it may well have had.

 

Ian

[Captivelight]

A "wee pointy hat" clip screw would tend to point more at the 61 then the 45. The standard production 45 from that time period would have had an inverted clip screw. There were some 45's made with raised conical clip screws but these mainly came from South America, notably Argentina, and well outside the time period.

A production date of 60 - 64 also points away from the stainless 45 Flighter ... they were first made in 64 and would have come with chrome trim, black plastic end cap and an inverted clip screw as an early first year pen.

 

45 Flighter Time Line: https://parker45pens.wordpress.com/dating/

[Ian the Jock]

I thought I'd give a wee update on this.

Thanks Spikey Mike for your help.

 

I spoke to my mother about this to see if she could shed any light on it.

Unfortunately her memory isn't great due to a serious stroke a number of years back, but she did remember that my grandfather had a few pens, and that he was a "Parker man".

I could be remembering 1 pen, or even a combination of pens on different occasions, who knows, it was a long time ago, so

I decided to satisfy myself by just getting a Parker from around the time when I was born, which looks like the pen, or one of the pens that I remember.

 

It has taken me a wee while but I now have an early brushed steel Parker 45 with the inverted conical clip screw.

and

It's brilliant....so much so that I bought another (which turned out to be a "new slimfold", but that's another story).

Here are a few pics of the said 45 which does indeed set the old nostalgia tapes running when I look at it.

 

 

 

Ian

[Flounder]

Could it maybe have been a Parker 65 flighter? Semi hooded nib, outy cap jewel, first introduced 1967?

Edited January 22, 2016 by Flounder

[Ian the Jock]

Yes, yes, yes THATS IT.

I got a shiver when I saw it, then another shiver when I saw the price.

Typical, trust my granda to have good taste, although thankfully, it's not one of the fancy ones.

I'm assuming that me being the 1st grandchild was a big event back then, and can see my grandfather buying the pen to celebrate the occasion and use it for the registration etc.

This has really made my day, genuinely.

Thank you flounder...yer a star.

 

I suppose that means I've bought 2 pens for nowt, but then, they are excellent and have started me off on "the Parker trail".

 

Cheers

Ian

Edited January 22, 2016 by Ian the Jock

[Flounder]

Well, thank you very much!

 

I picked up a 65 a while back; black with a gold cap, which seems to be far easier and cheaper to source than the flighter model. It still needs a little work, pesky nib to feed gap proving a hassle (previously bent nib). The whole wax-to-reseal-the-shell nonsense hasn't been very pleasant either! The 65 does have a 'quality' look and feel to it, though.

[mitto]

Well, thank you very much!

 

I picked up a 65 a while back; black with a gold cap, which seems to be far easier and cheaper to source than the flighter model. It still needs a little work, pesky nib to feed gap proving a hassle (previously bent nib). The whole wax-to-reseal-the-shell nonsense hasn't been very pleasant either! The 65 does have a 'quality' look and feel to it, though.

I too had just one P65 in black with gold cap and then in December last I found an NOS Parker flighter body for $5.00 that neither the seller nor i knew to what pen it belonged. When it arrived I found out it was a P65 flighter body. I threw away the black barrel and gold cap of my P65 and had it in its new attire - the flighter body. I am now waiting for P65 nib section to use it with my black barrel + gold cap P65 body. Hope I would find it soon in the wild.