Parker Sterling Fp/pencil Pair

[Artillero]

Fellow Members,

I received the attached Parker FP and Pencil pair from my late father when he recently passsed away. I recall him receiving a similar set in the 60's from a colleague of his however this doesn't appear to be a matching set as the FP is quite a bit thicker than the mechanical pencil even though the pattern is the same. It almost seems as if the mechanical pencil may be made for a lady while the FP has the size and heft you would expect for a gentleman. Would this be a matched set or is it two different model? Both are marked Parker Sterling Silver and Made in USA. The FP nib is marked .585 and France and is medium width. I just cleaned and filled the FP for the first time in I don't know how long and it writes well. The mechanical pencil still has lead and functions well. Neither one of them look to have been used much although the pencil has some minor indentations. Were these reliable pens and pencil sets and would they have been considered a little bit better than the Cross pens of the era or direct competitors?

 

Thank you,

Ricardo

[mitto]

That is a perfectly matching set of Parker 75 sterling silver. The MP/BP are smaller (slimmer and shorter) than the FP.

 

Enjoy your father's lovely Parker pen set. Don't sell it please.

[Artillero]

Sir,

Thank you for the welcome news. I was hoping that was the case but wasn't sure. After cleaning the pair up and testing it earlier today, the set brought back many pleasant memories. I have no intention of selling and hope that my daughters will be able to enjoy them.

 

Regards,

Ricardo

[Studio97]

I had a set of these in the mid seventies. Lost the ball point shortly after i bought it. I wore out two of the fountain pens. Keep in mind in the 70s income was different in many ways and the price was high for the avg income earner in the military. The price was high at the time. I paid $25.00 each at the base exchange. Later I sold both fountain pens for more than I paid for them.

[Artillero]

Studio,

Yes, I remember those days well. I went into the service straight out of high school in 74. The pay wasnt that good but the training was great. Ball points and pencils were all that anyone used. Perhaps that is why I am now gravitating towards fountain pens. You sure get a lot of looks when you pull one out in the middle of a meeting as everyone else takes notes with their Mac computers or smart phones.

[jchch1950]

Nice set.Nicer memories.

[Studio97]

Studio,

Yes, I remember those days well. I went into the service straight out of high school in 74. The pay wasnt that good but the training was great. Ball points and pencils were all that anyone used. Perhaps that is why I am now gravitating towards fountain pens. You sure get a lot of looks when you pull one out in the middle of a meeting as everyone else takes notes with their Mac computers or smart phones.

I used those fountain pens writing up patient charts everyday beginning about 1975. Ballpoints or a pencil for quick notes on an ambulance run.

[mitto]

I have about 300 of the P75s. Mostly FP+BP sets. 50 or so among these are the Sterling Silver grid (Ciselè) version. To me, the 75 is one of the best among the C/C filler Parkers.

[Chrissy]

There seems to be plenty or these around for sale on ebay, but they always fetch quite high prices. I don't want a set, just a FP. One day I will win a nice one.

 

Does anyone ever use this collar for adjusting the nib or does it not matter? Are the modern versions with the fixed band as good?

[mitto]

There seems to be plenty or these around for sale on ebay, but they always fetch quite high prices. I don't want a set, just a FP. One day I will win a nice one.

 

Does anyone ever use this collar for adjusting the nib or does it not matter? Are the modern versions with the fixed band as good?

Which collar? The bands are all fixed. Either threaded or glued. One doesn't have to rotate the band to adjust the nib. The nib unit itself is roatated while inside the section for adjustment.

[FPFan]

The ballpoint and pencil actually came in two different styles over the years these were available. I got my fountain pen in the fall of 1976 from the Navy Exchange in Norfolk, Va just after I was stationed there. Then as time went on and I could afford it I acquired the first set of ballpoint and pencil. That set was made with a clicker button colored gold. Some years later I got the set like the pencil you show in the picture. As time went on some years later I also acquired a second fountain pen just in case anything happened to my original. I can tell the two apart by a chipped out missing square of the silver on the barrel of my original one. I had a different nib assembly also, which failed and was replaced with the newer version some years later by Parkers repair department. The sets remain in my pen case and used in rotation on a limited basis these days. That happens as we collect and learn to love so very many different pens. However, these pens, pencils and ballpoints are still cherished!

Edited February 26, 2018 by FPFan

[Chrissy]

Which collar? The bands are all fixed. Either threaded or glued. One doesn't have to rotate the band to adjust the nib. The nib unit itself is roatated while inside the section for adjustment.

 

OK I've never seen one so I wasn't sure how the nib is adjusted. Are there two types then? One with the larger collar that has adjustment lines on there and one that has a fixed band?

[Artillero]

Chrissy,

My understanding is that the earlier models had a "0" imprinter below the centre index whereas sometime later the collars had unnumbered index marks as in the case with my pen. In both cases the collar is fixed.

 

Regards,

Ricardo

[Chrissy]

Chrissy,

My understanding is that the earlier models had a "0" imprinter below the centre index whereas sometime later the collars had unnumbered index marks as in the case with my pen. In both cases the collar is fixed.

 

Regards,

Ricardo

 

Thank you for your help.

[soapytwist]

Yes - the collar is fixed; Parker enclosed a small plastic 'spanner' in the box that slipped over the nib and allowed you to twist it without getting your fingers inky.

 

http://pentooling.com/Images/4526%20A.JPG

[wspohn]

I have about 300 of the P75s. Mostly FP+BP sets. 50 or so among these are the Sterling Silver grid (Ciselè) version. To me, the 75 is one of the best among the C/C filler Parkers.

 

If you will suffer an impertinent question - what moved you to collect so many duplicates of a given pen finish? What do the other 49 pens add to the Cisele you got first? Or maybe after the first 4 (FP, BP, click BP and pencil)?

 

I ask as someone who has around 90 75s, of different models....

[Chrissy]

I wish someone who could would change the title to Parker instead of Parking

[mitto]

If you will suffer an impertinent question - what moved you to collect so many duplicates of a given pen finish? What do the other 49 pens add to the Cisele you got first? Or maybe after the first 4 (FP, BP, click BP and pencil)?

 

I ask as someone who has around 90 75s, of different models....

 

I can only say not all the SS Ciselè are the same. There are several variations and cofigirations in the same finish.

Edited March 6, 2018 by mitto

[wspohn]

Ah - a completist! If I was that way about my car hobby I'd need to collect one of every colour offered from every year....(at least the pen hobby isn't as demanding of space!).

[senzen]

Great pens, to my eyes the 75 Ciselé is the best looking Parker, I don't have one but maybe one day... The Milleraies and Grain d'Orge in silver are also nice looking.