Parker Im Date Code

[Megaten]

Hello all. I have a Parker IM that has the date code II U in that order. That seems to correlate with 1991 or 2001 or 2011. However, shouldnt the letter U come first? I was looking on parker penography and II U seems to only match with 1991, which is wrong. If you guys have an IM and have codes similar to this perhaps I could see what you got? Thanks.

[gammada]

Mine has a IIIE code and it's one of the current models. According to Parker Penography, it is a 2008 pen, except this model was restyled sometime in 2016 or 2017, so that can't be. Yours have any country of origin imprint? Mine does not.

[ardene]

I have an IM of the 2009 redesign with code corresponding to 2005. However as you may guess this is not possible, so the only solution is that it was made in 2015 and the official dating style can be found mainly on Sonnets and Duofolds... (exceptions might exist there as well).

Edited July 2, 2020 by ardene

[Megaten]

Mine has a IIIE code and it's one of the current models. According to Parker Penography, it is a 2008 pen, except this model was restyled sometime in 2016 or 2017, so that can't be. Yours have any country of origin imprint? Mine does not.

Hi no it doesn't say where its made so China probably. Mine has to be from 2011 considering that in 2001 and 1991 the IM did not exist yet.

[gammada]

Hi no it doesn't say where its made so China probably. Mine has to be from 2011 considering that in 2001 and 1991 the IM did not exist yet.

If we go by this text from richardspens.com, you seem to be right:

 

Thus, a pen marked UL was manufactured in the third quarter of 1981, and one marked IIIL was manufactured in the first quarter of 1994 or, if the code format had remained unchanged, 2004. To prevent any ambiguity between the 1990s and the 2000s, Parker in 2000 reversed the order of the year and quarter codes, also inserting a dot between them. Thus, pens made in the first quarter of 2000 were labeled Q.III instead of IIIQ as had been used a decade earlier. It appears that Parker made no format changes in 2010; pens made in 2010 bear date codes identical to those on pens made in 2000. As with the original date code system, you will need to observe the features of the pen to determine when it was made. (E.g., the new Premier was introduced in 2009 and so did not become a dating conundrum until 2019.)

 

Then mine is a 2018 pen.

[gammada]

BTW Just posted a mini review of mine IM: https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/354617-a-review-of-my-first-modern-parker/?view=findpost&p=4337494

 

Hope you can give me your thoughts on your pen.

[Megaten]

If we go by this text from richardspens.com, you seem to be right:

 

Thus, a pen marked UL was manufactured in the third quarter of 1981, and one marked IIIL was manufactured in the first quarter of 1994 or, if the code format had remained unchanged, 2004. To prevent any ambiguity between the 1990s and the 2000s, Parker in 2000 reversed the order of the year and quarter codes, also inserting a dot between them. Thus, pens made in the first quarter of 2000 were labeled Q.III instead of IIIQ as had been used a decade earlier. It appears that Parker made no format changes in 2010; pens made in 2010 bear date codes identical to those on pens made in 2000. As with the original date code system, you will need to observe the features of the pen to determine when it was made. (E.g., the new Premier was introduced in 2009 and so did not become a dating conundrum until 2019.)

 

Then mine is a 2018 pen.

Yeah yours has to be 2018 since yours is the 2016 redesign. I just find it weird that on my date code the roman numerals are first instead of letters.