Parker Holy Water Sprinkler!

[jar]

 

It probably wasn't sold to those denominations that don't believe in the holiness of holy water, which is lot of them. My guess is that it was a Catholic item. There are a lot of Catholics though. About a billion right now.

 

 

Remember there is also the Anglican Communion as well as many Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian sects that also support the belief in consecrated water.

[StyloBug33]

This is far from "a generic item". While it is true that the insignia has nothing to do with the Pope, it is not a common item. Holy water sprinklers were made by Parker in the Vacumatic line as well as the VP line (your pen). While I can't answer value specifically, I would expect it to be worth north of $100 - $150, perhaps more to the right collector. It's a nice item, but don't plan to quit your job when you sell it.

 

BTW, don't try to pull out the filler unit. The VP filler is extremely fragile and you could easily break it. They are not easy or inexpensive to replace.

 

 

So, do you think this one could still be used? Or is a cool item to put in a display case?

[John Danza]

This is far from "a generic item". While it is true that the insignia has nothing to do with the Pope, it is not a common item. Holy water sprinklers were made by Parker in the Vacumatic line as well as the VP line (your pen). While I can't answer value specifically, I would expect it to be worth north of $100 - $150, perhaps more to the right collector. It's a nice item, but don't plan to quit your job when you sell it.

 

BTW, don't try to pull out the filler unit. The VP filler is extremely fragile and you could easily break it. They are not easy or inexpensive to replace.

 

 

So, do you think this one could still be used? Or is a cool item to put in a display case?

 

I can't think of any reason why it couldn't still be used. The filler is the typical Plyglass used in 51s and other aerometrics, so those things live just about forever. There's been no ink through it to gum up the works either. It could be filled straight from the large holy water vessel, just like a pen.

[sombrueil]

 

It probably wasn't sold to those denominations that don't believe in the holiness of holy water, which is lot of them. My guess is that it was a Catholic item. There are a lot of Catholics though. About a billion right now.

 

 

Remember there is also the Anglican Communion as well as many Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian sects that also support the belief in consecrated water.

 

Yes, but I think only Anglicans/Episcopalians and Eastern Orthodox & Eastern Rite Catholics normally would use holy water outside of a church font. Could be wrong, but that is my impression.

 

And, would they be tacky enough to use a PEN? I feel that in the religious tackiness sweepstakes, Catholics have a huge edge.

 

It's one of my more favorite things about my religion.

[esterbex]

It probably wasn't sold to those denominations that don't believe in the holiness of holy water, which is lot of them. My guess is that it was a Catholic item. There are a lot of Catholics though. About a billion right now.

 

 

Remember there is also the Anglican Communion as well as many Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian sects that also support the belief in consecrated water.

 

Yes, but I think only Anglicans/Episcopalians and Eastern Orthodox & Eastern Rite Catholics normally would use holy water outside of a church font. Could be wrong, but that is my impression.

 

And, would they be tacky enough to use a PEN? I feel that in the religious tackiness sweepstakes, Catholics have a huge edge.

 

It's one of my more favorite things about my religion.

 

Your impression is wrong. Raised Roman Catholic and having worked in the Church in my younger years, Holy Water was available to those that wanted it. I still remember filling little glass bottles from the font spigot to make it available to members. So the notion that a priest would carry a small container of it on his person in such an item as the OP presents is well within the realm of reality. And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all. And I am no longer Catholic per se, but I do cherish truth.

Edited July 8, 2010 by esterbex

[sotto2]

And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all.

 

Hallelujah, Brother.

Edited July 8, 2010 by sotto2

[dcwaites]

And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all.

 

Hallelujah, Brother.

 

You didn't see the little white prayer book I got with my First Holy Communion. Thick, plush, embossed covers, fake pearls inlaid, a little recessed rectangle in the middle of the cover for a picture. And that was for the boys...

[watch_art]

 

This isn't so much a pen item, but it is a religious article and shouldn't perhaps be ridiculed.

 

 

 

you mean like the little glass bottle they carry around that's supposed to be the blood of jesus? or the shroud of turin? religious articles are just THINGS and it's fun to ridicule them. b/c really, would Jesus have carried around a bunch of STUFF and called it holy? i doubt it. the dude was a carpenter, right? down to earth dude. not into a bunch of STUFF. i mean, didn't he say a few times, sell (or give away) all your stuff, and just walk with me? stuff wasn't important to him. that was the point. that's why it's so much fun to ridicule all this stuff. b/c it's all a joke and i bet even christ would have laughed at how seriously people take the stuff. "HOLY ME! you mean they found a likeness of my mom in some burnt toast!? WHAT??"

 

really...

[esterbex]

And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all.

 

Hallelujah, Brother.

 

You didn't see the little white prayer book I got with my First Holy Communion. Thick, plush, embossed covers, fake pearls inlaid, a little recessed rectangle in the middle of the cover for a picture. And that was for the boys...

 

I remember those....But Tammy Faye's eyelashes got in the way of the memory.....

[sombrueil]

It probably wasn't sold to those denominations that don't believe in the holiness of holy water, which is lot of them. My guess is that it was a Catholic item. There are a lot of Catholics though. About a billion right now.

 

 

Remember there is also the Anglican Communion as well as many Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian sects that also support the belief in consecrated water.

 

Yes, but I think only Anglicans/Episcopalians and Eastern Orthodox & Eastern Rite Catholics normally would use holy water outside of a church font. Could be wrong, but that is my impression.

 

And, would they be tacky enough to use a PEN? I feel that in the religious tackiness sweepstakes, Catholics have a huge edge.

 

It's one of my more favorite things about my religion.

 

Your impression is wrong. Raised Roman Catholic and having worked in the Church in my younger years, Holy Water was available to those that wanted it. I still remember filling little glass bottles from the font spigot to make it available to members. So the notion that a priest would carry a small container of it on his person in such an item as the OP presents is well within the realm of reality. And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all. And I am no longer Catholic per se, but I do cherish truth.

 

I think you misunderstood me. In fact I'm not exactly sure what you understood me to be saying, because you just agreed with me about Catholics using holy water. However, I grant that you win on the televangelist point.

[esterbex]

This isn't so much a pen item, but it is a religious article and shouldn't perhaps be ridiculed.

 

 

 

you mean like the little glass bottle they carry around that's supposed to be the blood of jesus? or the shroud of turin? religious articles are just THINGS and it's fun to ridicule them. b/c really, would Jesus have carried around a bunch of STUFF and called it holy? i doubt it. the dude was a carpenter, right? down to earth dude. not into a bunch of STUFF. i mean, didn't he say a few times, sell (or give away) all your stuff, and just walk with me? stuff wasn't important to him. that was the point. that's why it's so much fun to ridicule all this stuff. b/c it's all a joke and i bet even christ would have laughed at how seriously people take the stuff. "HOLY ME! you mean they found a likeness of my mom in some burnt toast!? WHAT??"

 

really...

 

Shawn....I can hear JC chuckling on this one.

I just think pajaro was pointing out that ridicule of what some cherish as part of their religion might be offensive to some....And we are all really here to edify one another and enjoy pens and such, as well as be occasionally entertained by the likes of you.....not to be offended or offensive. (And no, the glass bottle is not supposed to contain His blood.....)

You so crack me up!!! :roflmho:

[esterbex]

It probably wasn't sold to those denominations that don't believe in the holiness of holy water, which is lot of them. My guess is that it was a Catholic item. There are a lot of Catholics though. About a billion right now.

 

 

Remember there is also the Anglican Communion as well as many Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian sects that also support the belief in consecrated water.

 

Yes, but I think only Anglicans/Episcopalians and Eastern Orthodox & Eastern Rite Catholics normally would use holy water outside of a church font. Could be wrong, but that is my impression.

 

And, would they be tacky enough to use a PEN? I feel that in the religious tackiness sweepstakes, Catholics have a huge edge.

 

It's one of my more favorite things about my religion.

 

Your impression is wrong. Raised Roman Catholic and having worked in the Church in my younger years, Holy Water was available to those that wanted it. I still remember filling little glass bottles from the font spigot to make it available to members. So the notion that a priest would carry a small container of it on his person in such an item as the OP presents is well within the realm of reality. And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all. And I am no longer Catholic per se, but I do cherish truth.

 

I think you misunderstood me. In fact I'm not exactly sure what you understood me to be saying, because you just agreed with me about Catholics using holy water. However, I grant that you win on the televangelist point.

 

I may have misunderstood, as it seemed you were excluding Roman/Latin/Western Catholic tradition from the list....The OP's item, though, is quite unique and I'd never seen one like it before. You learn something new every day on FPN!

[penmanila]

the vacumatic book (p. 108) says that "In 1935 Parker became very imaginative and introduced the Holy water Sprinkler. The manufacture of these Vacumatic pens without nibs were designed specifically for Roman Catholic priests... Wherever there was a Catholic Church there was a market. Prior to their release, the London office had an order for five gross (5 x 144) from Ireland.... Sprinklers literally flooded the churches (as gifts for priests) at Christmas."

 

nice pics in the vac book.

 

so apparently they continued the line after the vacs now and then one of those vac pieces turn up on ebay, but this is the first VP model i've seen.

[Vintagepens]

A few penmakers over the years have offered pocketable holy water sprinklers in penlike form. A short list of American makers, off the top of my head, would include Chilton, LeBoeuf, Waterman, and of course Parker. Of these, the Parkers are much the most common. Among Parker sprinklers, it is the VP that is far and away the most common. Why this is so, I cannot say with certainty, but I have my suspicions.

 

It may well be that when the VP was discontinued, spares were re-used for the sprinkler. I have seen no evidence that the VP sprinkler was ever sold as a pair with the pen, so as a stand-alone item it could have been stocked for years after the pen version was off the market. The VP sprinkler also dates to a period when Parker was actively adding non-pen items to their lineup. A sprinkler version of the 61 would not have been very likely, unless the 61 were a cartridge-filling version with converter -- a minority in USA production. A sprinkler version of the 75 would have been possible, but the metal body might not have been seen as suitable, and especially when it came to marking it so it was in some way distinctive and not easily confused with the pen version.

 

It may be a bit ambitious asking $450 for an item that the most established international dealers sell at full retail for only $275.

[happyundertaker]

That is really, really neat!! I use an aspergillum everyday as a funeral director. Many priests look to us to provide one filled with holy water for their use at committal services, so I carry one in my hearse. I have one that was my dad's before me that I thought was cool, but I would absolutely LOVE to hand over a Parker Holy Water Sprinkler to a priest at a graveside service sometime just to see the look on his face! As a pen lover, this would be a really neat thing to have. Thanks for sharing.

[ReverendPen]

 

This isn't so much a pen item, but it is a religious article and shouldn't perhaps be ridiculed.

 

 

 

you mean like the little glass bottle they carry around that's supposed to be the blood of jesus? or the shroud of turin? religious articles are just THINGS and it's fun to ridicule them. b/c really, would Jesus have carried around a bunch of STUFF and called it holy? i doubt it. the dude was a carpenter, right? down to earth dude. not into a bunch of STUFF. i mean, didn't he say a few times, sell (or give away) all your stuff, and just walk with me? stuff wasn't important to him. that was the point. that's why it's so much fun to ridicule all this stuff. b/c it's all a joke and i bet even christ would have laughed at how seriously people take the stuff. "HOLY ME! you mean they found a likeness of my mom in some burnt toast!? WHAT??"

 

really...

 

 

I agree that we, the church, have embellished and gone over the top with some things ..those things we may call Holy. But all of that "Stuff" helps the faithful be in a relationship with God (their creator). They become tangible ways in which the faithful can experience the divine...this stuff becomes sacred (for some a matter of life and death). As for the blood of Jesus; Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican/Episcopal, Orthodox and others do believe that the wine and bread are the very real presence of Jesus, his own body and blood, this is based on Scripture. While it may be fun to ridicule this stuff, for some it may not be fun to BE ridiculed over their beliefs.

 

I wonder, and I am guilty of this, how "over the top" we pen collectors take our "stuff." I remember seeing some posts how people reacted over a set of taps and dies used for parker pens and how much money they went for. For a serious collector and one who does extensive repairs these are essential tools. How over the top do we (again I am guilty as charged) spend on ink. Where the average joe (or jane) is just fine with the free pens left on the desks of a hotel room or pack of Bic pens from Walgreens. Look at how seriously people discuss on this forum if shelac or super glue or rubber cement should be used in a repair.

 

People find meaning in many things. People find life in many things....things others may not fully understand or appreciate... Parker 51's or the Shroud of Turin, Noodlers Ink or Holy Water from the Jordon River. I suppose it could be fun to ridicule it all....but remember it all gives meaning to people in different ways.

 

Just my thoughts

 

Peace

[watch_art]

 

 

I agree that we, the church, have embellished and gone over the top with some things ..those things we may call Holy. But all of that "Stuff" helps the faithful be in a relationship with God (their creator). They become tangible ways in which the faithful can experience the divine...this stuff becomes sacred (for some a matter of life and death). As for the blood of Jesus; Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican/Episcopal, Orthodox and others do believe that the wine and bread are the very real presence of Jesus, his own body and blood, this is based on Scripture. While it may be fun to ridicule this stuff, for some it may not be fun to BE ridiculed over their beliefs.

 

 

Just my thoughts

 

Peace

 

 

whoops. there i go not being very clear. i wasn't talking about the wine and bread, i was speaking of the stuff i see on the history channel sometimes. over in europe, don't remember at all which country, italy maybe, or one with a larger population catholics, i remember seeing a parade and in that parade was a trunk sort of thing, with glass sides, very ornately done, that had a tiny vial in it, that had supposedly been sealed for centuries, that supposedly contains the blood of christ. THAT is what i'm talking about. to me, that is a joke. it's an even bigger joke that some people think that could really be the blood of christ. i'll have to look it up if this conversation keeps going, but maybe you know what i'm talking about.

[sombrueil]

whoops. there i go not being very clear. i wasn't talking about the wine and bread, i was speaking of the stuff i see on the history channel sometimes. over in europe, don't remember at all which country, italy maybe, or one with a larger population catholics, i remember seeing a parade and in that parade was a trunk sort of thing, with glass sides, very ornately done, that had a tiny vial in it, that had supposedly been sealed for centuries, that supposedly contains the blood of christ. THAT is what i'm talking about. to me, that is a joke. it's an even bigger joke that some people think that could really be the blood of christ. i'll have to look it up if this conversation keeps going, but maybe you know what i'm talking about.

 

 

I really don't think you should ridicule other people's religious beliefs and practices, no matter how far-fetched they might seem to you. If you don't understand why you shouldn't, then so be it. I hope you don't find out the reason the hard way.

[StyloBug33]

 

 

I agree that we, the church, have embellished and gone over the top with some things ..those things we may call Holy. But all of that "Stuff" helps the faithful be in a relationship with God (their creator). They become tangible ways in which the faithful can experience the divine...this stuff becomes sacred (for some a matter of life and death). As for the blood of Jesus; Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican/Episcopal, Orthodox and others do believe that the wine and bread are the very real presence of Jesus, his own body and blood, this is based on Scripture. While it may be fun to ridicule this stuff, for some it may not be fun to BE ridiculed over their beliefs.

 

 

Just my thoughts

 

Peace

 

 

whoops. there i go not being very clear. i wasn't talking about the wine and bread, i was speaking of the stuff i see on the history channel sometimes. over in europe, don't remember at all which country, italy maybe, or one with a larger population catholics, i remember seeing a parade and in that parade was a trunk sort of thing, with glass sides, very ornately done, that had a tiny vial in it, that had supposedly been sealed for centuries, that supposedly contains the blood of christ. THAT is what i'm talking about. to me, that is a joke. it's an even bigger joke that some people think that could really be the blood of christ. i'll have to look it up if this conversation keeps going, but maybe you know what i'm talking about.

 

Miracle of Lanciano

 

I imagine this is what you saw on the History Channel. If the link doesn't work it is called the Miracle of Lanciano. Serious Catholics don't see it as a joke. I really don't understand the direction this thread has taken. It isn't funny to make fun of people and what they believe in. It's just crass.

[watch_art]

yeah i'm gonna zip ma lips. sorry to offend.