Counterfeit Parker Premier On Ebay?

[readmore77]

I was starting to bid on this Parker Premier fountain pen:

 

Parker Premier Black Lacquer Silver Trim Fountain Pen

 

But as I took a closer look at the photo that shows a close-up of the nib--I noticed that it has the little plus symbol inside the diamond--something that you look for on fake Sonnet nibs. Is this always a dead give-away of a fake Parker, or did they ever legitimately produce a nib with this symbol on it? Or are there any other indicators on this Premier that give it away as a fake or as genuine?

[icardoth]

I have two original Premier and both have the same sign inside the diamond. It seems to be legitimate. The only problem I see is the cap engraving.

[Charles Rice]

You buy something from Romania, you take your chances.

[dan in montreal]

Can't tell if it's legit, I've only seen it in shops, but the guy's feedback is good, and seems he's been selling high end pens. The cap engraving might prevent a nutty bidding war - if the price is right, I'd give it a try, even if the seller is Romanian!

[readmore77]

I thought the little diamond with the plus symbol was a dead giveaway of a fake Parker. According to Captain Chang:

 

http://www.captainchang.com/pens/images/fakes/parker-sonnet-nib-compare.jpg

 

The above compares a fake (top) and a real (bottom) Parker Sonnet 18k gold nib side by side. The engraving is lighter on the fake (although you would not be able to tell this from auction photos). The obvious difference is the cross-diamond hallmark, which is never used in real Parkers. Real Parker hallmarks are usually the P-arrow-P (in two variants) or P-over-W for post-2001 pens.

 

 

So is this information wrong--those cross-diamond symbols are used on real Parkers?

 

 

[MCN]

The photos in the auction are not very good, and it's not clear to me that the Premier's nib even has the "cross" symbol you are worried about.

[hari317]

I thought the little diamond with the plus symbol was a dead giveaway of a fake Parker. According to Captain Chang:

 

http://www.captainchang.com/pens/images/fakes/parker-sonnet-nib-compare.jpg

 

 

So is this information wrong--those cross-diamond symbols are used on real Parkers?

 

 

 

the nib shown in the listing has P and W inside the diamond. It is legit.

[rbeef]

You buy something from Romania, you take your chances.

 

What do you mean, exactly?

[readmore77]

 

the nib shown in the listing has P and W inside the diamond. It is legit.

 

Good catch! Thanks for checking, I think you're right about that.