What Parkers Have Joined Your Collection Lately?

[inkstainedruth]

My go-to site for all things Parker pens is www.parkercollector.com -- the amount of knowledge about all things Parker pens is astounding!  

One of the things I've learned over the years is that a lot of 51s you can roughly date when they were made by what the wording on the fill system is: i.e., stuff like how many times to press the bar on the filler, but there's also a page on that site that explains the different date code systems, and what they mean.

I don't know whether all of mine have date codes or not, but there's a page on that website that gives how the earlier and more recent date codes work and what they mean (month and year of production).

I know less about 21s (I have one or two, but don't like them nearly as well because the material used for the barrels and hoods is prone to cracking -- unlike the lucite used when making 51s.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[christof]

The Duofold collection is still growing:

 

 

New are the orange and black Centennials.

[christof]

Every now and then, I bring a friend’s old fountain pens back to life. And every now and then, he thinks of me in return — for example, when he’s wandering the streets of Nice, somewhere between an apéritif and a walk on the beach, and stumbles across an antique shop… and even finds something there.

 

He brought this beautiful set back for me from the south of France. A Parker 75 set — nothing extraordinary in itself — but complete in its box, with all accessories, and in a condition that feels like it came straight out of a time capsule. I really love that.

 

 

Both the fountain pen and the pencil are from U.S. production. It seems, however, that the packaging was customized for the French market, since the inside of the box is decorated with the French national colors. Still, tucked under the blue velvet insert were a price tag in dollars and a small card highlighting the materials used.

 

 

I’m especially taken with the pencil. It’s the old model with the indestructible twist mechanism. Yet it’s already fitted for 0.9 mm leads, which makes it absolutely practical for everyday use.

 

 

There is even the original tiny tool to adjust the nib position.

 

 

Both writing instruments have developed a wonderful patina — something I will definitely try to preserve.

 

Edit: when I read the advert above correctly, the price for a Parker 75 set was 40$. So I suspect, that the price sticker of 15$ belongs rather to the pencil than to the pen.

[jchch1950]

33 minutes ago, christof said:

Every now and then, I bring a friend’s old fountain pens back to life. And every now and then, he thinks of me in return — for example, when he’s wandering the streets of Nice, somewhere between an apéritif and a walk on the beach, and stumbles across an antique shop… and even finds something there.

 

He brought this beautiful set back for me from the south of France. A Parker 75 set — nothing extraordinary in itself — but complete in its box, with all accessories, and in a condition that feels like it came straight out of a time capsule. I really love that.

 

 

Both the fountain pen and the pencil are from U.S. production. It seems, however, that the packaging was customized for the French market, since the inside of the box is decorated with the French national colors. Still, tucked under the blue velvet insert were a price tag in dollars and a small card highlighting the materials used.

 

 

I’m especially taken with the pencil. It’s the old model with the indestructible twist mechanism. Yet it’s already fitted for 0.9 mm leads, which makes it absolutely practical for everyday use.

 

 

There is even the original tiny tool to adjust the nib position.

 

 

Both writing instruments have developed a wonderful patina — something I will definitely try to preserve.

 

Edit: when I read the advert above correctly, the price for a Parker 75 set was 40$. So I suspect, that the price sticker of 15$ belongs rather to the pencil than to the pen.

The original price for the Parker 75 was 25 us dollars. Your suspicion is correct.

[christof]

Thank you!

[Penguincollector]

@christof, what a beautiful set, complete with the adjustment tool! So cool. The hue of the velvet liner is amazing. 
 

[Penguincollector]

  My newest Parker friend was meant to go under the tree, but the seller requested that I ink it so that we could both be sure everything was in working order. I complied, and so now this Parker Azure Pearl Sub Deb (please correct me if I’m wrong, I just started getting into Vacumatics) is filled with Washable Blue Quink and is a delightful writer. I can’t read the date code on this one for the life of me, I tried both 10x and 30x, no luck. 
 

 

 

 

[inkstainedruth]

@christof -- Nice find!  I love the ciselé 75s (and was amused that the price tag you found in the box is what I paid for my (flat top) set at an estate sale awhile back).  Your set looks to be in better condition than mine (I was able to get most of the tarnish off the pencil, but have to take another stab at the pen's cap with the buffing cloth).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[FarmBoy]

14 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

@christof -- Nice find!  I love the ciselé 75s (and was amused that the price tag you found in the box is what I paid for my (flat top) set at an estate sale awhile back).  Your set looks to be in better condition than mine (I was able to get most of the tarnish off the pencil, but have to take another stab at the pen's cap with the buffing cloth).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

We often talk about the least we paid for a pen.  We should turn that upside down.  What is the most?

I'll play.  I've paid more than $99 for a 51.  Gasp.

[inkstainedruth]

Okay, I'll play.

The most I ever paid for a pen was the Pelikan M405 Stresemann, with a not quite correct -- in that it's a standard(?) two-toned (not the rhodium plated one) B nib which I got from Rolf Thiel on eBay (I wanted the nib width and don't mind that it's not 100% "correct"), followed by the M405 Blue Black, which I ordered from him at the same time.  Of course I saved money because he didn't have to charge me VAT and I didn't have to pay the US distributor markup, and back then eBay didn't automatically collect sales tax.  Total for the two pens was ~$600 US (and netted me a phone call from PayPal, trying to make sure it was a legit charge... ).  Which, of course, it was (unlike that one on another thread about that scam website supposedly in Parma, Ohio).

The most I ever paid for a Parker 51 is (with the buyer's premium) $121 US, for the Navy Grey Aero with an OB nib....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Mercian]

1 hour ago, FarmBoy said:

I've paid more than $99 for a 51.  Gasp.

 

Do you mean a post-2020 c/c 51?

Or a 'vintage' "51" (whether vacumatic, aerometric or c/c)?

 

If we include post-purchase restoration costs, I have now 'sunk' around £110 into one particular aerometric "51" - and mine is only a "51" in one of the 'boring', standard colours, with a Lustraloy cap, and with an ordinary nib on it too!

OK, that only takes my total outlay up to the equivalent of the price of the pen when it was new, but does this make me an idiot for doing so? 🤷

[Mercian]

12 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

The most I ever paid for a Parker 51 is (with the buyer's premium) $121 US, for the Navy Grey Aero with an OB nib....

 

Coincidentally, my most-expensive "51" is also a Navy Grey aero, but mine 'only' has a UK 'F' nib on it.

 

I bought it because my mum had a Navy Grey aero "51" when I was a kid, and I was trying to replace that pen.

[inkstainedruth]

That's cool -- and a nice memorial to your mom.  I'm pretty sure that neither of my parents had a "good pen" growing up because they both grew up during the Depression.  My mom told me once that when she was in college, she was going to pledge some sorority -- until she found out that the dues were (gasp) 50¢ (which is what Christmas dinner at a "nice" restaurant with a bar cost back in the late 1930s-early 1940s) -- and she didn't DARE ask my grandparents for money for something as frivolous as that.  

When my grandfather on my dad's side died, I found his pen/pencil combo on my dad's dresser when we got home from the funeral.  No clue of the brand, and I thought that the leads for the pencil end were installed in what (in retrospect) was the lever box to fill the pen side.  All I know is that it was blue, and had been my grandfather's and I thought it was really cool.  And that my mother could not for the life of her fathom my fascination with it (other than that I was always "artsy").  And of course I probably lost it within a month or so....  

For all I know, it could have been some 3rd tier junker, but I really wish I still had it all these decades later, as much as anything simply *because* it had been my grandfather's....  I'm so jealous of all the people on here who have pens handed down in their families.  The closest I have is my husband's grandfather's Sheaffer Balance Oversize, which (when my mother-in-law gave it to me) had the cap from HER old Eversharp Skyline jammed onto it.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[stoen]

13 hours ago, christof said:

A Parker 75 set

Brings back my childhood memories, and the memory of my mother, who used to write with such a set. Beautifully engineered and designed…

 

[Glenn-SC]

3 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

We often talk about the least we paid for a pen.  We should turn that upside down.  What is the most?

I'll play.  I've paid more than $99 for a 51.  Gasp.

I won’t play. 
I said the most I paid once on the FPN and was insulted as a snob for confusing price with quality/value.  

[Beechwood]

21 hours ago, christof said:

Every now and then, I bring a friend’s old fountain pens back to life. And every now and then, he thinks of me in return — for example, when he’s wandering the streets of Nice, somewhere between an apéritif and a walk on the beach, and stumbles across an antique shop… and even finds something there.

 

He brought this beautiful set back for me from the south of France. A Parker 75 set — nothing extraordinary in itself — but complete in its box, with all accessories, and in a condition that feels like it came straight out of a time capsule. I really love that.

 

 

Both the fountain pen and the pencil are from U.S. production. It seems, however, that the packaging was customized for the French market, since the inside of the box is decorated with the French national colors. Still, tucked under the blue velvet insert were a price tag in dollars and a small card highlighting the materials used.

 

 

I’m especially taken with the pencil. It’s the old model with the indestructible twist mechanism. Yet it’s already fitted for 0.9 mm leads, which makes it absolutely practical for everyday use.

 

 

There is even the original tiny tool to adjust the nib position.

 

 

Both writing instruments have developed a wonderful patina — something I will definitely try to preserve.

 

Edit: when I read the advert above correctly, the price for a Parker 75 set was 40$. So I suspect, that the price sticker of 15$ belongs rather to the pencil than to the pen.

 

 

My favourite pen of the modern era for looks and performance, a great find and very envious.

[TheRedBeard]

On 12/3/2025 at 5:01 AM, christof said:

 Since I got it, it‘s in my pocket every day.

I have no Idea why the fine nibs are that much harder to find than medium ones… they are excellent!

I believe you are enjoying it  

As I also prefer Fine nibs, I agree it is a not easy task to find them, especially if ones looks for a pen in NOS condition... 

[TheRedBeard]

On 12/4/2025 at 4:59 AM, christof said:

The Duofold collection is still growing:

 

 

New are the orange and black Centennials.

Marvellous collection  

[mitto]

11 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

We often talk about the least we paid for a pen.  We should turn that upside down.  What is the most?

I'll play.  I've paid more than $99 for a 51.  Gasp.

I have paid more than £200 for a 51.

[christof]

2 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

Marvellous collection  

Thank you!