A Parker Collection

[CatchyNameHere]

I didn't think I should overload the 'recently added' thread, but I wanted to share this with you all. It's hard for me to call this my collection, it's a family collection, a fairly nice one due to having a couple of former employees in the family. There are a couple of pens I have questions about, and I figured I might as well see if you all can help me. The rest I just wanted to share with people who understand. There are a couple of non-Parkers in the bunch, let me know if you spot 'em. 

 

Duofolds first. All reds are Internationals, all blues are Centennials. The white and pearl is an international. I do have a black fountain pen, but it was recently up for auction on ebay and I forgot to add it, so all blacks are rollerballs. The three black Duofold rollerballs, starting from the left are really interesting to me, that's because they say Made in USA on the cap. We think they were most likely an R&D market test run. It has been a long time, and my connection has had a long career since Arrow Park shut down, so I don't know that he remembers everything he would have known 20 years ago. I do have one more duofold, putting it in at the end with my personal pens.

 

 

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

These come from a family member who passed long ago. Most of these I will probably keep, even the Vacuumatic, but the 61 demonstrator, 45, and pencils I may auction. Some others have names on them, and those definitely stay with family.

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

Bunch of Jotters and Vectors. 

[CatchyNameHere]

Okay let's get to it... Here are the 75s and Premiers. Two of the Chinese Laque, on the left, are rollerballs and are a bit worn. The Chinese Laque on the right is in great condition, and it's a fountain. The Sterling Vermeil 75 is actually a rollerball, but I kind of want to keep it and swap a nib from one of the 75 brown laques there. The others in the red box are all in great condition. 

 

And onto the Presidentials. Both are 9k, French made variants. Does anyone know why that hang tag says 'CTS Massif'? One of the Gold and Laque premiers is a rollerball, one is a fountain. 

[CatchyNameHere]

More Vectors, some Insignias, Big Reds, 50 Panther flighter, 61 flighter, matte black 180, 88s. So, the biggest question mark to me are the two pens on the very right hand side of the tray with the flighters. They are flighters themselves, but they are too thin to be 75s. I will figure it out eventually, but if anyone wants to point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

[CatchyNameHere]

Sonnets. I believe these would all be late 90s models. 

[CatchyNameHere]

World Fair Jotters. Most likely these were picked up by my Great Grandfather. I have to admit, the bottom of the big box is not exactly pristine. At some point in time, a much younger version of myself must have tested a pen on it. To the great shame of my adult self. 

[CatchyNameHere]

The plate speaks for itself. The Santa is from a set of Norman Rockwell prints commemorating old Parker advertisements. The pens, and the list, are from a pen book given to a former employee to commemorate the final year of production at Arrow Park. There are two pencils missing, because family gets first pick, lol. Not even sure where those went. 

[CatchyNameHere]

A couple more pictures that came with the "1999" pen book. 

[CatchyNameHere]

I forgot a few 75s. Just a few... These are burgundy with gold caps, gold trim, and jewel cabochons. They definitely vary. There are some 14k nibs, some 18k nibs, medium, fine, and at least one x. I honestly have not catalogued them all. There is one barrel with some kind of blemish, not sure what happened to it. The rest are near mint, and they've been sitting in those trays since, I assume, 1999. They were probably awaiting some kind engraving for a USA customer. At the end Gillette gave a lot of pens away to employees. I think I'm probably repeating a story a lot of you collectors already know.

[CatchyNameHere]

My for sure keepers, at least for now. The MacArthur pen I picked as a graduation present. The 12k gold ballpoints I am just laying claim to, because, well, they're pretty. The rest are all Jotters, Frontiers, Vectors, pens and pencils, that I either had handed to me at some point, and there are a couple in there that I bought. Of all the workhorse pens I use, my favorite is probably a USA made Frontier with a translucent blue barrel. If I could only keep two pens, it would be that one and the MacArthur Duofold. But then I'd cheat and grab an old Jotter flighter, and you would never know that I had 3 pens instead of 2. 

[Carguy]

Very nice collection. I especially like some of those 75’s.

[inkstainedruth]

And I was goggling over the Vectors.  I've never seen some of those designs before (and I'm sort of a sucker for Vectors, since my first "good" pen was a Vector -- replacing a couple of Parker Reflexes when the rubber on the grips on them disintegrated).  Are those fountain pens or roller balls?  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[FarmBoy]

Interesting demonstrator 61. 
 

can I get a picture with the cap off?

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

59 minutes ago, Carguy said:

Very nice collection. I especially like some of those 75’s.

 

Thank you. I don't want to violate the rules around here, but I can say that I won't be holding onto all of them. I was the only one who wanted them, but I've never been one to hoard, and I need to make room for other pens too now that I caught the bug. 

 

41 minutes ago, inkstainedruth said:

And I was goggling over the Vectors.  I've never seen some of those designs before (and I'm sort of a sucker for Vectors, since my first "good" pen was a Vector -- replacing a couple of Parker Reflexes when the rubber on the grips on them disintegrated).  Are those fountain pens or roller balls?  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Yes some of the vectors are fountain pens for sure. I have to sort that out a bit, because I think some of them are 88s, or Rialtos, etc. I just need to spend a bit more time on parkerpens.net. Then again someone here might tell me.  

 

I put a red box around the fountain pen vectors. You can turn any of them into fountains though. I always contemplate buying some of the old ones I see on ebay and swapping barrels. There are some people still selling new-old stuff. 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

35 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Interesting demonstrator 61. 
 

can I get a picture with the cap off?

 

 

 

Okay I just realized that it isn't a demonstrator. Should have done more research.

https://www.proxibid.com/Parker-61-Demonstrator-FP/lotinformation/59441103

 

Edited May 13, 2022 by CatchyNameHere
Oops

[Number99]

6 hours ago, CatchyNameHere said:

More Vectors, some Insignias, Big Reds, 50 Panther flighter, 61 flighter, matte black 180, 88s. So, the biggest question mark to me are the two pens on the very right hand side of the tray with the flighters. They are flighters themselves, but they are too thin to be 75s. I will figure it out eventually, but if anyone wants to point me in the right direction, I would appreciate it.

180 on the far right of the last image.

 The chrome trim (isn't it chrome plated?) And the barrel end decoration is gold plated, so I'm wondering if the nibs are octanium or gold.

 I've seen 180 with octanium nibs and all others chrome plated.

 Someone was looking for a similar 75, calling it "all white."

 I also admire 180 "all white".

 The 180 I saw was all NOS in lot sales with 75 sterling silver and 51, so I had no choice but to look at the image ...

 

 I seem to have traveled back in time to an old pen shop.

 

 Thank you for posting.

 

 

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

16 minutes ago, Number99 said:

180 on the far right of the last image.

 The chrome trim (isn't it chrome plated?) And the barrel end decoration is gold plated, so I'm wondering if the nibs are octanium or gold.

 I've seen 180 with octanium nibs and all others chrome plated.

 Someone was looking for a similar 75, calling it "all white."

 I also admire 180 "all white".

 The 180 I saw was all NOS in lot sales with 75 sterling silver and 51, so I had no choice but to look at the image ...

 

 I seem to have traveled back in time to an old pen shop.

 

 Thank you for posting.

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you. I should have taken some pictures of them without their caps. I also should have mentioned that those two pens are rollerballs. They really do look more like the 180s.

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

I think I picked up on another error here. What I called a 61 Flighter actually looks like a 65 Flighter to me. I'm looking at this website, http://www.richardspens.com/ref/design/flighters.htm , and I believe that is Richard Binder's site. 

 

 

 

 

[CatchyNameHere]

Thank you all for commenting, by the way. You have already been a great help.