Parker Vacumatic Identification

[Gary1952]

Hi,

 

Any idea what model and year this Parker Vacumatic is?  The year code on the pen is indecipherable.

 

Thank you.

Edited August 7, 2025 by Gary1952
typo

[VacNut]

It was made after 1938 silver or emerald Vacumatic maxima. ( Can’t tell from the photo). Is the end jewel like a bull’s eye, green striped, or black? The blue diamond clip suggests a 1938-39 pen, but clips are easily replaceable, so they are not a singular reliable predictor.

It looks to have a replacement later Duofold-type nib. It should have a two-tone nib.

Is it Canadian or made in the USA?

[FarmBoy]

Only for you is that clip easily replaced. 

[joss]

Although the pictures distort the pen's dimensions slightly, the wide cap band suggests that your pen is a Maxima. The clip with the large-diameter washer ring and the large jewels on the cap and blind cap also suggest Maxima to me. To verify this, you can measure the diameter of the cap at the cap band; this should be between 15.0 and 15.5 mm for a Maxima.

 

If the Maxima model is confirmed, your pen can be dated to 1940–41. While a 10-feather nib could indicate a replacement Duofold-type nib, it is also correct for a Maxima from Q1 1940 onwards. This nib would originally have been two-tone gold and platinum, but the platinum layer often disappears due to excessive polishing. Traces of the platinum layer may eventually still be visible on the underside of the nib. The nib may also have a date code stamped below the 'USA' imprint, but this part of the nib is located in the section. The Maxima had a metal Speedline filler until mid-1942, so the plastic Vacumatic filler in your pen is then a replacement. The Maxima became a single-jewel pen in Q1 1942. The combination of a striped jewel on the cap and a black jewel on the blind cap narrows down the manufacturing date to late 1940 (earlier double jewel Maxima had two striped jewels) to early 1941 (later double jewel Maxima had two black jewels).

[Gary1952]

Hi,

 

Pen nib made in USA.

 

Pen colour is green.

 

Blind cap end jewel is black (Bulls eye)

 

Diameter at cap band is 15 mm

 

Cheers,

Gary

 

[lionelc]

early 1940 maxima

[Gary1952]

Thanks for the feedback folks. 

[VacNut]

6 hours ago, Gary1952 said:

Hi,

 

Pen nib made in USA.

 

Pen colour is green.

 

Blind cap end jewel is black (Bulls eye)

 

Diameter at cap band is 15 mm

 

Cheers,

Gary

 

Unless the end cap is a replacement, which is unlikely, it really locks down the date of the Maxima. The tassie was pressed onto the end cap, so it cannot be removed. It is a noteworthy pen. Keep hunting…

[VacNut]

11 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

Only for you is that clip easily replaced. 

Perhaps, but the clips are usually attached to caps, which are screwed onto barrels, which contain a nib…

 

Clips sometimes break, and are replaced with what is available at the time. An earlier pen may have a later model clip.