Antique and Vintage Parker Pens
The Pinnacle of Pens: Author Barry Gabay on Writing in Style and the Montblanc 149
By Maribeth Keane and Brad Quinn — In 1908, three guys in Hamburg, Germany, founded what would become Montblanc. In the beginning it was known as the Simplo Filler Pen Company—“filler” because their pen featured a filling mechanism that set it apart from desk-dip pens, which was what most of the world used at that time. It wasn’t until 1910 that the firm released a pen with the Montblanc name on it—in 1924, Montblanc was added to the company’s name. Mont Blanc, of course, is a mountain in France, on the French-Italian...
Vintage Sheaffer, Parker, Wahl, and Waterman Fountain Pens
By Maribeth Keane — When I got my first job out of college, I did what a lot of people do: I ran out and bought myself a Montblanc pen and fountain pen set. I kept that pen for years, but in the mid-’90s, I lost the ballpoint at a business meeting. I gave it to somebody to use, and they didn’t give it back, which is the common way people lose pens. It wasn’t like the Montblancs you see today, with the twist cap that everybody has in their pocket. It was actually a special one made out of metal, a push...
The Parker 51, a Classic Vintage Pen
By Ernesto Soler — The Parker "51," produced by the Parker Pen Company, is considered by many collectors to be the best pen ever made. Developed in 1939 and introduced in the U.S. market in 1941, it soon became widely imitated by most pen manufacturers. To this day, its shape and design remain widely recognizable and it seems to never become dated. My main collecting interest is the Parker "51" and its many variations, from pre-production varieties all the way to the last U.S. models produced around 1972....