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Frequently Asked QuestionsThis page contains answers to your questions. Please send new questions to me by email.
Table of Contents
1. Do the earliest Parker 75 sterling grid pens have the flat end tassies?February 26, 2001 A lot of people think that the flat tassies were placed on the 75s only during the first year of production. I believe this to be a mistake as these flat end tassies were used through the 1960s. Only around 1970 did Parker drop these flat tassies in favor of the dished tassie, which was indented and filled with a flat gold-washed disc. At around the same time, Parker also replaced the section collar so that it omitted the zero reference inscription, changed the clip to have the larger arrowhead, and widened the cap band. As proof, just take a look at the advertising picturing the 75s. Even in early 1970s, there were still ads showing 75s with the early clips, smaller capband, and presumably the flat end tassies. Also the great numbers of such flat-top 75s refute the theory that these were from the first-year of production One thing is certain, however. The earliest 75s had sections with metal threads. This was quickly replaced with an all-plastic section, probably sometime after 1965. They are so scarce. Back to Top
2. Why does the coin looks different from the original 1715 Spanish treasure cob coin?April 29, 2001 From what I understand, the reason why the Parker Pen Company got involved with this silver treasure was because Ken Parker was an investor in Mel Fisher's salvage efforts. When a portion of that treasure was recovered in the early 1960s, the silver coins were of such poor quality that its value to collects was very low. The coins were not really recognizable as cob (abbreviation for "cabo de barra" which literally means "slice of the bar") coins since the strike impression had degraded beyond recognition. Leave it to Ken Parker to cook up how to make up for its lost historical value as a coin! In what we now see as a marketing coup, Ken Parker took his investment in the poor quality silver and used it as the base material for the special edition Parker 75. The FP sold for three times the normal price! As far as the cob coin is concerned, Parker commissioned another company to use the remain silver to make into the sterling silver coins. I am not sure if the original pattern came from a gold or silver coin, but I think they took the one with the best strike impression available. Back to Top
3. Do Spanish Treasure Fleet 75s exist without the appropriate inscription on the cap band?July 23, 2001 No, all Spanish Treasure Fleet 75 FP and BP have the special inscription indicating they are that. I have heard of such items being offered, but I believe it is a misconception the seller has. Apparently the salvager Mel Fisher who found the sunken silver treasure gave his investors a Parker 75 and may have given this impression to the recipient. He might have stated that Parker used his salvaged silver to make into pens like these normal 75 and such statements were misinterpreted. That's just my conjecture and I have no hard evidence of this. Back to Top
4. Are the Spanish Treasure Fleet pens numbered?July 23, 2001 No, these pens were not numbered. Often the 1715 that is inscribed on the cap band is mistaken by the owners as a serial number. This is the year the treasure fleet sunk off the coast of Florida. Back to Top
5. What are the nib adjustment tools?July 23, 2001 These are simple plastic pieces that were packed with the Parker 75 and Premier FPs and allowed one to turn the angle of the nib relative to the grip without getting one's fingers dirty with ink.
The Parker 75 tool is the shaped like a stirrup and shown on the left. The Premier tool is more elegant in its appearance and appears on the right. Back to Top
6. What are the differences between the old felt-tip and newer rollerball sections?August 7, 2001 First, know that both these sections may be used in place of the fountain pen section. But the older felt-tip section (shown on the right) has a chrome ring around a tip that has a larger opening than the newer rollerball section due to the relatively thicker felt tip refill. Also notice that the rollerball section is slightly longer at the tip to accommodate the rollerball refill..
With the proper plastic shim the felt-tip section can also take a BP refill. This shim was once used in the plastic orange "Big Red" BP. The same cannot be said about the rollerball section fitting the BP refill.
When this shim is inserted into the felt-tip section, the fit is perfect in appearance.
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7. How can I clean my sterling silver 75s with minimal damage?September 4, 2001 I have found that using an inexpensive jeweler's silver polishing cloth does the job quite effectively without the need to resort to using more abrasive methods. The cloth is impregnated with jewelers rouge which will remove the silver oxidation that tarnishes the sterling silver 75s. For more stubborn tarnished areas, simply wet the cloth slightly when using it. Just remember to use the cloth lightly as it is safer though it may take a bit longer to remove the oxidation. This polishing cloth is readily available at any Sears store in the jewelry department for $5.88 (as of 2003). It is called the "Connoisseurs UltraSoft Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloth". If you were a bit over-aggressive in cleaning your pen, especially if you didn't use the above suggestion, and removed the dark color in the grid lines, here is how you can restore it. Back to Top
8. How can I safely clean the inside of my FP cap?September 4, 2001 Many 75 FP caps have an inside slip clutch spring that appears as four 'fingers' that grab the FP section allowing the pen to be closed with that distinctive click. This can be seen by the reflection at the 6 o'clock position with a shadow hint of two more at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions in the in the picture below.
To clean the cap, do not make the mistake of using a rolled tissue paper as this may catch one of those four 'fingers' and bend it away from the inside cap. Should this happen, you may catch this finger and bend it to the point of destroying it when you next try to close the FP. If you are careful, you can try to use a cotton swab so long as the cotton tip is tightly wound without any loose strands. When inserting it into the cap, do so at the center so as not to catch any of those 'fingers'. Pressing against the inner cap wall, gently extract the swab out of the cap. Just be gentle and take some care! Back to Top
9. Where can I return my pen for repairs by Parker?Updated June 30, 2012 According to an email from a Parker customer service representative, Parker USA and Canada no longer have any spare parts for the 75s as well as the 51’s, 61’s and Vacumatics. This has been the case since 2004. Please check here for parts that I still have. As of mid-2009 I learned that Parker USA no longer performed repairs in Janesville, WI. So while you can still send them your pen, what they will do instead is gather the pens submitted and ship them (weekly?) to France where the repairs will be performed. Parker's official company website is www.ParkerPens.com. You can check for local addresses for other countries not shown below.
Parker may also suggest that you contact the following repair folks.
Revised: December 31, 2013 . |
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Copyright © 2000-2013, Lih-Tah Wong. All rights reserved
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