Vermeil crosshatch grid, 1966 - 1974(?)

 

Pattern

Cross-hatch square grid made of vertical and horizontal engraved lines, equally spaced to form square patterns. For emphasis, some versions have the engraved lines are filled with a black enamel instead of simply letting the patina darken the lines. This enamel made the grid pattern more pronounced. Click here for details.

Material

Vermeil which is goldfill or gold electroplate over sterling silver.  

Earlier models with the small arrowhead and flat tassies were 14K goldfill over sterling.  These were marked on the cap band with Sterling & 1/20 14K G.F. (earliest) or Sterling & 14K G.F..  Later models were 22K gold electroplated and had the dished tassies with later style clip that had the larger arrowhead.  These were inscribed around the cap band with Sterling Vermeil.  There were, however, variations to these attributes as noted below.

Click here to see a comparison of these inscriptions.

Availability (model #)

Fountain pen (#175-000), felt-tip (#175-201), Ball pen, Pencil

Price

1972: FP - $50
1973: FT- $45

Notes

This crosshatch grid is a variant of the original version made of sterling silver. A thin layer of gold was either mechanically bonded (gold fill) or electroplated over the sterling silver cap and barrel to create vermeil, giving the pen a golden hue that aged gracefully with a rich patina.

The year of final production is not certain.  There is a National Geographic ad from November 1974 (same photo that Parker used for November 1973) showing  a vermeil soft-tip 75 so I would think that it was available through the end of that year.  I have nothing beyond that year showing this model was available.

During the transition period from flat to dished tassies and small to large arrowhead clip, which I estimate to be from 1970-71, you can find interesting variations of the cap inscription and tassies.  I have seen: