Here is a prototype that started out as a vermeil Florence. It has black laquer in the lines that the normal vermeil Florence has the exposed sterling silver. As you can see, it is inscribed with "ARGENT MASSIF" (solid silver) and the crab hallmark that indicates the base metal is sterling silver.
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So how do I know this is a prototype issued by Parker? The answer is by closely examining the laquered lines near the barrel tassie. Since the barrel tassie is extremely difficult to remove, an after-market attempt would not have the laque material neatly laid up to the very edge.
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Looking at this picture you can see that the pen has the laque material all the way to the edge, and my examination using a 10x loupe shows this to be consistently neat all around the barrel. Based on this examination I conclude that it was Parker who made this, not someone who had the pen after it left the Parker factory. Parker was able to lay the laque material onto the barrel when the tassie was not in place. |
Here is the sterling Florence pen with black laque material just like the above.
