Revision history

Click on any link to view the Change Summary page for that update.

2013

December 31

 

2012

June 30

 

2011

 

December 31

May 31

 

2010

December 31

May 31

2009

December 31

June 30

March 31

2008

December 31

October 14

May 22

 

2007

 

December 31

September 30

June 30

March 31

 

2006

November 12

July 15

April 2

 

2005

December 18

September 25

July 23

March 27

 

2004

December 31

October 9

June 27

March 28

 

2003

December 14

October 14

June 30

March 31

 

2002

 

December 31

July 29

May 22

February 28

 

2001

 

December 22

October 31

Supplement after the Columbus Pen Show

  • Unusual sections: blue color and a double-banded black.

  • Another titanium 75 prototype, once more with the early clips and flat tassies, even on the barrel end.

  • French 18K nib comparison.

  • Tassies with a slight outward bow and not completely flat.

  • Sample GP Cisele crosshatch grid whose lines are more deeply cut than those found on the GP Insignia.

  • Owners manual packaged with the sterling crosshatch and Keepsake (just the front and back cover pages).

  • While we are on ephemera, here is a look at the cap band inscription requirements from Parker internal documents and a product flyer for the "Laque Collection".  

    The inscription specification sheet brings to light several things that affirm, correct and raise some implications.

    • Brings actual proof from Parker documents the date coding using the words "QUALITY PEN" and that the letters represent a decade form of encoding.

    • The vertical bars used to denote quarters did not start with 1990 as my original date code page presumed.  It started with 1987.

    • Since the first year to use this quarter encoding form is 1987, this implies the document was made prior to that.  My guess is it came from 1986.

    • The last year for this form of quarter encoding was 1996.  Either the 75 line would be ended by then or Parker would need a new form of quarter encoding.

August 31

  • Parker 1990 and 1991 treaty pens.

  • Solid 18K gold basketweave prototype.

  • Yet another Keepsake variant, this one must surely be a prototype.  Curiously it is inscribed as being made in France!

  • Here is what I think may be a prototype of the 75 in a grid pattern made out of aluminum.

  • New book was added for close relatives of the 75 family, the Parker Premiers and T-1, though the page for the latter is still under construction.

  • Information on the felt tip and rollerball sections.

  • I thought that Parker's date coding of the 75s began with the French-produced models.  I now have proof that this was wrong.  Here is an example of a US sterling grid 75 FP that is date coded.

July 29

May 27

  • Wavy lined prototype 75 FP in sterling silver that was auctioned at the Chicago Pen Show on Saturday May 6th, 2001.

  • With the discovery of the FP, what I originally labeled as prototype #9 may actually be a real production 75.  No one has been able to identify this to date.  Thus I am moving this from the prototype to the unknown category.

  • Parker supplied photograph of the Apollo XV 75.

  • Ken Parker's cigarette case with the grid pattern.

  • The US Patent & Trademark Office granted Ken Parker a 14-year patent #205,872 for the grid design as applied to a writing instrument.

  • Prices in 1965 have been updated to add those for the Vermeil, Spanish Treasure Fleet, and Insignia.

  • New chapter for pre-production information created.  This contains early Research Shop Orders and several early designs for the "International Fountain Pen", the early name for what later became the Parker 75.

  • New tassie shape was found on a sterling grid BP; it is conical.

  • Additional pictures to show details of the Cartier 75.

April 29

March 31

February 28

 

2000

 

December 30

  • Updated information about the Bicentennial LE from Parker dealer materials.

  • Added a new section for Parker 75 ephemera.

  • With all these prototypes being added, this section has been elevated to that of a book/folder of its own in the table of contents pane on the left.

  • Found two prototype Keepsakes and compared the differences with the production version.

  • Concept model retractable 75 FP.

  • Two titanium 75 prototypes.

  • Three Flighter prototypes, one with goldplated trim fitted with flat tassies and the other with chromeplated trim fitted with two different tassie styles.

  • Two different black prototype caps, anodized aluminum and plastic.

  • Brush stainless steel barrel prototype with a finish similar to the Ms. Pucci edition of the Parker 180.

  • Smoke gray stainless steel prototype with different matte gray finish on part of the barrel.

  • Textured gray stainless steel prototype.

  • Matte gray powder-coated stainless steel or aluminum fountain pens with two different patterns -- one in crosshatch grid and the other completely smooth.

  • Pencil cartridge refill that will fit the BP.

November 30

  • A third Ambassador pattern was added, this time it is the one branded Parker, joining the other two from Tiffany and Saks Fifth Avenue.  Being released much later, this pen has the dished tassie and features the brand engraving on the back of the cap, opposite to the chrome plated clip.

  • A gold plated prototype with a lined pattern reminiscent of the Ambassador.  Curiously it also has "75" inscribed on it like the Flighter variant.

  • A lacquer prototype BP in a test-market olive-brown color with black speckles.

  • A stainless steel BP prototype with a satin finish, slightly larger in size than a normal 75 BP.

  • A sterling silver BP prototype with etched lines that form a pattern of clustered triangles.

  • Additional information provided on prototype 1.

October 31

  • Components of a section disassembled into its components can be seen in this exploded view.

  • With the growing number of unknown patterns, this page was reorganized so that pictures you are interested to see may be downloaded faster.  Thus the main page for these unknown patterns will have thumbnails with links to view a larger picture and more information about each pattern.

  • For a similar reason as with the unknown pattern, the prototype page was also reorganized.

  • For those of you trying to identify your Parker 75 pattern I have created a new page with thumbnails of all the production 75s.  Follow the link to see the corresponding details of that pattern.

  • Speaking of unknown patterns, a sixth one was added, an engraved floral pattern in silverplate.

  • Photograph of another prototype pattern, this one made of vermeil with rings going down the length of the pen.  Unfortunately only the cap was available.

  • In the limited edition section, we present Parker's pens that commemorated space travel: John Glenn's orbit around the earth and man's reach to the moon.

  • Bicentennial limited edition in the rarer pewter colonial writing desk package.

  • When did US production of the Parker 75 end?  View this page to find out.

  • Additional details were added to prototype patterns 4 and 6.  One correction is that prototype 4 is made of sterling silver instead of silverplated brass.  The other correction is the gold Ambassador prototype #6 was actually 14K not 18K.

  • Parker advertisement (150K in size) for the Spanish Treasure Fleet was found although publications where this ad appeared are not known.

September 30

  • New page showing slight variations I found in the sterling crosshatch grid pattern, specifically the inscriptions around the cap band.  Most noteworthy are those engraved with the Cartier name and "Made in Aust".

  • Another prototype 75 was found, this time with a snakeskin appearance, green no less!

  • Added a variation on the smooth stainless steel Flighter model with the numbers "75" inscribed on the cap.

  • Added a variation on the smooth solid 14K gold Presidential with additional hallmarks.

  • Added the National Geographic ad for November 1973.

  • Found a burgundy colored section.

August 31

  • I added a ListBot group mailing list.  If you want to be notified via email whenever this website is updated, please join the mailing list from the bottom of the main Parker 75 cover page.  All you need to do is simply enter your email address and press the Join button.

  • Added the ability to resize the left pane.  Simply float the cursor near the separator bar and drag left or right until the desired window size appears.

  • Discovered that some early goldplating had inscription of 30 microns. Previously I thought goldplating thickness was only 20 microns.

  • Marketing literature from the United Kingdom showed Parker claims that the early sterling grid 75 were made of 9K gold.

  • Several prototypes were added:

July 12

  • Add a picture of matte red FP.

  • Add another unknown FP, a smooth 22K goldplated that is devoid of any pattern, a less expensive version of the Presidential.

  • Add picture of the Spanish Treasure Fleet BP package.

  • Add silverplated versions of the Perlé and Écorce.

  • Add new pattern, the basketweave made out of solid 18K gold.

  • Expanded page for the Premier with additional pictures of the variants.

  • New page depicting the various ink convertors that fit the 75 FPs.

June 23

  • Corrected the omission of the Ecossais page. Previously this model had been incorrectly identified as the 11-band Prince de Galles.

  • The Spanish Treasure Fleet silver used to make the limited edition pens cannot be identified as to which ship was the source of the silver. It was just one of the 10 that sank. The previous reference to the ship Atocha was incorrect. The Atocha sunk on September 6, 1622.

  • Added picture that was taken at the signing of the INF Treaty, the leaders the USA and USSR exchanging their Keepsake 75s.

  • Added pictures of the vermeil Damier and sterling Fougère.

  • Additional facts gleaned from the Parker documents on the Rainbow, Flighter, Lacque, Vermeil, Ambassador,

  • Added internal model number designations for many models. It appears that Parker sometimes preceded the model designation with "5-"; for example, the sterling grid FP is known as both #131-100 and 5-131-100 I do not know why they found it necessary to do so.

  • Table of prices obtained from annual Parker US catalogs & price lists.

  • Added pictures of a 2 more signed Chinese lacques -- lapis blue and jasper red.

  • For lacque color comparison found another blue lacque variant, this time with white speckles.

  • Discovered another unknown pattern, a lined variant, and this one is made out of solid 18K gold! Based on the number of lines around the pen, this is not the Godron or the Milleraies.

May 18

  • I found proof that Parker did use the term Ciselé with the Parker 75 line. At the Chicago show, I was found this Parker 75 pen case using that term.

  • Added 2 new ads for Bicentennial 75 in the wooden box and pewter writing box.

  • Refreshed all the pictures of the Bicentennial limited edition including all the pages of the brochure contain the certificate of authenticity.

  • Correction made with the identification of the Ecossais pattern, a more dense crosshatch pattern that was previously mistaken and written here as the 11-band Prince de Galles.

  • Variations in the Insignia caps are documented.

  • GP Milleraies variant with the an opal cabochon on cap tassie.

  • Added pictures of many 14K US nibs in a side-by-side comparison along with one to show the difference between the 14K US/French and 18K French nibs.

  • Added a new page for prototypes.

  • Added additional picture a later version of the silverplated Grain d'Orge with goldplated trim.

  • New unknown 75 pattern engraved by non-Parker artisans was added.

April 24

March 18

February 17

  • Fix for the Netscape incompatibility problems caused by mixed back and forward slash characters in file paths. Netscape requires all paths contain only forward slashes.

  • Also added this new update page, SP Cisele, Flighter, and speckled (brass) Lapis.

February 2

  • Initial public release of this website.