hi, david--was wondering if you could comment on the possibility or the likelihood of a single-jewel but wide-banded silver-pearl senior maxima i got being the real thing instead of a frankenpen, given the apparent fact (from your own examples) that SJ senior maximas had thin cap bands. here's the pic (which you can reproduce on the vac blog, if you'd like, to help in the discussion). many thanks!Hi Jose,
just to add to my previous post, my SJ sr max has a date code of .2.
Ya mean these answers are not already all over the internet discussion boards? :)
Keeping in mind that most of our expectations regarding this subject are based largely on observation, I... observe... the following:
1) USA-production single-jewel Vacumatic Sr. Maxima appears in first quarter 1942. The pens appear to pack- as you note- the thinner cap-band previously seen in the Major, having dispensed with the 1937-41 "fat" Maxima band as shown on your pen. I have plenty of first quarter (including mint stickered... yes at least four mint stickered) 1942 Maxes with the thinner band.
2) Canadian pens, however, appear to pack the wide band through the end of the run for Vac Maxima there. I have handled many post-1941 Canadian Maximas; all have the wide band. Many came from the (relative) wild.
3) Again, as we lack preserved (and likely imagined) memos from Parker explicitly stating, "We will start using thin band Jan 1, 1942, we will start stamping barrels "2" the same date, we will toss all remaining "1" code barrels (for 1941) and toss all remaining fat cap-band stock", and given the hobby (perhaps again imagined) view, that parts vats abounded with last month's and next month's parts mixing readily, allowing some fuzziness at the edges of parts change, it would be a bit concrete to insist one could not find a last-quarter 1941 thin-band pen or first-quarter 1942 fat-band pen that indeed came from the factory, though I am somewhat uncomfortable even with those.
Where to run with this?
Well, if your pen is Canadian... problem solved.
If you pen is of USA origin, my "comfort zone" (i'm hesitant to claim absolutes) would be stretched at best even finding a last quarter 1941 or first quarter 1942 pen with a mix of parts not meeting expectation, but I have hard time picturing a second quarter 1942 pen still with an "original" fat band, given that the thin band was overwhelmingly (absolutely?) prevalent by first quarter. If your pen has a lurking third date dot (for first instead of second quarter 1942), one can at least make some sort of argument for originality. Still, strange things... happened.
Some claim parts repairs at factory could so account for the mix. Who knows? However, my recollection is that the 1947 parts catalogue (repair catalogue) still shows jeweled blind caps available.
For kicks, here is a Single Jewel Sr. Maxima (with expected thin band) sold on the website couple years back.
Your pen leaves me... suspicious.
many thanks for the read, david! my pen is, indeed, of USA origin, and i can't find another dot on the date code, so i'll either have to live under a cloud of suspicion or find a proper blind cap ;)
ReplyDeleteNot a different blind cap. Rather... a different cap.
ReplyDelete-d