Parker Vacumatic with Mismatched Nib. To Worry or Not?

Another question was sent in, representing a not uncommon situation in Vacumatic collecting...

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David, you kindly gave me some advice a few months ago (see below), so
I'm now taking the liberty of asking for some more, and would be most
interested to hear your thoughts, if possible...

The dilemma revolves around mismatched vacs and nibs. I've seen a US-
made vac in terrific condition, with a Canadian nib. The nib is a
particularly good one ie not your regular old F nib but a broader nib
with flex. What are your thoughts as a vac collector on this? Do you
think the merits of the nice nib outweigh the negatives of the mismatch?

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I will dive into some detail, but the simple answer is that- especially if found in an otherwise common model- the value added finding a flexible broad-ish nib is well more significant than the value reduced due to a USA/Canadian parts mismatch.

I'll toss out a few beliefs/insights/assertions...

1. Many areas of collecting remains subjective. There are tendencies and generalities one can cite, but often no rules, per se. One must ultimately decide what makes him comfortable, while also recognizing general views of the greater collecting population.
   
2. Several aspects of nib mismatch can be considered: a) size/style, b) year (for those with date codes), c) location of manufacture.
3. While there was some cross pollination from Parker USA and Parker Canada during the 1940's, one generally would not expect to find original Vacumatics featuring nibs and barrels marked from the two different nations.
   
4. Generally, if only the nib deviates only from expectations of otherwise consistent cap/barrel findings- at least regarding source of pen- then the impact is modest. Finding monotone instead of two tone nib or finding wrong size nib (it can happen) has greater value hit.
   
5. Most Vacumatics have firm fine-ish nibs. As some (most?) collectors do cherish finding old pens with off-the-beaten-path nibs, finding a common Vac with a great nib adds value. Less value is added to higher priced pens, as generally collectors are willing to add value for rarity/cachet of pen or for special nib, but not for both. Diminishing returns I s'pose.
6. While special nibs are more common in Canadian pens than in USA Parker pens, and thus (at least in pen academe) a funky Canadian nib adds less value to a Vac than a funky nib with USA markings, there still is value added from a "better" Canadian nib.

When all is said and done, among serious and knowledgeable collectors, different people will hold different views, but generally I'd expect your pen to be one about which not to worry.

A question sent my way, "Correct Parts for Vacumatic?"

Questions regarding old pens, particularly Parker Vacumatics, often cross my desk. Let's address the following...

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Hi there! First, thanks for the info on your site. It has been very helpful! I bought a junior silver pearl vacumatic at the dc supershow. Love it, but I'm not 100% on the date due to several reasons. So here are the specs:

Dimensions: Posted 6", Capped between 5 1/16" and 5 1/8", barrel diameter at widest: 0.476"
Nib and section: Monotone gold nib with arrow and black section
Cap: no blue diamond jewel but has split arrow Parker clip. Two thin bands
Filling system/blind cap: Speedline/smooth blind cap (no jewel)

Now, using my 10x loupe, I can make out the brand and made in usa, and I can see 3 dots and a horizontal line plus what could be scratches and/or the remainder of the date code. I'm pretty sure it's a 2 or 4 due to the horizontal line, but I can't quite figure out which.

I was wondering two things. First, do you have any pics lying around your computer of what a 2 and/or 4 date code looks like with quarter dots? I was also wondering, if it turns out this pen was made in 42 and not 44, if it is plausible that the speedline filler might be original? I think it's a 42, but I also think that the filler is not original, but then what I know about pens - let alone vacs - well, you certainly will not be impressed :)

I really appreciate your thoughts and time!

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The pen sounds to be a basically correct Vacumatic Junior: a "full size" pen from that era, similar core structure/contour to Vacumatic Major but with different trim and with bit more narrow nib and feed.

While there might be some pens showing on the website (either in Vacumatic Sales or Vacumatic Sold page) with a highlighted "2" or "4" imprint, I won't have chance to shoot one for next week or so.

The filling unit that many call the Speedline Filler- which Parker never quite did but which is, perhaps, acceptable collector convention- was phased out around the start of 1942, based on observational evidence, but it is clear from that same approach that the subsequent plastic filler did not appear at the very start of the appearance of the "2" imprint, at least not in all models. Senior Maxima pens and occasionally Majors (at least) show up with first quarter 1942 (3 dots around the date) imprints and with metal fillers, though often with a chrome finish to the pump not seen on typical earlier pens. Certainly I would not worry about finding a metal pump in your third generation pen. It has more value as parts than does a plastic pump and will not be viewed as a problem by the overwhelming majority of collectors.

An interesting 1940's Parker Duofold

I'm hard at work on the next website sales update, a modest thing, probably 40 vintage pens. Figured I'd post this pen from that pending update, as it is relatively uncommon- particularly with good barrel clarity- and indeed is a variant unknown to many collectors of its series, that being Parker's 1940's "striped" Duofolds. This is one of the best images of this variant I've done or seen (ahhh, I love the smell of hubris in the morning).

The pen formally is a 1940 black Duofold Junior, the larger of the two pens that mark the entry level to vac-fill Duofolds from this era (cheaper Duofolds can be found as button fillers, and more expensive vac-fill pens also were made, albeit not in black in the latter case).

Black vac-fill Duofolds were made 1940 through perhaps mid 1942. That end point will need to be better defined by observation of more pens. Those made from 1941 and later have typical distinct longitudinal stripes of barrel clarity. But, the 1940 pens have "Shadow Wave" transparency as shown above, a pattern explicitly catalogued only for Vacumatic, not Duofold.

Most black Shadow Wave Duofolds are rough things as most Junior Duofolds have poor preservation of cap-band gold-filled metal (a mm of brassing on a big cap band equals "edge brassing", while a mm of brassing on thin double bands equals "total brassing"). As barrel clarity on most celluloid Parkers suffers ambering, most pens of this sort tend to have an unimpressive appearance. To find clean trim and good clarity on a black Duofold Junior (or smaller Sub-Deb) is a grand thing indeed.

This one is in the top five I've handled in ten years. Keep in mind it is not a "brown" Shadow Wave. Those stripes you see are not brown/black variegation, but mark a black pen with transparency showing up as golden color. Probably I should check to see if it is better than the one already in my own collection, though I vaguely recall having a pretty sharp example already sitting about :)

Pen Friends at the lake cabin.

A rare vacation opportunity let Richard Binder, yours truly, Ron Zorn and Paul Erano gather for 8 hours at the lake. My folks opened the cottage to Richard (and Barbara), to Ron (Robyn and Tyler) and to Paul. Barely missing storms, the overcast morning blossomed into a warm and sunny day. With the grill spitting out burgers and 'dogs, the hearty crew enjoyed good food, boat time, grand company and, of course, pen conversation.

Finished at work, catching up with pen friends.

Well, after quite a run at the ol' hospital, I finally have some time off. Caught up on a week's pile of pens to ship to new owners (sorry for delay, guys). And, I'm off to the lake cabin for a reunion with some pen friends for good BBQ (thanks to my parents for procuring burgers, etc for 12 people and of course for hosting at their vacation cottage). Perhaps I'll post some pics later.

I just bought a pen collection sent my way last week... lots of Sheaffer and Parker (51) parts pens, but also a few nice oens including a few mint stickered Sheaffer Snorks in a cardboard POS box I've not seen before. The gem is a Waterman overlay that likely will stay in my own collection for a bit. It is not a rare model (452 1/2 Gothic) but the overlay is superb, with that iridescent toning that often is found in a pen not polished for 90 years or so. Perhaps I'll post some pics of this bunch, too.

Best 1940's Sheaffer ever???

Still recovering from a truly excellent DC Pen Show. Home from the 400 mile drive just in time to start night shifts again.

This probably was my best "buying" show ever for DC. Added a few gems to my own collection.

I think I found the best ever 1940's Sheaffer, although I can well imagine objections to the claim ;)

If you'd like to see the pen, along with a bit of pen shmooze, check out the well illustrated essay. I just tossed it together so no promises on proofing.

http://vacumania.com/websiteess/essay1000demo1940s.htm

regards

david

How many feathers on a Parker Vacumatic nib?

This email arrived:

Hey David,
I was looking at a vac that came in today and noticed there were 8 feathers on the nib. This is on a long Major made in 42. Most of my Majors have the standard 7 feathers. The Maxima has 9. I found a 30's Standard and a Jr that only have 6. Is there any significance to the number of feathers on a nib?
Thanks

A good Parker Vacumatic question whose answer I have not completely fleshed out, though I have enough pens lying about that I should be able to take a stab at it. Nibs for Parker Vacumatic mostly feature an arrow symbol, with feathers extending from either side of the arrow shaft. Certainly, in general, nibs meant for certain models/sizes feature typical feather counts appropriate to pens of those sizes and price points (is that circular reasoning?).

Generally, Vac Major nibs feature seven feathers on each side of the arrow shaft, while Senior/Slender Maxima pens have nine feathers. Ten-feather "arrow" nibs are found as well, generally considered to indicate replacement nibs for earlier Parker Duofold pens, though few seem to object to finding them in Vacumatic Maxima, which they well fit.

I have but vague recollection of seeing eight-feather arrows on some Vacumatic Major two tone nibs from perhaps 1939-42. While my initial hypothesis is that such nibs represent variant Major nibs and nothing more, I will have to keep open mind on this subject. Input is invited.

Brief note from the Washington DC "Supershow"...

The 2009 DC Pen Show shapes up nicely.

Pen friends from across the country trade pens and socialize during the evenings.

I've had so far a great buying show, having picked up Parker "51" double jewel pens in Buckskin, Yellowstone and Nassau as well as an Empire cap pen. Dozens of clean single jewel "51" pens, too.

For my personal collection, I grabbed a possibly unique 1940's Sheaffer, perhaps the "best" 1940's Sheaffer ever found (eep! Grandiose Claim Alert!)

Crisp OS Waterman 100 Year also was a happy acquisition.

More later. Must sleep.

A 1935 Vacumatic with Duofold cap? An email...

This arrived today...

Dear David,

I have a small vacumatic composed of an early vac barrel (slender junior w/ longitudinal windows) and a black streamlined lady duofold ring-top cap. I bought this pen a few years ago both because of its strangeness and because it is actually quite lovely (and was cheap). I have always wondered if it could be an original Parker creation instead of an interesting frankenpen. I know that Parker sometimes assembled vacs by mixing parts from old and new stock, but doing so across models seems on the face of it unlikely. I'd appreciate any thoughts you have about this pen, if you have the time (if you don't, I won't bug you for a reply!)... snip (followed by measurements etc)




Ahhh, the unanswerable challenge...

Go prove a pen company couldn't have done something at some time for some reason :)

The simple answer is that the pen indeed is a mix, though one possibly NOT involving a Duofold, proper, cap.

The philosphical/contextual issues offer the greater challenge.

It is known that Parker (and others) manufactured items unknown to any catalogue today in our possession. It is known that Parker- if we can believe those date code markings- issued some pens, perhaps consuming leftover parts or marking replacement barrels at time of use- at dates far later than catalogues lead us to believe. A Mandarin Duofold Sr. with 1941 barrel stamp comes to mind, dating some 10 years after final catalogue appearance.

The earliest Vacumatic family pen- Golden Arrow- had Vacumatic style parts. No Duofold-like parts even on the earliest releases, though no doubt odd parts could have been used on 1932 prototypes. It is asking perhaps too much to assume that a 1935 Vac with a fairly generic double-band economy-line cap (which was used from late 1933 through at least 1938) would have required a cap from an entirely different line.

As you suggest, first Generation Vacs (lockdown) pens had fairly generic threads. Offhand, I'd guess that one could fit caps to your pen barrel from Vacumatic economy line Slender Junior (your pen), high line Slender (triple band), Toothbrush Duofold Slender, Slender models of all three lines of Challenger, Slender Parkette Deluxe, Duofold Juniorette (what you suspected here), and... a number of so-called Parker "Thrift" model, that last group often somewhat poorly characterized. Thus, absent a cap, many donors are available.

We do not assume a mixed pen represents an original product, though one of course can counter, "hey, you never know". But, even IF we never know, even an item that could have been originally mixed, has little cachet for that, if any of us can mix the same thing ourselves with little difficulty.

Finally, I'm not certain (but don't rule out) that your donor cap is Duofold Juniorette. I'd have to pull my catalogues, but suspect that the Juniorette caps had three bands. Your cap might be from a lower line pen catalogued in 1929 as a "Raven Black and Gold" pen, often now called THE Raven by collectors.

That aside, you have some useful parts there. 1935 Junior barrels with longitudinal clarity are hard to find clean.

Back in stock: "Vacumania" 64-pen travel cases

I just received more of my favorite pen cases. These hold 64 pens very securely while allowing easy access. They can handle large vintage pens with ease; they are what I use to transport 300-400 pens to pen shows, allowing me to set up and break down my table in less than two minutes.

Not only does each of these have a smaller footprint than equivalent storage with two of the common 32-pen cases, but the pens are well more secure, due to the design flaw found in the 32 pen cases, a low-rise "pad" at end of the storage slots, which allows slippage. The cases cost $100 + $12 shipping in USA. Express International Shipping tends to run about $50.

Here is the link to the rather indulgent web page I composed for these.

http://www.vacumania.com/websitesales/forsalepencase64.htm

VACUMANIA at the Washington DC Supershow

I will be at the Washington DC "Supershow" next week. Probably my 8th or 9th visit. Should be there Wed eve through at least Sat night, though not wholly sure will be there Sunday, though probably will be for a bit in the morning.

I should have... 400... old pens in tow, restored and nicely working.

If there is something from the website you seek- particularly cased sets which I tend not to bring- please drop me an email at isaacson@frontiernet.net. We can meet at the show :)

Happy to answer questions about the show in particular or about the pen shows in general. Key thing is to bring plenty of cash, as it tends not to last very long.

This link has some old reviews I scrawled of couple other pen shows way back when.

http://www.vacumania.com/website/peneducation.htm

Anyone else going? Goals?

Welcome to the "Vac Blog" at www.vacumania.com.

Welcome to the "Vac Blog" at Vacumania.com.

I receive frequent email messages regarding old pens. Given the plethora of blogging tools now available easing the process of blog creation, it seemed time to open up some of these conversations to a broader audience. No worries... if you email me privately with any question or comment, your name will not be used without your say so. Direct emails provide ideas for discussion; their privacy is respected.

This blog will serve- at least for now- a few purposes. It will allow public discussion of pen questions that head my way. A frequent "bits and buckets" thread will open up the floor to questions and observations, some of which in turn will become their own threads, assuming anyone bothers to post anything. Finally, I will post website news, announcements and update information here, though perhaps those will be better served on a dedicated non-interactive web page. Time will tell.

Please be patient regarding posts. The blog is fully moderated, meaning I will clear each post before it appears. All save the malicious will appear, no worries. Comments can be anonymous, though your choosing a handle would be appreciated. Generally I check in a few times each day, but hey, vacations happen. The goal for the blog is not to serve as yet another newsgroup or real-time discussion board for pendom. There are plenty of those, and I don't wish to compete with the Zosslist et al. Exploration of specific pen issues and notifications regarding the the website are the goals. Still... evolution of that goal set might happen.

I've set comments to appear by clicking on the... comments link... at bottom of each post, which will open a post/response page. This way, discussion of each subject receives a dedicate page, assuming again of course anyone bothers to respond. The main post will be visible with the related responses.

Comments are invited, obviously :)

Best Regards,

David Isaacson