While working as a sales agent for a pen company, George Safford Parker came up with ideas to make the world write a good hand. Armed with a fountain pen patent way back in 1889, he went on to set up the Parker Pen Company in 1891 in the United States. Another milestone he achieved was the patent for the ‘Lucky Curve’ feed pen that Parker claimed could draw back the extra ink into the pen when it was not in use.
In 1931, Parker came up with ‘Quink’, a quick drying ink which was an innovative idea in those days as it tackled effectively the problem of blotting. This led to the first and most successful fountain pen - the Parker 5.
In 1921, came the Parker Duofold, a popular and long lasting fountain pen from the Parker Pen Company. The Parker Vacumatic was introduced in 1933 and it was the first fountain pen model to display the ‘Golden Arrow’, the Parker trademark sign. The Parker Vacumatic was also different from the earlier fountain pen models in its structure and design. It featured a small barrel attached to a diaphragm inside the pen’s body. When the diaphragm was pressed and released, ink could be drawn into the barrel due to the vacuum created. Some Parker Vacumatic pens also featured horizontal bands of clear celluloid on the pen’s body. This allowed users to note the ink level in the barrel. All these features made the Parker Vacumatic one of the most popular pens of all times.
The Parker 51 was introduced in the year 1941 to mark the 51st anniversary of the Parker Pen Company. It is sought after as a collector’s item. The Parker Jotter is the company’s first ballpoint pen. This pen was also refillable and could be changed into a gel pen by changing the cartridge. The refill for this Parker pen is popularly known as a ‘T-Ball’. This ballpoint pen from Parker was also available in an identical but smaller version in seven different colours and was popularly known as a ‘Girl’s Jotter’.
The Parker 45 is a low-priced pen from the company. However, this pen has one of the most distinguishing features of Parker pens – a replaceable cartridge. The Parker Rollerball 1 gave place to the Parker Vector model of pens that are popular as gift items.
The Parker Sonnet fountain pens and Parker Sonnet roller ball pens are also made by the Parker Pen Company. First sold in 1993, the Parker Sonnet pens are equipped with 18 karat gold nibs and gold plate trims. Some of these Parker pens also feature caps and shafts made from sterling silver.
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