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Pen 3218 JB: Parker Royal Challenger $350
Silver Pearl Celluloid. Larger Size (Standard) 1939 |
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| Overall Grade:
ExtraFine |
Metal: Extra Fine | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: Perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Fine-Med+ | Imprint: Exc | Size: 5 1/4" 13.2cm |
PRICE: $350 |
| COMMENTS: Royal Challenger was the fanciest and most expensive member of the Challenger, breaking the price barrel between Vacumatics and non-Vacs that'd existed prior to 1937, by matching the price point of Vacumatic Junior. Silver Pearl pens are notoriously hard to find clean, as the pale plastic shows ambering easily and because the chrome trim cannot take polish as would gold-filled trim, once a bit worn. This one is a quite nice example, with excellent color and imprint, with clean clip, hint of wear on band (still with good lustre) and with bit more wear to blind cap ring (tassie). Not near mint, but top 10% easily. Smooth responsive F-M nib that goes Medium with bit of pressure. Nice writer. | |||
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Pen 3077 NB Parker "$3.75 Set" $255 SOLD
A so-called "Thrift Time" Pen. 1933-1934. Wet, smooth Medium+ point. |
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| Overall Grade: Extra Fine |
Metal: Extra Fine | Color: Extra Fine. | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition: Exc |
threads: Perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Medium | Imprint: Exc | Size: 5 1/8 " 12.9 cm | PRICE: $255 |
| COMMENTS:
Lumped
into the garbage-can term
"Thrift Time Pen", about four years ago the revelation of a Dec 1933 Parkergram allowed
for the first time original description of this model. Available
in
four colors and two sizes with the smaller size found with clip or
ring, one can collect 12 catalogue described variants. Hefty pens, the
stepped clip ties to the 1934 Type II Parker Parkette and evokes pens
by Eclipse and Monroe, amongst others. The matching end-pieces add
charm. Note that unlike most gray-pearl Parkers from the 1930's, this
model uses gold (filled? plated?) trim instead of white trim. I
like the yellow-on-gray look. The clip is the last pen to use the Duofold-style smooth "Parker" ball-clip. The pen overall is quite clean. Cap-bands are free of brassing, though pen has bit of brassing on clip ball and at very top of clip. Same for pencil. Pencil color excellent. Pen has excellent cap color with hint of barrel ambering (less than most of this color and exaggerated in the photo). Sound imprints. Very nice point with correct "Parker Pen" imprint. A wet, medium+ and smooth writer. |
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Pen 2846-R Parker Deluxe Challenger Set $190
Sweet Medium Flex nib. |
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| Overall Grade: Fine-XF |
Metal: Exc | Color: Superb | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition: Exc |
Threads perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Med Flex | Imprint: Fine | Size: 5 1/8" 13cm |
PRICE: $185 |
| COMMENTS: I've had a nice run of Deluxe Challenger the last couple updates. Clean Burgundy in this case with excellent trim Nice color, trim, imprint. Nib has honest flex going from typical Parker Fine-Med to just about Broad. Nice writer. Flex is not common in 1930's Parker pens. The Standard is the larger of the two models for Deluxe Challenger, with single size pencil intended to match with both pens. | |||
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Pen 2598 Parker Challenger Slender $125
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| Overall Grade:
Extra Fine |
Metal: Extrafine | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: perfect | clarity: N/A | |
| Point: F-M Semiflex | Imprint: None | Size: 4 3/4" 12cm |
PRICE: $125 |
| COMMENTS: The regular Challenger series, which ran 1934-1940. With a couple key generations, all 7 years saw production of Black, Green, Red, and Grey. However, Blue was intro'd at very end of 1939, making it a one year color. Far less common than the others. As with all Challengers, tough to find clean. This one is decent. Light speckling of brass to the clip. Cap-band is free of brassing but some of the clear laquer found on 1940's pens is gone. Nice imprint and color. | |||
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Pen 2548R Parker Royal Challenger Slender $225
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| Overall Grade:
ExtraFine |
Metal: Exc | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: Exc | clarity: N/A | |
| Point: Fine | Imprint: Exc | Size: 4 3/4" 12.1cm |
PRICE: $225 |
| COMMENTS: Superb Royal. The first -Vacumatic to hit $5 price point after the discontinuation of the original Duofold. Royal Challengers are by the top tier of the Challenger Family. You probably know my "silver pearl" screed by now. That color tends to underprice other colors in the Parker/Sheaffer 1930's pens, often because the chrome trim is trashed and the pale celluloid shows ambering more easily than other colors. But, clean Silver Pearl pens carry extra cachet. This one is clean with essentially perfect trim and plastic color. Nice clarity to the visometer gripping section. Only imperfection is a couple-mm nick just below the cap-band. Very pretty pen. Very tough to find this clean. | |||
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Pen 2502 Parker True Blue $150
Long Streamlined Model ~ 1929 |
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| Overall Grade: VG |
Metal: VG | Color: Fine | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition: Exc |
Threads: Exc | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Fine | Imprint: Fine | Size: 4 7/8" 12.4 cm |
PRICE: $150 |
| COMMENTS: A classic sub-Duofold-line pen by Parker, recently given tribute via the modern True Blue Duofold. Plastic is clean. Clip-ball shows brassing as does about 2/3 of the cap-band. Barrel has moderate ambering. Gripping section is a smidge short. | |||
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Aggghhhh. I cannot do it. Withdrawn from sale. Staying with me a bit longer |
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| Overall Grade: Extra Fine |
Metal: Extra Fine | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Fine | Imprint: Exc | Size: 5 1/4" |
PRICE: $ |
| COMMENTS:
Just another sub-Duofold Parker Lucky Curve... were it not for that
color.
True Blue survived the switch to streamlined form, but this is the
earlier, longer, greater cachet Flat Top variety. Color is superb with
just a hint of yellow to the white backdrop. Also, note the unusual
pattern to the color swirls on the barrel. Gorgeous pen. |
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| Overall Grade: extra fine |
Metal: ExtraFine | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Fine-med Semi Flex | Imprint: perfect | Size: 4 1/2" |
PRICE: $175 |
| COMMENTS: Parker's
pastel pens from the late 1920's can be found in a variety of
evolutionary styles in both pure and moire pattenrs. This one is a
ratherrrr nice example. Very even color. Razor imprint. No grave
defects. One pin ding can be seen on the cap-band. |
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Gray Pearl Celluloid with goldtone trim. $275 |
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| Overall Grade:
Exc |
Metal: Exc | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc 2-tone |
Threads: perfect | clarity: NA | |
| Point: Fine-Med SEmi Flex | Imprint: Exc | Size: 5 1/8" |
PRICE: $275 |
| COMMENTS: Lumped
into the garbage-can term
"Thrift Time Pen", the revelation of a Dec 1933 Parkergram allowed
specific description of this model for the first time. Available
in
four colors and two sizes with the smaller size found with clip or
ring, one can collect 12 catalogue described variants. Hefty pens, the
stepped clip ties to the 1934 Type II Parker Parkette and evokes pens
by Eclipse and Monroe, amongst others. The matching end-pieces add
charm. Note that unlike most gray-pearl Parkers from the 1930's, this
model uses gold (filled? plated?) trim instead of white trim. I
like the yellow-on-gray look. Often found discolored, crazed or quite worn, this set is better than most. One possible incorrect element is present, however. You will note that the pen has a different clip from the pencil. The smooth ball clip (duofold-like) on the pencil is what is seen in the 1933 catalog. The raised-"parker" clip seen on this pen is a 1934 style clip (as seen on Challenger). However (you knew there would be a however), whilst i could have swapped on a clip, i noted the pen has a barrel date code for third quarter 1934 (indeed this is the first quarter from which we see date codes on any Parker pens). Thus, this pen was produced a year or so after the first catalog appearance. Given Parker's tendency to mutate features over time, this clip... could be... original, but barring appearance of a later catalog that again shows this already uncommon pen, i cannot prove this assertion. In any case, this set is as i found it and i suspect it is correct as found. I have knocked a few bucks from the price just in case. |
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Golden Pearl Celluloid $495 |
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| Overall Grade: Exc |
Metal: exc | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: perfect | clarity: NA | Plastic: some barrel ambering |
| Point: Fine | Imprint: Fine | Size: 5 1/8" |
PRICE: $495 |
| COMMENTS:
The Sword Clip is the most sought Royal Challenger. This one is
the larger size in golden pearl celluloid. Very clean trim. Sound
(though not near mint) imprint. Barrel has some ambering in bottom
half- as per the picture- not a biggy as the pen has a natural amber
color anyway. |
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Golden Pearl Celluloid |
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| Overall Grade: Nearmint |
Metal: Nearmint | Color: Exc | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition:
Exc |
Threads: perfect | clarity: NA | Plastic: |
| Point: Medium | Imprint: Perfect | Size: 5 1/8" |
PRICE: $425 |
| COMMENTS:
Superb Royal. The first -Vacumatic to hit $5 price point after the
discontinuation of the original Duofold. Royal Challengers are by far
the most interesting and beautiful of the Challenger family. |
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| Overall Grade: VG | Trim: capbands brassed. | Color: Excellent | CLICK FOR LARGER PIC |
| Nib condition: Excellent | Threads: Perfect cap threads. | Transparency: superb | Click if link is hot, for more info |
| Point: Fine-medium Firm. | Imprint: exc | Size: 5 1/8" by 1/2" | PRICE: $235 |
| COMMENTS: Another Royal Challenger, clean save mostly for heavy capband brassing. I shot pen without buffing bands so you can see it. Bit of brass to bottom tassie. A great candidate for custom plating (give Kirchheimer a yell) if you go for that sort of thing. The plastic is quite sound and very nice in all respects. $200 discount for wear to those bands. Being restored by el Zorno of www.mainstreetpens.com this week. | |||
