Happy colours! parker finds

As I got to the last line of stands at a vide-grenier today I had spent money buying a huge bronze Ganesha, some interesting books, and a nice picture frame. And I was thinking to myself that my fountain pen luck had run out. I'd not seen a single pen. Not even a school pen with a dried up cartridge. Zero, zilch, nada.

Famous last words.
https://i.imgur.com/ZysPGMhl.jpg

The 45's weren't cheap at 10 euros each but I've never found these colours before and couldn't resist them. The Pelikano was then given me.

And at the next stand I found the pristine Parker 75 for 30 euros. I snapped it up. The nib is a fine with the French assay mark for 750.

Who can tell me more about these luscious 45s? The caps are both marked 'made in France'; I don't know if the French Parker business occasionally came out with pens that you don't find in the UK or US?

I think that Parker brought out some vivid colours in the 70s, I am sure that they had a special name for the range but basically they were trying to catch up on Pop Art that was in vogue at the time, as I recall there were some bright oranges and yellows too, they must be quite rare now and a great buy for the Parker 45 completist.

Very envious of the 75.

Being a provincial boy I had to look up vide-grenier, so for the sake of others, I think the English equivalent is a car boot sale, basically a farmers field or other large flat open area where people bring household artefacts to sell, usually loaded into their cars and then displayed for sale on tables, not a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday morning for sellers and buyers.

Is that a barley finish on the 75?

I had to look up "vide-grenier" especially as you come from the UK OP.

It means "garage sale" :) I assume you went to one in France. :)

As Fermata stated there were several "Happy Colours" of Parker 45's. I've only ever seen an orange one.

The 75 is milleraies. I have a barley already :-)

The way we do vide greniers is rather nice; every village can have one a year, some towns have two, but there are very few 'regular' car boots like in England. Quite often, there's a small funfair as well so you can go on the dodgems or a roundabout after you've done your shopping; there's one fair that used to have knights in armour roaming around and then moved to the 1940s with some great accordion players in the streets!

This particular fair at Breval is one of my favourites as I picked up my one euro Osmia 'duofold' there, a (nibless) Parker duofold in jade, a couple of lovely Jean-Pierre Lepines, and now this little haul. Over the years, it's done me well.

Oh, I'm going to keep an eye open for yellow and orange Parker 45s now. I've got a taste for these colours!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amk

The 75 is milleraies. I have a barley already :-)

The way we do vide greniers is rather nice; every village can have one a year, some towns have two, but there are very few 'regular' car boots like in England. Quite often, there's a small funfair as well so you can go on the dodgems or a roundabout after you've done your shopping; there's one fair that used to have knights in armour roaming around and then moved to the 1940s with some great accordion players in the streets!

This particular fair at Breval is one of my favourites as I picked up my one euro Osmia 'duofold' there, a (nibless) Parker duofold in jade, a couple of lovely Jean-Pierre Lepines, and now this little haul. Over the years, it's done me well.

Oh, I'm going to keep an eye open for yellow and orange Parker 45s now. I've got a taste for these colours!

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https://fpgeeks.com/forum/attachment...7&d=1595236843

These pens fetch high prices, I am not sure why, perhaps the target market at the time was the young who may not have been so careful.

I just realised I've got the green one! So only two to go!

Thanks Fermata for showing the whole bunch. Wow, that yellow really pings!

The 45 happy colors not cheap at 10€ :rolleyes:

You got a real bargain, those colors are not easy to find, I still need the orange and yellow.

Wahl - I know, but my gold standard for these sales is my one euro pens:
Parker 51
Waterman 55
Osmia Supra
Parker Duofold Junior
And I paid 3 euros for a Targa a couple of years ago. These 45s were really overpriced!!! :-)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amk

Wahl - I know, but my gold standard for these sales is my one euro pens:
Parker 51
Waterman 55
Osmia Supra
Parker Duofold Junior
And I paid 3 euros for a Targa a couple of years ago. These 45s were really overpriced!!! :-)

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Incredible !

Some are really lucky :cheers:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amk

Wahl - I know, but my gold standard for these sales is my one euro pens:
Parker 51
Waterman 55
Osmia Supra
Parker Duofold Junior
And I paid 3 euros for a Targa a couple of years ago. These 45s were really overpriced!!! :-)

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So, maybe you can keep a lookout for me for a couple of pens??? Lol j/k

Those are great finds!

(Although it just reminds me how much I paid for a Supra with a pitted nib that I accidentally broke beyond repair. *Sigh*)

I'm really lucky, but I also do spend a lot of time looking - and luck tends to correlate with time spent, oddly enough.

This little lot I say to myself is to repay me for all the nice weekends during lockdown when I couldn't go anywhere.

Still it's wonderful when I do make a find like this. And in between times I buy cheap DIY tools, furniture and bedlinen so it's not as if I'm wasting my time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by amk

I'm really lucky, but I also do spend a lot of time looking - and luck tends to correlate with time spent, oddly enough.

This little lot I say to myself is to repay me for all the nice weekends during lockdown when I couldn't go anywhere.

Still it's wonderful when I do make a find like this. And in between times I buy cheap DIY tools, furniture and bedlinen so it's not as if I'm wasting my time.

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This could be a business opportunity amk, going around these French markets with a wish list and then mailing them to buyers on cost price plus markup plus mail costs. Not just pens, anything small for the mail.

I do this for furniture, specializing in desks, I find pieces for people and either simply ship them out just as found or restore first.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Fermata

Being a provincial boy I had to look up vide-grenier, so for the sake of others, I think the English equivalent is a car boot sale, basically a farmers field or other large flat open area where people bring household artefacts to sell, usually loaded into their cars and then displayed for sale on tables, not a bad way to spend a sunny Sunday morning for sellers and buyers.

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Here, we'd call that a "Flea Market". :)

Or swap meet perhaps.

Let me know when and where to send my order :D

I know exactly what you mean by "luck" equating to time spent looking. :)