Parker 75 - good pen? tell me about them!

[nachum]

I'm intrigued by the look of the Parker 75. I'm looking to purchase one and I have a few questions.
Is the silver grid more or less collectible/valuable than the same in gold filled?
Made in USA vs. made in France - one worth more? one better made?
Overall, do these make nice fountain pens?
I see a lot of these on ebay being sold from overseas. Should I be concerned about counterfeits?
Lastly, what is a good price for a grid in silver or gold filled?
Any other thoughts/suggestions, would be great.

[tandaina]

I have no idea about the gold/vs non gold. I have no idea where mine was made.

I had a sterling silver Parker 75. Most dead reliable, pleasant writer I've ever owned. A wonderful pen, I'd own one again. I eventually sold mine because it wasn't getting much use and was too good to leave sitting around. I was in a phase where I really preferred big wide nibs and those are rare as hens teeth in old Parkers. And my hand really needs an oblique nib (I roll my pen). Otherwise? I'd still be using it.

Others can give advice on buying, I just know the 75 in sterling silver is an excellent pen.

[fountainpenkid]

Very well made pens--both the French and American versions. They are very well balanced, and their triangular grip fits the fingers very nicely. I haven't heard of any counterfeits, although there may be some differently branded Chinese knockoffs (?). They are also easy to take apart for cleaning: the nib pulls out with the feed, and of course the c/c filler makes flushing very easy (it itself can be disassembled).

[entertainment]

The walls of the barrels and caps on the sterling models tend to be thicker on the early Made in USA pens. This will not affect the writing ability of the later models, of course. BTW, a range of interesting nibs, including obliques, is available if you look around.

[Spikey Mike]

Generally speaking, like most collectables, base value for the standard models is governed by age and condition, obviously the older the better and the better condition the more "valuable", so I guess that as far as the basic model goes you would be looking at a good condition USA one from as early as possible. If you are unsure of how to date them there are several websites that can help and a rather interesting thread here: http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/fo...arker-75-pens/

First consideration would be "What do you want it for?" - If you want to use it as a daily writer do you really need a pristine unused first year pen with box and bits? A slightly more modern pen will write much the same and usually at a much better price.

Which leads us to "how much do you want to spend?" - Prices can range from around $100 to ... well ... a whole lot more depending on the model, age and condition. Places like Ebay can sometimes throw up a few surprises but you need to know what you are looking for and what you are looking at or things can go badly wrong. For example you quite often see more modern pens that have had the tassies changed to make people think that the pen is older then it is.

Yes, they make good fountain pens - although I actually prefer the 45 Flighters to write with. (just my personal choice)

Counterfeits are not a problem with the 75 as yet.

Pens from abroad ... be prepared to pay import charges which add to the cost. Also harder to sort things out if things go missing.

A good price ... as I said it depends on what you are willing to pay. Prices vary so much depending on where you buy from.

There is a lot to be said for going to a shop (or a pen show) and trying a pen before you buy it as opposed to buying blind from Ebay - but you will probably get a better price on an Ebay auction. If you buy from Ebay maybe worth buying from someone who offers returns so you can try it out and have an option to return if you don't like it?

Anyway, I've waffled on long enough, hope some of that helps.

[Mags]

I read this over and may just now have decided that I now need/want one of these.

[mmahany]

I have a sterling silver Parker 75 sterling silver set (fountain and ballpoint) I was planning to sell.

I'm not sure what your budget is, but let me know if you're interested.

Of note: the fountain pen is a 14k fine nib. Includes the original box and paperwork. The pens themselves have no dents but have minor imperfections due to their age.

[kaisnowbird]

I've been tempted by the sterling silver 75 more than a couple of times, but at the end of the day, its aesthetics failed to make me drool with wide eyes. Maybe one day...

[catbert]

A Parker 75 sterling ciselé with an XF nib was my university pen. Still have it. Still a favourite. It’s US-made, probably late 60s, flat tassies, no zero mark. Section threads are shot and ‘fixed’ with tape, but that’s another story. Only found out about the adjustable nib when I came here.

Whenever I pick it up, it just feels right. Size, weight, grip, aesthetics - everything. Of course it’s possible that over the years we have become accustomed to one another.

[KBeezie]

A Parker 75 sterling ciselé with an XF nib was my university pen. Still have it. Still a favourite. It’s US-made, probably late 60s, flat tassies, no zero mark. Section threads are shot and ‘fixed’ with tape, but that’s another story. Only found out about the adjustable nib when I came here.

Whenever I pick it up, it just feels right. Size, weight, grip, aesthetics - everything. Of course it’s possible that over the years we have become accustomed to one another.

I picked one of those up recently : http://pens.kbeezie.com/post/parker-75-cisele/

Have the same nib as well, 14K '63' (code for EF if USA made). What I like about it, you can rotate the nib or pull the nib/feed straight out (good for flushing), and the sterling silver on the cap and body warms up quite quickly in my hands, it's a metal pen, but it's a comfortable metal and the weight and balance feels nice. I'm not quite a big fan of the faceted grip (sorta like lamy safari) but it doesn't bother me much, the later french made ones do have rounded grips.

A Parker 45 is cheaper and performs just as well if not better in some respect of being wetter (and easier to disassemble the hooding, feed, nib completely), but it doesn't feel the same nor does it have that satisfying cushioned click when capping and uncapping the pen.









Edit: write sample of the above with Noodler's Blue Steel (a wetter ink), I can write with a rather light touch consistently.



I'd say it's almost as fine as the <F> on my Pilot Long Murex (which is in between a Modern Pilot EF and F).