Parker Limited Editions

By Sam Hettiarachchi

 For some at least one of the greatest pleasures is to own something exceptional and rare. These objects of desire include writing instruments. Over the last three decades rare pieces of writing instruments have fetched record prices at auctions. These pieces varied from giants to miniatures and on most occasions writing jewels belonging to the first three decades of the history of fountain pens, commencing 1884, the year Lewis Edson Waterman was granted the famous patent. Some of these pieces may have been produced in hundreds but currently only a few remain available. In this respect by creating a Limited Edition it is possible to create a rarity and the object is sought after by collectors. On some occasions writing instruments have become limited editions because material used for their production is so rare, while on other occasions the manufacturers limit the production to create the artificial rarity

 Those who have researched the history of fountain pens will acknowledge that the Parker Pen Company which has gifted so many firsts to the industry introduced the Limited Edition concept in 1965 by producing their classic Parker 75- Spanish Treasure- made from silver recovered from the treasure fleet of Philip V of Spain which sank in 1715 off Bahamas (4821 sets). In 1972, HMS Queen Elizabeth was produced from the salvaged brass of the ship which sank in 1972 in Hong Kong (5000 pens). In 1976, The Bicentennial American was made of pewter with a piece of wood from the hall of Independence embedded on the top of the cap (10,000 pens). The pieces were certainly Limited Editions because of the rarity of the materials used for their production.

 Having captured the depths of the ocean Parker embarked on tracking man’s achievements in conquering outer space. From the mid 60’s George Parker, the grand son of the founder spearheaded the production of special pens which celebrated America’s journey to space. It is reported that 250 ball point pens were made of the sterling silver check ball point with the button made from the Atlas rocket which boosted John Glen into space on 20th January 1962. These pens were made as gifts and were not available for sale. They captured well the prevailing mood of conquering outer space.

 In addition Parker also made four complete Parker 75 pens Space Pens (1968) made from precious fragment of the booster rocket. John Glenn and President Johnson were the proud owners of two of the pens and the other two ended up in the archives. One of these came up for sale at the British Auction House of Bonhams and Brooks on 23rd February 2001 and fetched a price of UKP 13,500 under the watchful eyes of Alexander Crum Ewing and Julie D’Arcy-Evans, the pen experts.

 At the same auction another unique Parker 75, the Moon Pen (1972) produced in honour of landing on the moon was produced for President Nixon to be taken for the historic visit to China. These pens had a gold panel containing moon dust from Apollo 15. The dust had been acquired by John Gibb, Military Sales Manager of the company. It is believed two were gifted to high ranking Government officials in China and another retained by the President himself. It has been the usual practice of the company to retain a piece for its archives and in addition to produce a reserve. This unique pen fetched UKP 16,000.

 In modern times almost all the treaties relating to Nuclear Arms Reduction were signed with Parker pens, mostly with Parker 75s. The set used to sign the SALT Agreement by Presidents Bush (Senior) and Gorbachev in July 1991 is a classical example of rare masterpieces. Parker pens have dominated global events of importance and it is not surprising that the company used the following for their advertisements. ‘The pen most often chosen to record history has also been known to make it’

 With Parker 75, the company introduced Limited Editions to the world of writing instruments, limited in the true sense of the word because there were produced or contained very rare material. ‘Limited Edition Pens’ have now gained universal recognition and remain limited due to several reasons including the tedious methods of production or due to the prerogative of the producer itself.

Reference - Fine and Rare Vintage Fountain Pens and Pencils and Dunhill Lighters
Bonhams and Brooks, 23, February, 2001.

Acknowledgement - The pictures which appear have been scanned from the said catalogue and are gratefully acknowledged. Catalogues produced by Bonhams and Brooks are excellent reference material for researchers of writing instruments.


          Space Pen 1968                                                                  Moon Pen 1972

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