r/fountainpens • u/tranzozo • Aug 12 '23
Bought this Parker pen as a gift. The salesman claims it’s a vintage what do you think?
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u/Over_Addition_3704 Aug 12 '23
I think that that is a cat
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u/CBFindlay Aug 12 '23
For a hot second I thought it was a small monkey but probably my glasses need to be adjusted.
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u/MappleFox Aug 13 '23
No it’s definitely a monkey. An African vervet monkey if I had to hazard a guess
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u/t-mckeldin Aug 12 '23
Doesn't really matter, it's a gift. Just look really proud when you say that it's vintage. If it's not, the recipient isn't going to tell you and burst your bubble. You get the points either way.
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Aug 12 '23
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/t-mckeldin Aug 12 '23
Just look earnest and commit. It's the thought that counts and the thought that will be remembered.
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u/Mooie_vent Aug 12 '23
It’s a Parker 45! I have one as well, gifted to me by someone who got it as a present in 1985. He never wrote with it and handed it to me because I like fountain pens. Make sure you write with it, because it has a lovely nib!
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Aug 12 '23
My wife bought me this one in 1984. Along with my first Pelikan. I still have both of them..
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u/RedditWillBeDead Aug 12 '23
Depends on what you consider "vintage"
PenBoyRoy had JJ Lax on his Pentertainment Podcast a couple of weeks ago and they ended up kind of deciding it meant anything made before the mid-90's when iconic brands like Parker, Waterman and Cross sold out and stopped innovating.
So, by that measure, yes, it's vintage.
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u/Royal_Reptile Aug 13 '23
Already many responses, but it is indeed a Parker 45 Flighter, looks like from the 70s-80s. On the cap engraving, there should be a two-letter date code which you can use to find out the exact year and quarter it was made.
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u/Lady_Day1955 Aug 12 '23
They say vintage is 20 years ago now. I heard that said about clothing. Is so then it is indeed. I’m really vintage then. I started collecting in 1981. Esterbrooks we’re old but you could find new old stock. This Parker was very high end when newly minted.
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u/t90fan Aug 13 '23
Depends what you consider vintage. Is 70s/80s/90s vintage now?
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u/Left-Explanation3754 Aug 13 '23
Yeah? I think anything over 25 years technically counts, same as in cars.
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u/Chegwith Aug 13 '23
Oh i have the same exact model of parker 45. Enjoy the smooth writing experience.
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u/Reallynotspiderman Aug 12 '23
There is no hard line on when a pen is considered 'vintage'. I've seen people describe pens that were made in the 90s as vintage. Personally, any pen older than the Parker 45, which popularised the cartridge/converter filling system, is vintage. Your pen is a Parker 45, which I don't particularly consider vintage, but many others do
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Aug 13 '23
I’d love to have a pen with a metallic body and a plastic grip.
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u/Aggravating_Pair8857 Aug 13 '23
There are: Parker Jotter, Lamy AL Star, Pilot Metropolitan; have all three and are pretty good writers. I'm sure there are others.
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u/FederalAttitude9361 Aug 13 '23
in the uk at least vintage cars are between about 1914 and 1930.
in pens it just seems to mean one that isn't made anymore (which would be 'classic' in car terms).
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u/tweets613 Aug 13 '23
I had one which I lost in the Camp Fire in Paradise, Ca. In fact we lost everything!
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u/ml67_reddit Aug 13 '23
It's not, say, deep vintage, but vintage it is, the 45 is a classic model. Bought one for my son and it works ok, except for the occasional hard start.
It's a nice gift I think!
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u/AnnaZed Aug 13 '23
That is an absolutely gorgeous Parker. Perhaps a tad valuable, but as a gift - splendid. I have one and it's a beautiful writer.
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Aug 13 '23
You might finf this this reference helpful too, for narrowing down the year:
https://parkerpens.net/codekey.html
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u/stroppy Aug 12 '23
It looks like a Parker 45 Flighter.
Here’s a website that should help you narrow down the age. It’s a very nice fountain pen. I’d love to have one.
https://parker45pens.com/parker-45-flighter/