Newest Acquisitions (Virtual "Show & Tell") ~ part 185

Today's spotlight is on three vintage Parker 'Jotter' ballpoints belonging to Trevor, and how he came to acquire them...

Here's the story, in Trevor's own words:

Another Tale of Bad Pictures

I seem to be a sucker for bad pictures, as I have once again looked at an ad for pens with terrible pictures and thought, “Hey, I should buy those.” I am very puzzled by this because nowadays, we all have in our pockets, an amazing photo taking device. Why is it so hard to take a clear picture? I may never know. Anyway, Shanin brought to my attention an ad for a lot of 10 pens from a seller in Nanaimo. If I squinted just right and tilted my head I could recognize 5 out of the 10 items in the lot. I saw three Jotters immediately. There were other things that I will tell about in a future review, but today I will focus on the Jotters. I felt there was enough value in the lot, made the deal, sent the dollars and a few days later a box arrived in the mail!

Upon opening the box I was greeted with the scent of musty car interior and old newspapers, and was taken to my happy place. So much nostalgia from the days spent in the shop with my dad and his restoration projects and visits to antique book stores. Lots of fun in this box of treasures… and now… the Jotters! These are quite special to me as they are my first “Vintage” Jotters. 

(all photos courtesy of Trevor ~ please click on images to enlarge) 

First up is: Black plastic barrel Jotter. Date code AI, made in England. The Date code tells me Q4 1982, but it has a flat button and brass threads… The brass threads were replaced with plastic in 1980, so a bit of a puzzle there. On the black barrel in silver is the H.M.S. Victory. The screening is in good shape considering the age. The Parker Ballpoint refill in blue was not in great shape, so I replaced it with my preferred Monteverde Gel in Blue/Black colour. 

Next up is a USA made Jotter without a date code. Also flat button and brass threads, so estimated 1973-1979 manufacture. It’s a “Window” model personalized for Coinamatic. Visible in the window are measurement conversions printed on the refill. Conversions for Length, Weight, Liquid, and Temperature are visible when actuating the button. Fun! Sadly the refill is bone dry. I’m not replacing it due to the unique nature of the printing. 

 Last but not least of these Jotters is a mid-1960s Parker “Girl” Jotter. Also known as a mini Jotter. Not much information is available on these but what little (see what I did there?) information I have found tells me these were made only for a short time. I was able to find two examples from 1965 and 1967. This one is made in Canada and has a round button and brass threads. Strangely comfortable to write with. The blue Parker refill was mostly dry and didn’t write well, so I installed a Monteverde Gel refill in pink. I’ve run out of Red, which would have matched the barrel. 

 

 
There are other interesting pieces in this lot, so I’m glad I took the chance. I’ll tell about the others soon."

The Parker 'Jotter' ballpoint first came out in 1954 and is still going strong, with new colours and patterns coming out every year. Many thanks to Trevor for sharing his thoughts and photos of this classic writing instrument with us!