Here's another vintage find from "The Big Four" vintage pen companies (Parker, Wahl-Eversharp, Sheaffer and Waterman) recently acquired by Christopher!
(all photos courtesy of Christopher, except where noted ~ please click on images to enlarge)
Christopher writes: "Admittedly, I
have been after something along the lines of a vest pocket pen for quite
some time. So it was just brilliant when I stumbled on what turned out
to be a Parker Jade Duofold 1932 Vest Pocket pen and pencil set in
beautiful and restorable condition. Actually, I spotted the mechanical
pencil first, but not being that familiar with the pencils in the Parker
Vest Pocket Duofold line, passed on it. Deeper into the cache of vintage
writing instruments, there was the most lovely little jade vest pocket
Duofold fountain pen. Quite honestly, I could not get the payment out of
my wallet fast enough and had a smile on my face, until the thought
occurred to me close to half way home, that possibly that little
mechanical pencil I had been looking at, was actually the mate for the
pen I had just bought. So back I went and, sure enough, when I married the
pen and pencil once again, it equaled a fine Parker Duofold vest pocket
set. But from here on, in things regarding this set just got better and
better!"
"For openers, the fountain pen in this fine set sported three 14K gold
filled cap rings with the middle one being a tad wider then the ones on
either side. This designation meant that the pen and pencil were from
the 1932 ‘Special’ Duofold series. Adding to that was the fact that
although the nib on the pen was small, it did offer a good bit of flex.
As for condition, other than a wee bit of discolouration on the fountain
pen’s barrel, the overall view was near mint. This was a short ribbon
ring top set, but I read that sometimes these writing instruments came
with both the ring top and a cap clip (note: see photo directly below). Although and evidently, one of
the concerns regarding the vest pocket fountain pens is the tiny
pressure bar. Due to its small size, if there is any rust sometimes the
corrosion renders the bar damaged and thus unusable. Plus, replacements
can be a challenge to acquire. As a Duofold, the filling system is the
button type but I was fortunate in that other than a wee bit of surface
oxidation, which was easily removed, the pressure bar in this case was
not in bad shape."
(Above: a collection of 1930's Duofold Vest Pockets ~ photo courtesy of Parkerpens.net)
"Once both pen
and pencil had been restored and serviced, I decided that the set needed
an appropriate case. Now I have found if you are at a loss for a
vintage manufacturer’s pen case, often a period jeweler’s case will do
nicely. Jewelers back in the day often used their own branded store pen
cases as a finishing touch to sell writing instruments. Again, I was
lucky because Chris my wife had just the jeweler’s case to complement
my vest pocket set. Still, I did not want to include the set paperwork that I had in the wings, to sit on top of the pen and pencil in the case. So while installing the tie down cording in the box insert, it was
elementary to just add a pull out cloth tab and stick this paperwork
under the insert. Fortunately, the beautiful deep purple satin lined
case, complete with the jeweler’s branding was also dated in the early
1930s."
"And as small as the vest pocket pen is, it posts at 4 ½ inches to
sit comfortably in hand but caps back to place in a suitable breast
pocket or the likes of at 3 ½ inches. It should be noted that the
shorter ring tops pens were often bought by men for either the vest
pocket or to attach to a pocket watch chain.
Although I do not have a pocket watch chain
currently, I do have a number of suitable breast pockets which
definitely can accommodate these fine items."
As always, our thanks to Christopher for his photos and reviews of wonderful vintage finds like these!
