Is It Possible To Get A Fake Parker Insignia On Amazon?

[ginaman]

I was looking for a pencil that is good looking and retractable with a reasonable price. So far, the best pencil I found is Parker Insignia, although unfortunately Parker discontinued it in 2008. I found there are several available on Amazon, and the prices are from $9.99 to $20. I don't know why the prices are so different and I asked the seller who told me that since Parker stopped producing Insignia, it's cheaper. So I bought one which is $9.99 and the seller told me it's made in France. Since the price is only $9.99 from Amazon, could it be a fake Insignia?

 

The reason I asked was because that I found people here said that since Insignia is not popular, it's not likely to be fake. But I just want to make sure that if there is a way to tell the fake Insignia and the genuine one.

 

Thanks

[ginaman]

guess nobody likes this pencil?

[mark e]

guess nobody likes this pencil?

welllll....y'know....this IS the 'fountain pen network'-----maybe no one else here knows what a pencil is....

[richardandtracy]

I think it's unlikely you'll get fakes of this out of production pencil being sold. The Insignia wasn't top of the range, and not wildly popular, so it's less worth faking.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[nxn96]

Insignias were designed to be the replacement for the Parker Classic line, which was the higher-end bp/mp option to the Jotter line. As Richard notes, it wasn't the top of the Parker line, but it was intended to be a more "upscale" model. Although Parker kept it in the lineup for many years, I don't think it was the "hit" Parker was hoping for. I think I've read there are Insignia fakes out there, but I doubt many are the mechanical pencils, but more likely the fountain and bp versions of the pen. Personally, I don't think pencils were necessarily Parker's strong point and where the demand was; therefore, the less likely version of the Insignia to be "faked" I would guess is the pencil.

 

Personally, I find the Insignia bp/mp's to be a bit thin in the hand. They were obviously designed with the Cross Century line in mind, and have a similar "profile", although the Insignia's diameter is slightly larger compared to the Cross (which I consider a "plus" for the Insignia). Another alternative to consider is a vintage Parker 45 Flighter mp. NOS/mint or very lightly used versions regularly come up on eBay. I can't speak to the final UK series produced before the 45 line was retired- as I've never used one- but the 45's, especially the Flighter versions, are an exceptionally nice pen to use and pretty much last forever.

 

Hope this helps.

[ginaman]

Insignias were designed to be the replacement for the Parker Classic line, which was the higher-end bp/mp option to the Jotter line. As Richard notes, it wasn't the top of the Parker line, but it was intended to be a more "upscale" model. Although Parker kept it in the lineup for many years, I don't think it was the "hit" Parker was hoping for. I think I've read there are Insignia fakes out there, but I doubt many are the mechanical pencils, but more likely the fountain and bp versions of the pen. Personally, I don't think pencils were necessarily Parker's strong point and where the demand was; therefore, the less likely version of the Insignia to be "faked" I would guess is the pencil.

 

Personally, I find the Insignia bp/mp's to be a bit thin in the hand. They were obviously designed with the Cross Century line in mind, and have a similar "profile", although the Insignia's diameter is slightly larger compared to the Cross (which I consider a "plus" for the Insignia). Another alternative to consider is a vintage Parker 45 Flighter mp. NOS/mint or very lightly used versions regularly come up on eBay. I can't speak to the final UK series produced before the 45 line was retired- as I've never used one- but the 45's, especially the Flighter versions, are an exceptionally nice pen to use and pretty much last forever.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Thank you for the reply. My pencil will arrive in a few days and I am very expecting it.

[ginaman]

I think it's unlikely you'll get fakes of this out of production pencil being sold. The Insignia wasn't top of the range, and not wildly popular, so it's less worth faking.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

 

thanks, Richard