Parker Holy Water Sprinkler!

[Buzz J]

Parker started selling holy water pens in the 30s in a Vacumatic model. They were promoted pretty heavily around Christmas time for parishioners to give to their priests. Kenneth Parker was after all a shrewd marketing man.

[pajaro]

 

This isn't so much a pen item, but it is a religious article and shouldn't perhaps be ridiculed.

 

 

 

you mean like the little glass bottle they carry around that's supposed to be the blood of jesus? or the shroud of turin? religious articles are just THINGS and it's fun to ridicule them. b/c really, would Jesus have carried around a bunch of STUFF and called it holy? i doubt it. the dude was a carpenter, right? down to earth dude. not into a bunch of STUFF. i mean, didn't he say a few times, sell (or give away) all your stuff, and just walk with me? stuff wasn't important to him. that was the point. that's why it's so much fun to ridicule all this stuff. b/c it's all a joke and i bet even christ would have laughed at how seriously people take the stuff. "HOLY ME! you mean they found a likeness of my mom in some burnt toast!? WHAT??"

 

really...

 

Well, you have succeeded in offending me.

[sotto2]

And I don't think Catholics have any edge on tackiness....Protestant TV evangelists outnumber and out-tack them all.

 

Hallelujah, Brother.

 

You didn't see the little white prayer book I got with my First Holy Communion. Thick, plush, embossed covers, fake pearls inlaid, a little recessed rectangle in the middle of the cover for a picture. And that was for the boys...

 

Oh man, I want one of those (as well as the Holy Water Pen)! My favorite little FP notebooks are the Japanese ones with the little bears, flowers and bunnies on 'em and the elastic straps. On the cover of one, Mr. Bunny says, "Today I will have donut! What will you drink?" ;-)

Edited July 9, 2010 by sotto2

[John Danza]

There's a VP set on ebay right now, with the FP and the holy water sprinkler. Here's the link. This should give you an idea on true value.

[Viseguy]

Parker started selling holy water pens in the 30s in a Vacumatic model. They were promoted pretty heavily around Christmas time for parishioners to give to their priests. Kenneth Parker was after all a shrewd marketing man.

I'm not sure he was shrewd in this case. What did people think when the priest started flicking his "pen" at them? Yeow! It's the kind of thing that gives fountain pens (and FP users) a bad name.

 

I don't like to, uh, cast aspersions, but it seems off to me.

 

[OldGriz]

Parker started selling holy water pens in the 30s in a Vacumatic model. They were promoted pretty heavily around Christmas time for parishioners to give to their priests. Kenneth Parker was after all a shrewd marketing man.

I'm not sure he was shrewd in this case. What did people think when the priest started flicking his "pen" at them? Yeow! It's the kind of thing that gives fountain pens (and FP users) a bad name.

 

I don't like to, uh, cast aspersions, but it seems off to me.

 

 

When you consider that the priest was most likely at the person's house to deliver last rights as the person was dying, I doubt very much they cared where the holy water was coming from...

[Rick Krantz]

There's a VP set on ebay right now, with the FP and the holy water sprinkler. Here's the link. This should give you an idea on true value.

 

yeah, take out the VP set, I think you were right spot on....

 

I know this thing is rare, but it ultimately comes down to desirability. I just don't see this as that popular of an item.

[cjabbott]

I know this thing is rare, but it ultimately comes down to desirability. I just don't see this as that popular of an item.

 

I'm not Catholic, but I think this would be very cool to have as a companion to the FP (or even just the pen with the symbol). Something different!

[dcwaites]

Parker started selling holy water pens in the 30s in a Vacumatic model. They were promoted pretty heavily around Christmas time for parishioners to give to their priests. Kenneth Parker was after all a shrewd marketing man.

I'm not sure he was shrewd in this case. What did people think when the priest started flicking his "pen" at them? Yeow! It's the kind of thing that gives fountain pens (and FP users) a bad name.

 

I don't like to, uh, cast aspersions, but it seems off to me.

 

 

Shouldn't that be aspergillums?

 

Sorry, couldn't resist...:embarrassed_smile:

[Tobleron]

Just out of curiosity. How much will such a pen cost? Any other pen manufacturer makes such pens?

[jar]

Just out of curiosity. How much will such a pen cost? Any other pen manufacturer makes such pens?

 

You can find those answers in David's reply.

[mic]

i would fill it with scotch.

[watch_art]

i would fill it with scotch.

 

 

 

:roflmho:

 

Canadian whiskey. aged 12 years.

Edited July 10, 2010 by watch_art

[nxn96]

I'm guessing that the combination of the decline in Fountain Pen sales in the 1960's and a post-Vatican II de-emphasis on some of the older rituals is why production of these things seems to have ended with the VP. I could see a lot of these things being sold in the 1950's- early 1960's, particularly as gifts for priests who were stationed at parishes with schools: collect a nickel or dime from every kid in the school and you've got a nice Christmas gift for Father Murphy.

 

I've seen a few of these on Ebay from time to time- not very often though, and they always seem to be VP's; which is interesting given the relative rarity overall of VP's. Probably since most of these were given as gifts and were unlikely something a priest would buy for himself, they got put in drawers and were seldom used. The pricing suggestions of $150-200 seems in line with what I've seen out there. I would guess people who are Catholic or were raised Catholic would be those most interested in this sort of thing; perhaps also VP collectors.

 

If some Catholic-bashing VP collector wants it, double the price.

[Viseguy]

When you consider that the priest was most likely at the person's house to deliver last rights as the person was dying, I doubt very much they cared where the holy water was coming from...

True.

 

Here's a less likely (but cuter) scenario:

 

http://andrewsulliva...of-the--17.html

 

 

 

[rroossinck]

Just to set the record straight (and not to be a threadkill)...keep the religious opinions and beliefs to yourself, please. A closed mouth gathers no foot (and doesn't tork anyone off, either). kthanxbai.

[RalphP]

A few penmakers over the years have offered pocketable holy water sprinklers in penlike form. A short list of American makers, off the top of my head, would include Chilton, LeBoeuf, Waterman, and of course Parker. Of these, the Parkers are much the most common. Among Parker sprinklers, it is the VP that is far and away the most common. Why this is so, I cannot say with certainty, but I have my suspicions.

 

It may well be that when the VP was discontinued, spares were re-used for the sprinkler. I have seen no evidence that the VP sprinkler was ever sold as a pair with the pen, so as a stand-alone item it could have been stocked for years after the pen version was off the market. The VP sprinkler also dates to a period when Parker was actively adding non-pen items to their lineup. A sprinkler version of the 61 would not have been very likely, unless the 61 were a cartridge-filling version with converter -- a minority in USA production. A sprinkler version of the 75 would have been possible, but the metal body might not have been seen as suitable, and especially when it came to marking it so it was in some way distinctive and not easily confused with the pen version.

 

It may be a bit ambitious asking $450 for an item that the most established international dealers sell at full retail for only $275.

[RalphP]

A few penmakers over the years have offered pocketable holy water sprinklers in penlike form. A short list of American makers, off the top of my head, would include Chilton, LeBoeuf, Waterman, and of course Parker. Of these, the Parkers are much the most common. Among Parker sprinklers, it is the VP that is far and away the most common. Why this is so, I cannot say with certainty, but I have my suspicions.

 

It may well be that when the VP was discontinued, spares were re-used for the sprinkler. I have seen no evidence that the VP sprinkler was ever sold as a pair with the pen, so as a stand-alone item it could have been stocked for years after the pen version was off the market. The VP sprinkler also dates to a period when Parker was actively adding non-pen items to their lineup. A sprinkler version of the 61 would not have been very likely, unless the 61 were a cartridge-filling version with converter -- a minority in USA production. A sprinkler version of the 75 would have been possible, but the metal body might not have been seen as suitable, and especially when it came to marking it so it was in some way distinctive and not easily confused with the pen version.

 

It may be a bit ambitious asking $450 for an item that the most established international dealers sell at full retail for only $275.

 

 

I finally located the photos.

 

 

It seems Parker did offer a companion Fountain Pen with the Holy Water Sprinkler- even a ballpoint & pencil... Surprise to me.

 

I guess just because you have not seen something it does not mean that it does not exist...

 

Now to see if I can insert the photo - credit to WES - Winter

 

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll110/pratherpens/HolyWaterSpklrWESWinter.jpg

 

 

 

Even a Jotter - who knew?

 

 

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll110/pratherpens/HolyWaterSpklrWESWinter10cJPG.jpg

 

 

ralph prather

[jniforat]

omg....i want one of these! i may be going to seminary next fall...seems like a good set to have

[jniforat]

does anyone know where to get one of these?

 

 

ETA: maybe i can get similar models, and just get them engraved to look similar LOL

Edited December 20, 2010 by jniforat