Parker Vacumatics Photo Thread

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Slender in Laminated Golden Pearl (Brown) celluloid date coded 1937. It's just over 4 9/16 inches long capped. The plunger is the locking type. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel clarity on this example is very good. The cap top jewel is black, but the barrel end jewel is laminated celluloid. The barrel is stamped GEO S PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A next to the date code 47. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold platinum plated Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped U S A over PARKER. The Slender sold for $7.50 and the matching pencil sold for $3.50.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticBrown_2048_02.jpg

 

Thanks!

[Brian-McQueen]

Some Oversize Vacumatics.

 

Some of those are REALLY strange...

 

 

...The cap top jewel is black, but the barrel end jewel is laminated celluloid...

 

Just for information to folks who don't know, the cap jewel should be laminated on this particular model.

[PenHero]

Just for information to folks who don't know, the cap jewel should be laminated on this particular model.

 

 

Yep - probably should have said "on this example." Thanks!

[Brian-McQueen]

Vacumatic Debutante set that was sent back to a customer when it could no longer be repaired by Parker, with stickers attached for the "Retirement Offer" to trade in the pen toward a newer one.

 

Vacumatic Retirement Offer 1

[JonSzanto]

Vacumatic Debutante set that was sent back to a customer when it could no longer be repaired by Parker, with stickers attached for the "Retirement Offer" to trade in the pen toward a newer one.

 

That is *very* cool, Brian.

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Golden Pearl (brown) date coded 1944. It's just over 5 inches long capped. The plunger and the cap top jewel are black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 4 with no dots. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over U.S.A. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticGoldenPearlMajor_2048_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Silver Pearl date coded 1945. It's 5 1/16 inches long capped. The plunger is clear plastic and the cap top jewel is black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 5 with two dots. It has chrome plated trim and shows brassing. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped USA over PARKER. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticSilverPearlMajor_2048_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

 

This is a Parker Vacumatic Juniorette in Silver Pearl celluloid date coded 1937. This 4 5/8 inch long pen has large clear elements in the barrel so the user could check the ink level, though they are not visible on this unrestored example. These early Vacumatics have a lockdown-filler unit that required the user to remove the blind cap on the barrel and press and turn the filler knob to unlock and extended the spring loaded plunger so the pen could be filled. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 37. The first number indicates the quarter and the second number the year. Note the chrome plated trim. It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over USA over 17. The Juniorette sold for $5.00 and the matching pencil sold for $2.50.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticGreenPearlJunior_2048_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Corrected the color on the pen above, FYI - thanks Brian.

[PenHero]

Hi Folks!

 

This is a Canadian Parker Vacumatic Golden Web Juniorette fountain pen date coded 1937. This 4 3/4 inch long pen is made of golden brown brickwork celluloid sheets wrapped into tubes where the "black grout" is actually transparent amber, providing an ink view into the barrel. These pens were made in Junior, Long Junior, and Juniorette sizes. The celluloid was known by various names including Golden Pearl, Brown Pearl and, most commonly, Golden Web and the pens were catalogued from 1936 to 1937. These early Vacumatics have a lockdown-filler unit that required the user to remove the blind cap on the barrel and press and turn the filler knob to unlock and extended the spring loaded plunger so the pen could be filled. The barrel is stamped PARKER over MADE IN CANADA next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to PAT. No. over 318982 next to 17. The first number indicates the quarter and the second number the year. The patent number is the United Kingdom patent for the Vacumatic mechanism assigned to Arthur Olans Dahlberg and accepted January 23, 1930. Note the shorter cap lip. It has a 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over USA over 17.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticGoldenWebJunior_2048_01.jpg

 

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Emerald Pearl date coded 1944. It's just over 5 inches long capped. The plunger is clear and the cap top jewel are black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 4 with no dots. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." Note the clearly visible seam on the cap below the clip. It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over U.S.A. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticEmeraldPearlMajor_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic long Major in Laminated Silver Pearl date coded 1942. It's 5 1/4 inches long capped. The plunger is clear plastic and the cap top jewel is black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 2 with no dots. It has chrome plated trim and shows brassing. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped USA over PARKER over 45. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticSilverPearlLongMajor_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[Beechwood]

Thanks Jim

 

As a guide the price of a 1942 Vac has the equivalent buying power of $140 today.

 

There is a reason why the blind cap will never perfectly match the barrel, could you remind us of why that is the case?

[Brian-McQueen]

There is a reason why the blind cap will never perfectly match the barrel, could you remind us of why that is the case?

 

Are you asking why the blind caps often don't line up perfectly, or why the plastic is different, or something else?

[Beechwood]

 

Are you asking why the blind caps often don't line up perfectly, or why the plastic is different, or something else?

 

The stripes will not line up as a general rule and also a difference in appearance, there is a technical reason why there will never be a perfect match.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Beechwood

[FarmBoy]

The blind cap and barrel are made from different material stock. They do not match.

 

Parker generally used Nickel plated trim not Chrome for white metal. Some wartime Vacs have been found with Silver white metal trim.

[PenHero]

Hi Folks!

 

This is a Parker Vacumatic Golden Web Juniorette fountain pen date coded 1940. This 4 3/4 inch long pen is made of golden brown brickwork celluloid sheets wrapped into tubes where the "black grout" is actually transparent amber, providing an ink view into the barrel. These pens were made in Junior, Long Junior, and Juniorette sizes. The celluloid was known by various names including Golden Pearl, Brown Pearl and, most commonly, Golden Web and the pens were catalogued from 1936 to 1937. These early Vacumatics have a lockdown-filler unit that required the user to remove the blind cap on the barrel and press and turn the filler knob to unlock and extended the spring loaded plunger so the pen could be filled. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 0 with two dots. The number indicates the year and the dots indicate the quarter, where two dots mean second quarter. It has a 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over USA. The Golden Web is called Brown Pearl in the 1937 catalog where the pen retailed for $5.00 and the matching pencil was $2.50. This is an interesting example, as the Golden Web does not appear in the September 1938, August 1939 or 1940 Parker catalogs.

 

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticGoldenWebJunior_2048_08.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

The blind cap and barrel are made from different material stock. They do not match.

 

Parker generally used Nickel plated trim not Chrome for white metal. Some wartime Vacs have been found with Silver white metal trim.

Hi! I don't have Parker documentation that says specifically what the trim is plated with so I am using the Parker Vacumatic book by Shepherd and Zazove as a reference. They refer to the trim as chrome plated. Do you have something like a repair manual or other documentation that says Nickel or Silver is used? Thanks for the help!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Azure Blue Pearl date coded 1945. It's just over 5 inches long capped. Laminated Azure Blue Pearl is a new color in the 1941 catalog. The plunger and the cap top jewel are black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 5 with three dots. Three dots indicate first quarter production. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over U.S.A. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticAzureBluePearlMajor_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!

[PenHero]

Hi, Folks!

This is a Parker Vacumatic Major in Laminated Jet (black) date coded 1946. It's just over 5 inches long capped. The plunger is clear plastic and the cap top jewel is black. The Vacumatic fills by removing the blind cap at the end of the barrel, revealing the plunger, dipping the nib in ink, and repeatedly pressing the plunger until the barrel fills with ink. Parker claimed the Vacumatic could be filled with one hand. The barrel is stamped GEO. S. PARKER next to PARKER VACUMATIC next to MADE IN U.S.A. next to 6 with three dots. Three dots indicate first quarter production. It has gold filled trim. Parker called the ink view barrel a "full television ink supply." This example has excellent barrel clarity, though it does not show in this photo. It has the 14 karat gold Vacumatic Arrow nib stamped PARKER over U.S.A. over 51. The Major sold for $8.75 and the matching pencil sold for $4.00. Parker ended US production of the Vacumatic in 1948.

http://www.penhero.com/Temp/ParkerVacumaticLaminatedJetMajor_2048_01.jpg

Thanks!