Parker Duofold Centennial Photo Thread

[Paul-in-SF]

Since I posted my Centennial pens two and a half years ago, I have been busy. 

 

 

The bottom row is all but one of my Centennials; the other one is the MkIII Big Red on the left of the next row up, followed by my only demi in Check Olive (a material I didn't like well enough to spend for a Centennial) and my four Internationals, two of which are duplicates of Centennials and will probably be sold on. I keep thinking I want one of the Yellow LE's (Mandarin or Cloisonné) but whenever I see one I get gunshy from the price; same with some of the other LEs that I occasionally lust after. These are all pens that I really like the materials on (not so much the Burgundy Chevron, it's a little heavy). Oh, you can also see my collection of 51 double-jewel vacs. 

[Heinkle]

On 3/28/2024 at 5:03 PM, Paul-in-SF said:

Since I posted my Centennial pens two and a half years ago, I have been busy. 

 

 

 

 

The citrine family is gorgeous and yet so rare these days.

 

I hope it isn't the case, but it does feel like the best days of the Centennial are now behind it. 

 

[Paul-in-SF]

7 hours ago, Heinkle said:

The citrine family is gorgeous and yet so rare these days.

I'm wondering if you possibly mean "the Check family" with the different colors? I actually think the Amber is more gorgeous, by a nose, than the other two good ones. The Check Olive is so drab I haven't been willing to spend what it takes to buy a Centennial, being satisfied with the Demi as a sample of the material. 

 

I think you're right about the possible future of Centennials, at least for the regular, non-LE versions. I was completely unimpressed with the 100th anniversary LE's as well. 

[Heinkle]

46 minutes ago, Paul-in-SF said:

I'm wondering if you possibly mean "the Check family" with the different colors?

 

Yes, the "yellow" check pen - I believe to some it's called "citrine" (according to here at least)

[Sheptonian]

In case it is of any interest here is a concept that didn't make it to production:

 

 

 

Compared with a 1991 Centennial:

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to note the more streamlined profile overall as well as the substantial changes to the cap. 

 

 

 

[fpupulin]

Was it a piston filler?

 

Besides the "filler cone", which is disproportionately short and reminds me of the "too-short-filler-cone-syndrome" of most Japanese pens, I find the design of the body absolutely nice. The absence of the intermediate ring is simply splendid. Not so sure about the shape of the cap, but I consider it an interesting experiment nonetheless. This is the first Duofold that I have seen in long time that I would consider buying. I understand that I couldn't...

 

Thanks for sharing your extraordinary pen.

[PAKMAN]

Here is a Custom Pens version of the Parker Duofold Centennial the CP5:

 

[Heinkle]

9 hours ago, Sheptonian said:

In case it is of any interest here is a concept that didn't make it to production:

 

 

 

Compared with a 1991 Centennial:

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to note the more streamlined profile overall as well as the substantial changes to the cap. 

 

 

 

fantastic pen - dare I ask how you came to be in possession?

 

I don’t prefer the design to the production model (almost too understated a cap), but appreciate seeing a prototype and actually I think a foregrip with no metal rings (like a Meisterstuck), is generally more durable. It’s not obvious to me how the ink was accessed. Does it unscrew? 

[Glenn-SC]

14 hours ago, Sheptonian said:

In case it is of any interest here is a concept that didn't make it to production:

 

 

 

Compared with a 1991 Centennial:

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to note the more streamlined profile overall as well as the substantial changes to the cap. 

 

 

 

That whole design just looks like it is trying too hard to be “different“ rather than trying to be “better.”  I don’t like it but that’s OK.  

[jchch1950]

17 hours ago, Sheptonian said:

In case it is of any interest here is a concept that didn't make it to production:

 

 

 

Compared with a 1991 Centennial:

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting to note the more streamlined profile overall as well as the substantial changes to the cap. 

 

 

 

A different body shape that I like.

[Sheptonian]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:49 PM, PAKMAN said:

Here is a Custom Pens version of the Parker Duofold Centennial the CP5:

 

Wow! What a beauty - thank you for sharing.

If I collected modern Duofolds this would be on my "must have" list.

BTW I see that Tony Fischier has updated the Centennial section of his site.

[Sheptonian]

17 hours ago, Heinkle said:

fantastic pen - dare I ask how you came to be in possession?

 

I don’t prefer the design to the production model (almost too understated a cap), but appreciate seeing a prototype and actually I think a foregrip with no metal rings (like a Meisterstuck), is generally more durable. It’s not obvious to me how the ink was accessed. Does it unscrew? 

 

The pen is from c.1990, and thought to be one of three examples. It is non-functional, of course (please see the photo below for construction), but if produced would have been a C/C like the rest of the Duofold line I presume. I bought it four years ago from a private collector who had quite a lot a lot of interesting and unusual material from sources including a relative of a Newhaven employee.  

 

12 hours ago, Glenn-SC said:

That whole design just looks like it is trying too hard to be “different“ rather than trying to be “better.”  I don’t like it but that’s OK.  

 

8 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

A different body shape that I like.

 

I think that it was trying to look back to the streamline Duofold shape of the 1930s. Interestingly the overall design of second generation modern Duofolds and beyond is more tapered than the Mk1 pens. 

 

Here is the concept pen (a mock-up, rather than a pen per se, of course) showing its construction: 

 

The pen came with a case. I am not sure if it was a regular Duofold one or also a mock-up.

[Sheptonian]

On 4/6/2024 at 3:30 PM, fpupulin said:

Was it a piston filler?

 

Besides the "filler cone", which is disproportionately short and reminds me of the "too-short-filler-cone-syndrome" of most Japanese pens, I find the design of the body absolutely nice. The absence of the intermediate ring is simply splendid. Not so sure about the shape of the cap, but I consider it an interesting experiment nonetheless. This is the first Duofold that I have seen in long time that I would consider buying. I understand that I couldn't...

 

Thanks for sharing your extraordinary pen.

 

My pleasure! 

 

I would have bought one if ever the design had made it into production. But then I am a fan of the original streamline Duofold so I suppose that that accounts for it.

 

 

[Heinkle]

15 hours ago, Sheptonian said:

 

The pen is from c.1990, and thought to be one of three examples. It is non-functional, of course (please see the photo below for construction), but if produced would have been a C/C like the rest of the Duofold line I presume. I bought it four years ago from a private collector who had quite a lot a lot of interesting and unusual material from sources including a relative of a Newhaven employee.  

 

 

 

I think that it was trying to look back to the streamline Duofold shape of the 1930s. Interestingly the overall design of second generation modern Duofolds and beyond is more tapered than the Mk1 pens. 

 

Here is the concept pen (a mock-up, rather than a pen per se, of course) showing its construction: 

 

The pen came with a case. I am not sure if it was a regular Duofold one or also a mock-up.

 

Very interesting indeed!

 

In the 2006 book written by David Shepherd and Dan Zazove (in conjunction with Parker), the only prototypes outlined are some 1960s ideas for a C/C revival / disposable fountain pen, and then a near-final Mk 1 with an original Parker clip:

 

 

[Sheptonian]

10 hours ago, Heinkle said:

 

Very interesting indeed!

 

In the 2006 book written by David Shepherd and Dan Zazove (in conjunction with Parker), the only prototypes outlined are some 1960s ideas for a C/C revival / disposable fountain pen, and then a near-final Mk 1 with an original Parker clip:

 

 

 

It is a very interesting and informative book but given the breadth of the subject the authors might not have had a lot of spare space to cover the many prototypes, etc. If the Parker "51" is anything to go by I would expect that a whole extra volume could have been devoted to the various development projects that came to nothing (or not!) across the lifetime of the Duofold in all its guises.

 

I think that my pen is a stage or two before a prototype (which I would expect to be a fully-functioning pen). It will have been much cheaper to model the external characteristics of the pen than to build a fully-working one provided that the standard filling mechanism would fit within the envelope of the overall design (which in this case it would have).

 

There were probably many mock-ups of potential developments of the modern Duofold so I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that there are dozens of examples of different conceptual designs in existence, just not seen that often. And some prototypes somewhere, to boot.