PARKER SLIMFOLD

[samba]

Hi All,

Recently I have collected two vintage Parker Slimfold fountain pens, both made in England. One is black, fitted with a fine 14k nib, and the other is green and fitted with a medium 14k nib (photo attached). The nibs are identical. But their construction is totally different. The filling mechanism is the same for both pens. I would love to know their approximate manufacturing time and which one is the more authentic one among these two.

Please help me in this regard.

Thank you in advance.

[joss]

Hi, the black pen is the first version of the Parker Slimfold (late 1950s - 1960s) and the green one is the ultimate version that appeared in the late 1960s, before the Slimfold was replaced by the 'New Slimfold'. It is explained here:

https://pencollect.co.uk/parkerslimfold.htm

https://pencollect.co.uk/newslimfold.htm

 

Other info on the Slimfold can be found here: https://parkerpens.net/slimfold.html but this page does not include the first version of the Slimfold (your black pen) which is a bit confusing.

[Beechwood]

Not sure about the use of the word authentic, both pens are correct and appropriate for their time.

 

It is important to remember that during the 1950s and 1960s there were many places in each city where you could take your pen for attention, including High Street stationers, if you dropped your Slimfold and bent the nib you could go into a WH Smiths or The Pen Corner and wait for the nib to be straightened or replaced with another Parker Slimfold nib, possibly from a different generation.

 

The Slimfolds were a great pen of their time, thousands were sold and they are still a very easy pen to own and use today.

 

Attractive handwriting by the way.

[Penguincollector]

  I have a question, does the black cap fit the green pen? The cap on the green one is for either a New Slimfold (basically a 45) or Parker 45 Deluxe. My guess is that it’s a replacement for a damaged green one. You might want to keep an eye out for a matching cap, but if it works, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I absolutely love the Slimfolds, the nibs are wonderful. 

[samba]

18 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

  I have a question, does the black cap fit the green pen? The cap on the green one is for either a New Slimfold (basically a 45) or Parker 45 Deluxe. My guess is that it’s a replacement for a damaged green one. You might want to keep an eye out for a matching cap, but if it works, I wouldn’t worry about it too much. I absolutely love the Slimfolds, the nibs are wonderful. 

Both of these pens bear the 'Parker Slimfold' mark. The imprint appears on the barrel of the black one and on the cap lip on the green one. Interestingly, the caps are interchangeable. But the sections are not. Please see the photos attached. Thank you.

[samba]

19 hours ago, Beechwood said:

Not sure about the use of the word authentic, both pens are correct and appropriate for their time.

 

It is important to remember that during the 1950s and 1960s there were many places in each city where you could take your pen for attention, including High Street stationers, if you dropped your Slimfold and bent the nib you could go into a WH Smiths or The Pen Corner and wait for the nib to be straightened or replaced with another Parker Slimfold nib, possibly from a different generation.

 

The Slimfolds were a great pen of their time, thousands were sold and they are still a very easy pen to own and use today.

 

Attractive handwriting by the way.

Do you think these nibs are the correct match for these two models? I saw a lot of Slimfold 14k No. 5 nibs with different engravings. Some nibs have 'N' engraved, some have '5' & 'other digit,' some have only 14k, and some have '14k 585' (like mine). So I am a bit confused if these nibs are the correct match or not. But both of them are great writers with some flex.

[samba]

21 hours ago, joss said:

Hi, the black pen is the first version of the Parker Slimfold (late 1950s - 1960s) and the green one is the ultimate version that appeared in the late 1960s, before the Slimfold was replaced by the 'New Slimfold'. It is explained here:

https://pencollect.co.uk/parkerslimfold.htm

https://pencollect.co.uk/newslimfold.htm

 

Other info on the Slimfold can be found here: https://parkerpens.net/slimfold.html but this page does not include the first version of the Slimfold (your black pen) which is a bit confusing.

Thank you for your information.

[joss]

19 hours ago, Penguincollector said:

The cap on the green one is for either a New Slimfold (basically a 45) or Parker 45 Deluxe. My guess is that it’s a replacement for a damaged green one.

 

No, the cap on the green pen is perfectly correct for the late 1960s version of the Slimfold. The Slimfold and New Slimfold have a screw-on cap so swapping it with a Parker 45 CT/Arrow cap will not work.

This page from a 1969 Parker England brochure shows the 'old' Slimfold with 'New Slimfold' type cap:

 

[Beechwood]

6 hours ago, samba said:

Do you think these nibs are the correct match for these two models? I saw a lot of Slimfold 14k No. 5 nibs with different engravings. Some nibs have 'N' engraved, some have '5' & 'other digit,' some have only 14k, and some have '14k 585' (like mine). So I am a bit confused if these nibs are the correct match or not. But both of them are great writers with some flex.

 

You have every right to be confused. Parker were not consistent with their nib markings other than 5 generally means a Slimfold nib, N means made in Newhaven but the absence of an N doesn't mean that the pen wasn't made in Newhaven.

 

Parker chopped and changed and that is before you take into account the work of Parker Repairs Department.

 

Frankly, I wouldn't lose any sleep on whether the nib is perfectly correct although I should give the answer probably. I have owned many Slimfolds, Junior, Senior and other Duofolds and there is a great deal of variety of nib markings.

 

 

[Penguincollector]

7 hours ago, joss said:

 

No, the cap on the green pen is perfectly correct for the late 1960s version of the Slimfold. The Slimfold and New Slimfold have a screw-on cap so swapping it with a Parker 45 CT/Arrow cap will not work.

This page from a 1969 Parker England brochure shows the 'old' Slimfold with 'New Slimfold' type cap:

 

  Thanks for sharing this, I was truly unaware of this transitional Slimfold between the original Slimfold with the chevron band and the New Slimfold. 

[inkstainedruth]

Me neither.  I only have one Slimfold (a blue one) and just pulled it out, but only finding that it says on the barrel: 

PARKER SLIM FOLD

MADE IN ENGLAND

on the the barrel, and says (on the nib):

PARKER

14 K

ENGLAND

5

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

[Sheptonian]

In case it is any help, your pen fills the gap between the green one on the left in the photos below and the New Slimfold in the middle. 

 

The New Slimfold introduced the Parker 45 filler, feed, and nib arrangement to the Slimfold range.

 

The final variant, on the right, followed the New Slimfold, and was sold simply as the Slimfold.

 

 

 

New Slimfold v. Parker 45 size difference:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Runnin_Ute]

On 1/14/2025 at 2:39 PM, inkstainedruth said:

Me neither.  I only have one Slimfold (a blue one) and just pulled it out, but only finding that it says on the barrel: 

PARKER SLIM FOLD

MADE IN ENGLAND

on the the barrel, and says (on the nib):

PARKER

14 K

ENGLAND

5

Sorry I can't be of more help.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

Mine (arrived this week) is the same. Blue with identical barrel and nib markings. On the filler 

The Parker Pen Co Ltd

London England 

 

Press at.least 5 times.

It's the same style as the black one in the OP.