what WAS Parker's equivalent/competition for the Sheaffer school pen?

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

Well, I googled it, and got bupkus. (except Dirk's excellent write up about the pen in question)
So, as the title says, what WAS the Parker equivalent to the Sheaffer "school pen", you know, this thing:

I just can't believe that Parker would be willing to let Sheaffer have that market all to themselves...
especially when you consider Long Term Brand Loyalty... "Get 'em young and keep 'em buying"

So, what was Parker's answer to this thing? Was it the 45? 'cause ad's i've seen for the 45 place it at significantly more expensive...

Can anyone who was "there at the time" answer this?

Thanks!

[inkstainedruth]

Any clue as to when the Sheaffer school pens were first on the market?  Because I'm thinking that the Vector *might* have been Parker's answer (but they might also be too new -- I just checked on Tony Fisher's site and the Vectors first came out in the mid 1980s).

I know that there are people on FPN who sneer at Vectors as being "school pens" -- but all of mine are little workhorses.  They're inexpensive, they're fun, they come in a bunch of different designs and colors, and, well, they just WORK....  And the Parker twist converters fit in them (and while the price of those have gone up, at least they're still AVAILABLE -- unlike the Sheaffer equivalent for their school pens; someone at the Ohio Pen Show last fall had a couple of them, but wanted $25 US *apiece*.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[bsenn]

I'd guess the Parkette in the 50s and the Arrow in the 60s. Nothing as inexpensive as a Sheaffer school pen.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

1 hour ago, inkstainedruth said:

Any clue as to when the Sheaffer school pens were first on the market?  Because I'm thinking that the Vector *might* have been Parker's answer (but they might also be too new -- I just checked on Tony Fisher's site and the Vectors first came out in the mid 1980s).

I know that there are people on FPN who sneer at Vectors as being "school pens" -- but all of mine are little workhorses.  They're inexpensive, they're fun, they come in a bunch of different designs and colors, and, well, they just WORK....  And the Parker twist converters fit in them (and while the price of those have gone up, at least they're still AVAILABLE -- unlike the Sheaffer equivalent for their school pens; someone at the Ohio Pen Show last fall had a couple of them, but wanted $25 US *apiece*.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

Says here 1955 for start date 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=2554

 

 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

1 hour ago, bsenn said:

I'd guess the Parkette in the 50s and the Arrow in the 60s. Nothing as inexpensive as a Sheaffer school pen.

It’s starting to look that way… which kinda blows my mind. 

[Penguincollector]

  In the 1957 (closest year after the introduction of the Sheaffer’s student pen I could find) Parker catalog, the lower cost models were the Parker 41, Super 21, and the Parker 51 Special. The mk2 Parkette predated the Sheaffer’s by three years. The Arrow emerged in 1962. 
 

*I wasn’t around for this, I’m a bicentennial baby.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

4 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  In the 1957 (closest year after the introduction of the Sheaffer’s student pen I could find) Parker catalog, the lower cost models were the Parker 41, Super 21, and the Parker 51 Special. The mk2 Parkette predated the Sheaffer’s by three years. The Arrow emerged in 1962. 
 

*I wasn’t around for this, I’m a bicentennial baby.

Neat, thank you!

 

*I'm only a couple yrs younger than you.

[Penguincollector]

26 minutes ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

Neat, thank you!

 

*I'm only a couple yrs younger than you.

  No problem! The Pen Collectors of America website has a reference section with many Parker catalogues and other media rescued from the Parker Archives. It’s fun to read and look at the illustrations or pictures.

[OCArt]

@IThinkIHaveAProblemJust to say that  your original question was a great one. I never thought about it but it DOES seem strange that Parker didn't try to fill this niche.

  My first fountain pen was one of those Sheaffers bought from the local drug store/pharmacy/soda fountain in the 1950's.  You could stop on the ay home from grammar school and get a cherry coke, peruse the comics, buy a pea shooter or a Sheaffer school pen!

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

28 minutes ago, Penguincollector said:

  No problem! The Pen Collectors of America website has a reference section with many Parker catalogues and other media rescued from the Parker Archives. It’s fun to read and look at the illustrations or pictures.

I’m aware of it thank you. It’s a great resource!  Pretty embarrassed i didn’t think to check the catalogs. But then again… did Sheaffer put the lowly skripsert/school pen in their catalog?… 

 

16 minutes ago, OCArt said:

@IThinkIHaveAProblemJust to say that  your original question was a great one. I never thought about it but it DOES seem strange that Parker didn't try to fill this niche.

  My first fountain pen was one of those Sheaffers bought from the local drug store/pharmacy/soda fountain in the 1950's.  You could stop on the ay home from grammar school and get a cherry coke, peruse the comics, buy a pea shooter or a Sheaffer school pen!

Thanks! glad you like this experiment! And yes. It’s still kinda mind boggling that Parker seemingly didn’t have a super cheap school pen…

[Paul-in-SF]

36 minutes ago, OCArt said:

My first fountain pen was one of those Sheaffers bought from the local drug store/pharmacy/soda fountain in the 1950's.  You could stop on the ay home from grammar school and get a cherry coke, peruse the comics, buy a pea shooter or a Sheaffer school pen!

 

I don't remember seeing fountain pens, even in blister packs, when I was a kid in the 50's. I certainly never could have afforded $1.49, my allowance was 25 cents a week. Later, in high school, I used to go to Lloyd Center in Portland all the time, and there was a big drugstore type place, like Long's but I don't remember what name it was, and I remember buying pens like that, but I don't think they were Sheaffer. They were probably Wearever or something like that, and they never wrote. I tried a couple of times and then gave up. 

[I-am-not-really-here]

1 hour ago, OCArt said:

Just to say that  your original question was a great one. I never thought about it but it DOES seem strange that Parker didn't try to fill this niche.

Perhaps they did but under a sub-brand, e.g. Eversharp, not wanting to cheapen the Parker name.  

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

5 hours ago, I-am-not-really-here said:

Perhaps they did but under a sub-brand, e.g. Eversharp, not wanting to cheapen the Parker name.  

That’s a possibility.

[Estycollector]

My first Parker 21 was a gift from a gal whose parents had gotten the pen for her, as a student, of the '60's. 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

but wasn't there are huge price disparity between the 21 and the "skripsert"/school pen?...

 

[Beechwood]

18 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

but wasn't there are huge price disparity between the 21 and the "skripsert"/school pen?...

 

 

I don't think that Parker had a campaign of marketing a school pen, the 45 was often bought for school use because of the cartridge but  also bought by adults.

 

Sheaffer also sold the pen to industry and would have their clients name embossed on the barrel, often as a give away for the motor or marine industries amongst others. 

[Estycollector]

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

20 minutes ago, Beechwood said:

 

I don't think that Parker had a campaign of marketing a school pen, the 45 was often bought for school use because of the cartridge but  also bought by adults.

 

Sheaffer also sold the pen to industry and would have their clients name embossed on the barrel, often as a give away for the motor or marine industries amongst others. 

It does appear that way. Which is a little mind blowing that they would simply concede an entire market to sheaffer like that…

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

4 minutes ago, Estycollector said:

That’s a pristine set!

[Estycollector]

2 hours ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

That’s a pristine set!

It had never been inked. The gold and silver cap caught my eye.