Parker 105 Bark Finish Rolled Gold Pens 1979-1982

by Jim Mamoulides, May 30, 2025

Parker 105 bark finish rolled gold fountain pen 1979-1982

A short lived bark adorned Parker

The Parker 105 was a literally bold departure from the company’s more slender flagship Parker 75 models. It has admirers and detractors. Admirers will call the pen “distinctive,” especially for the deep, textured “bark” finish on the rolled gold models. The very beautiful finish looks almost hand carved but is probably machine engraved. The Parker 75 and Parker 45 lines epitomized the look of a Parker pen from the early 1960s into the 1990s with millions of each across dozens of models made. By comparison, the 105 is big, cylindrical, and heavier, with a blocky looking clip mounted near the top face of the cap. It was not a hit with Parker customers, introduced in late 1979 and made only until 1982.

The Parker 105 is unusual in that the gold nib, stamped only 14K over 585, appears conical from the top, but wraps only about halfway around the section, looking like a large, pointed fingernail, similar to the Parker 65. The section matches the cap and barrel, a nice touch.

Parker 105 fountain pen 1979-1982

With the cap on, no makers marks can be seen, as they are stamped at the base of the section, PARKER and MADE IN ENGLAND. The clip, a squared version of the Parker arrow, has an internal spring. The barrel has a large rectangular cartouche for engraved personalization.

The instructions that came with the pen list the following nib grades available: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, fine oblique, medium oblique, broad oblique, and medium italic. According to two Parker repair manuals, the fountain pen’s front end, the nib, feed, and section, are a factory assembled unit and repair people are told it does not come apart as a separate nib unit and section.

Parker 105 bark finish rolled gold fountain pen 1979-1982

The Parker 105 was made in the U.K. and primarily for the U.K. market and was released with three writing modes, all as capped pens. The fountain pen is about 132mm closed and had a retail price of £65, the ballpoint pen was £45, and the fiber tip pen was also £45. For comparison, the Parker 75 Laque fountain pen was £37.25. There was also a stainless steel Parker 105 with chrome plated trim introduced in 1980 as a stainless steel nibbed fountain pen and a fiber tip pen. Collectors will invariably call it a “Flighter” though I found nothing associating that name with the pen, nor could I find any pricing information. Neither the 1982 nor the 1994 Parker repair manuals show the stainless steel version.

The instructions that came with the Parker 105 rolled gold bark finish pen states “With the exception of the Parker 105, all Parker pens offer convertible ink filling.” The reason? To “avoid the possibility of depositing surplus ink (which occurs in bottle filling) in the gold finish of the front end.” Collectors of more recent pens with gold plated trim pieces on the section are familiar with seeing the gold wearing off from bottle filling. The Parker 105 fountain pen will use the standard Parker converter if desired.

The capped ballpoint pen uses standard Parker ballpoint cartridges, and the capped fiber tip pen uses Parker fiber tip cartridges.

Parker 105 bark finish rolled gold ballpoint pen 1979-1982

There must have been something daunting about launching the new Parker 105 for £65 in 1979 because the earliest advertisements by Parker that show the new Parker 105 both mention that it is covered for loss or theft under an insurance policy with the Cornhill Insurance Company. The coverage was for two years from the date of purchase for the fountain pen, ballpoint pen, and fiber tip pen, and any loss would be handled by replacing the pen. Also covered with this insurance were the Presidential, 75 Laque, and Golden Falcon. I wonder what a customer had to go through to make a claim and how many claims were processed and closed with a replacement pen.

Tony Fischier’s “Parker 105” article states the line was launched in September 1979. The earliest advertisements I could find were in December of that year. An article about the new pen in December 1979 describes it as being released in time for Christmas. Fischier also identifies a sterling silver bark finish that I have been unable to verify. Perhaps it was an uncatalogued finish. There is also no known stainless steel Parker 105 with gold plate trim.

By March of 1980 advertisements discounting the new Parker 105 can be found with fountain pens being offered at £51.25 and ballpoint pens for £35.45. The pens may not have sold well because in 1981 discounting was much deeper, with advertisements showing fountain pens being offered at £39.54, ballpoint pens at £27.54, and fiber tip pens for £14.95.

Parker 105 bark finish rolled gold fountain pen 1979-1982

In 1981 Parker released a Limited Edition of 1,000 Parker 105 rolled gold bark finish pens to commemorate the wedding of the Prince and Princess of Wales, Charles and Diana. These were modified versions of the pens shown here. The gift box was given a limited edition gold plated plaque on the top cover with “To Commemorate The Royal Wedding 19th July 1981.” Each pen had “29th July 1981” engraved on the cartouche, a gold plated crest button as the cap top ornament, a gold plated end cap button with the edition number engraved as a barrel end ornament, and a hand numbered certificate of authenticity. Considering that this was near the end of the Parker 105’s production, I wonder if the Parker 105 was chosen because it was otherwise a poor seller but would be a very attractive choice for this purpose. It would be relatively simple for the company to dress them up to get rid of them.

Parker 105 pens are very uncommon, with the stainless steel models even more so. If you are used to the Parker 75, this is a bigger and heavier pen in the hand. The bark finish is really stunning in person. The stainless steel pen is very handsome in its own right. Perhaps the pen was just not right for the time. Market prices today tend to be higher than for most Parker 75 models, and a little more for the Parker 105 Charles and Diana Royal Wedding limited edition, indicating a good interest from collectors from a limited supply.

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References

Advertisement, Evening Chronicle, Newcastle upon Tyne, England, October 8, 1981, page 6

Advertisement, Evening Post, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, November 13, 1979, page 29

Advertisement, Leicester Mercury, Leicestershire, England, March 6, 1980, page 10

Advertisement, Leicester Mercury, Leicestershire, England, April 9, 1981, page 12/p>

Advertisement, Sunday Telegraph, London, Greater London, England, December 16, 1979, pages 44-45

Advertisement, The Daily Telegraph, London, Greater London, England. December 10, 1979, page 2

“Is inflation - hit Britain ready to pay more than £50 for a single pen?” Dorset Echo, Weymouth, Dorset, England, December 05, 1979, page IV

“Parker 105” © 1995-2019 Tony Fischier and The Parker Pen Company/Sanford Ecriture

“Parker 105 Limited Edition Fountain Pen - Charles & Diana Wedding” Peyton Street Pens

Parker Calendar by Cheryl Hayes, Product Quality & Development Dept, Parker Pen Company, Newhaven, UK, July 2002 (Microsoft Excel spreadsheet)

Parker Repair Manual 1994

Parker Service Repair Manual 1982

"The History of Parker” © 2025 Parker