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Parker
Classic 1986-1992 by Jim Mamoulides 9/25/04
An International Beginning Parker introduced the International Classic pushbutton ballpoint pen and pencil set in 1967. The look and the three finishes offered closely followed the flagship Parker 75 line, with Sterling Silver Cisele, Vermeil Cisele, and Imperial gold electroplate finishes. The clip on the International Classic has a more pronounced "V" at the base of the "feathers" and the feathers lay flat against the cap top giving the clip a stepped look.
The International Classic line allowed Parker to have an upscale ballpoint and pencil offer up the line from the Jotters and separate from the fountain pen lines. The 1960s was the decade where ballpoints became dominant in everyday use, and the International Classic line positioned Parker with a high line product to capture the top end. Parker advertised the line heavily and separately from the Parker 75, but used the same upscale approach. Parker offered a special limited Space Pen edition of the International Classic in 1968. This use as a base for a Limited Edition, very uncommon in the 1960s, further established the International Classic as a top pen for Parker. The Space Pen's button was fabricated from metal from the booster rocket used on John Glenn's February 22, 1962 space flight. The run was limited to 250 units, which were presented to selected VIPs. In 1971 a Flighter model with chrome trim was added.
The Lady version of the International Classic was introduced in 1975 in engraved white and yellow rolled gold finishes. The Lady line differed from the International Classic line only by finish. They are otherwise identical. Laque finishes were added to the Lady line in 1977. The Lady line was dropped in 1981. Parker added a fine barley gold plate Imperial International Classic in 1978, as well as silver plate and Insignia straight line engraved models. In 1983, Parker renamed the line from International Classic to simply Classic. A Classic Remake The Parker Classic fountain pen was introduced in 1986 and is the direct successor to the Parker 180. The Parker 180, introduced in 1979, is noted for its innovative flat, triangular nib, which was designed to write two ways, giving the pen two nib grades for the price of one. This was a feature on pens from the 1930s and 1940s, such as the Parker Vacumatic and Sheaffer Triumph, but fell from interest soon afterward. Interestingly, Parker dropped the two sided nib feature from the Parker 180 in 1982, and replaced the solid 14 karat gold nib with gold plated stainless steel in 1983, the last two years of production.
Parker revived the flat, triangular nib in 1986 with the introduction of the Classic fountain pen, which Parker produced until 1994. Like the late production Parker 180, the nib on the Classic fountain pen nib is a one way writer and made from gold plated stainless steel. The Classic is a slender, but substantial feeling pen that was initially produced in four finishes, including gloss Laque, Matte epoxy, all stainless steel Flighter, and patterned gold plate. All Classic fountain pens have a stainless steel collar at the end of the section. In 1989, Parker added a Classic desk pen to the line in Matte Black and 22 karat gold plate. The fountain pen offering was trimmed to just the Matte Black and desk pens for 1994, the last year of production. The Classic Stainless Steel GT Ballpoint Pen and Pencil Set is still available today. In the 2001 Parker catalog, the Classic ballpoint retails for US $19.50, and the ballpoint and mechanical pencil set retails for US $39.00. Classic Laque The Classic fountain pen debuted in three glossy Laque finishes, each with a slender gold cap band. A complete set of fountain pen, rollerball pen, ballpoint pen, and pencil was offered in this finish. These pens were made only from 1986 to 1988. Identification guide and features:
Classic Thuya Laque Thuya Laque, a glossy brown wood grain finish, was also used on the Parker 75. The Classic Thuya Laque model was offered as a complete set of fountain pen, rollerball pen, ballpoint pen, and pencil. Unlike the other Laque models, the Thuya Laque fountain pen was bandless. Identification guide and features:
Classic Matte The Classic Matte finish is a textured epoxy, and Parker offered three colors, Matte Black, Matte Navy, and Matte Plum, though only Matte Black was used for the complete set of fountain pen, rollerball pen, ballpoint pen, and pencil. The other colors were used only on ballpoint and pencils. Identification guide and features:
Classic Flighter
A Parker pen couldn't really be Classic without a Flighter all stainless steel version. Parker produced both gold plate and chrome trim Classic Flighters. The Flighter ballpoint and pencil were introduced to the International Classic line in 1971 in chrome trim only. A gold plate trim Flighter ballpoint and pencil were added in 1982, so the Flighter Classic was well established when the fountain pen and rollerball pen versions were introduced in 1986. Identification guide and features:
Classic Gold Plate The Parker Classic, though a very slender pen, lent itself well to three of the very upscale engraved gold plate finishes of the Parker 75. The Milleraies, French for a thousand lines, is a pattern of closely-spaced, parallel lines. Perlé, introduced on the Parker 75 in 1968, is a pattern of closely-spaced, parallel lines with regularly-spaced circular indentations at a diagonal. Grain d'Orge is a tight barleycorn pattern introduced on the Parker 75 in 1971. These applications of fine finishes to the Parker Classic enhanced the cachet of the pen line. Identification guide and features:
Performance I trade pens a lot and I often wind up with something so interesting that I have to know more about it. In a recent trade, the set of pens that showed up included this long, slender Parker Flighter. The person who sent it said it was a Parker Classic. A what? It really didn't mean anything to me. Taking the pen out of the box and looking at it more closely, I found a certain appeal that hits me with a lot of Parker pens, especially Flighters. Slender pens sometimes grab me too, as my first really nice pen set was a second generation Montblanc Noblesse set, which I still have.
I was very happy to discover how nice the medium nib on this pen was. It laid down a nice, smooth and wet line. The Classic is about the same diameter as a number 2 pencil, and happily slaps ink on paper. I had to know more about this pen, which led to me doing enough work to put together this article. I'll probably poke around and see if I can't get examples of the rest of the models, now that I know the story. Bottom line: This is a neat pen, if you like slender ink sticks. The Classic may have a generally tubular shape, but the design is very deceptive. This is not a slender Vector in disguise, like the 88, 95, and Arrow pens of similar vintage. Holding the pen over ruled paper reveals a gentle taper off to each end from the middle when the cap is on the pen. It's feminine, or nautical, take your pick. It's also full size length at 5 3/8 inches long capped and 5 3/4 inches with the cap posted on the end of the barrel. The cap snaps securely onto the button on the barrel end when posted. It's so light and long and yet feels fine in the hand posted or not. The cap button reveals the pushbutton ballpoint heritage of the Classic line, but this feature fits the overall design very well. I didn't like the clip much at first, with its pronounced step up from the feathers to the shaft of the arrow, but it grew on me. It, to is a fit with the design of the pen, breaking up the long lines. The clip is a bit stiff, though, and resists thick pocket fabric. The design makes the pen ride quite high in the pocket, not too surprising as there is about 3/4 inch of pen above the effective clip length. Overall, the fit and finish are excellent. This example was made in the USA.
Using the Classic proved to be a treat. The checkered section provides good writing grip and the texture and size reminds me of the Systemark ribbed section. It feels comfortable in the hand even with extended use. The pattern also works well visually with the rest of the pen. This Classic arrived with a long Parker cartridge in it and I've been unable to put it down. The ink flow is quite wet, but not overly so, and the nib glides over every paper I tried it on. It inks immediately on contact. Included with the pen was a modern Parker slide converter, but my experience with Parkers from the same vintage pens tells me the more "authentic" type for the period would be a squeeze type. I also noticed no dryout problems in long, uncapped writing sessions. This is a nice pen. Is the Classic a classic? Frankly, it certainly wasn't on my radar screen. These pens don't pop up very often. The Parker 180 it emulates is more of a collectible, if the market shows anything, and the Classic seems to sell for substantially less. The gold plated models look really good in pictures, so they may command a decent price, but that's a future item, and an update of this article is very likely as I get acquainted with this previously overlooked pen. Did I mention that the Classic was marketed as a ladies' pen? While I was wrapping up this article, my wife asked me, "You're not going to sell that one, are you?" I guess not... Comments on this article
may be sent to the author, Jim Mamoulides |
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