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Duofold Flat-Top Pens 1921-1929 by Jim Mamoulides 1/12/02 - Updated 9/10/05
The Parker Duofold "Big Red" is one of the quintessential vintage pens. It is possible that more words have been written about this pen and the later Parker 51 than any other. There are abundant advertising references, as Parker was a very heavy advertiser, and the Duofold was most successful, being one of the best selling pens for nearly a decade. This is the pen that made Parker one of the top tier manufacturers in the 1920s, along with Sheaffer, Wahl, Waterman, and Conklin. A Parker Duofold, especially a "Big Red," is one of the dozen or so pens that most collectors would place in a core fountain pen collection.
Big Red, Big Entrance The Parker Duofold was introduced in 1921 in a very unusual orange red hard rubber called "Chinese Lacquer Red." The majority of hard rubber pens being made at the time were all black, so the Duofold stood out. It was a very large pen, being 5 1/2 inches long capped and 6 7/8 posted and the large red pen quickly became known as "Big Red," the name it and all following large red Duofolds are known by to this day. The pen was offered with five nibs: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub. Please note that pen measurements given are not intended to be exact. Duofolds will have some variation in length due to the amount of hand work in manufacture. The measurements given are close enough to help identify particular models.
The first Duofold pen had no cap band and a very large imprint, very similar to the "Lucky Curve" imprint on the precursor and nearly identical black Jack Knife Safety pen with the addition of the "Duofold" name above in bold block letters. The Duofold was also given a larger nib than the Jack Knife Safety. Parker priced the new pen at over twice the going rate for pens at the time: US $7.00, a deliberate top tier positioning, and the pen was boldly advertised as such. Parker also warranted the pen for 25 years, positioning it as the price and quality leader. Was There Really A Pompeian Brown Duofold? The simple answer is, "Yes!" Parker test marketed and produced a chocolate color hard rubber called "Pompeian Brown." Parker also tested black, as there was some resistance to the new bright orange pens by the test market dealers. The majority of pens sold at that time were either black hard rubber or a metal overlay. This "Chinese Lacquer Red" was a shock to many dealers. Some test marketing and advertising showing the brown color model of the was done in Chicago, Illinois in November and December,1921, but the pen was either never released to widely dealers, wasn't ordered often (considering the success of the orange pens), or made only in limited numbers. Copy from a December, 1921 advertisement states, "Duofold is a gift he will be proud to own and use. When he sees its rich Pompeian brown body and jet black trim - its heavy gold nib and gold Parker clip - when he writes with it, no other pen will do." The Parker Duofold logo at the bottom is tagged with "Patrician of Pens." These pens do exist and are very rare. One Parker document I have, listing all models produced and their introduction and discontinuation dates, lists Pompeian Brown as a produced model from 1921 through 1923, which would explain examples both with and without cap bands.
Evolution Of The Revolutionary Pen The Duofold story for the next nine years is one of almost continuous improvement, design change, and model introduction. Almost every year saw additions to the line, new colors available, and in the design of the models. First, though, a note about Parker nomenclature: Parker was hardly consistent in color and model names in advertisements and catalogs. The same pen is called "Duofold", "Duofold Senior", "Duofold Oversize", and "Duofold Over-size" not only in the same year, but sometimes in the same document! The same is true for colors, with "Chinese Red", "Chinese Lacquer Red", and "Black Tipped Lacquer Red" all for the orange color and "Black", "Flashing Black", and "Jet" all for black. The best thing to do is not getting hung up too much on precision. Parker was trying to sell pens, not accommodate pen collectors, so the advertising department took whatever license was necessary to move product. If it means anything, I have a Parker internal document that calls all the orange Duofolds "orange", so I guess that name is ok, also.
In 1922, Parker introduced two new models of the Duofold, the Jr. (Junior) and the Lady ringtop, both at US $5.00. The two pens followed the Duofold in design but in successively smaller sizes, both carried the large imprint, but with "Jr." and "Lady" added. Each size had a matching pencil for US $4.00, $3.50, and $3.00, respectively. The largest Duofold was now called the "Oversize" or "Over-size" model. The Jr., though smaller, feels like a larger pen in the hand, being 4 5/8 inches long capped and 5 3/4 posted, and having pretty substantial girth. Parker also added a "De Luxe" version of the Over-size and Jr. model with a wide cap band of about 3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip. Five nibs were offered in the line: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub. Parker raised the stakes further by advertising the new pen with a 25 year guarantee on the pen point, a bold move, but not so much as the Sheaffer Lifetime guarantee introduced in 1920. In 1922, the expanded Duofold line included the following models and prices (Pompeian Brown was not included in the price list or advertising): 1922 Duofold Line Over-size models available in Chinese Lacquer Red hard rubber and large "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold De
Luxe - Wide 14 karat solid gold cap band (about
3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $15.00 Jr. (Jr.) models available in Chinese Lacquer Red hard rubber and large "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold
Jr. De Luxe - Wide 14 karat solid gold cap
band (about 3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US
$10.00 Lady (Ringtop) models available in Chinese Lacquer Red hard rubber large "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold - With Chatelaine ring and no cap band - US $5.00 The following year, 1923, Parker added a model with a single 1/8 inch wide gold-filled cap band to the Oversize and Jr. lines and a 5/8 inch gold-filled full cap lip band to the Lady ringtop. The price of the Duofold Jr. De Luxe with the 14 karat cap band was increased. A new color, "Flashing Black", was introduced as a chased hard rubber model, making the succession by the Duofold of the Jack Knife Safety pen complete. Duofolds made in black chased hard rubber were probably spill-over from Jack Knife Safety production, and these are uncommon pens, given the popularity of the orange color. Five nibs were offered in the line: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub. In 1923, the Duofold line included the following models (Pompeian Brown was not catalogued): 1923 Duofold Line Over-size models available in Chinese Red or chased black hard rubber and large "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold De
Luxe - Wide 14 karat solid gold cap band (about
3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $15.00 Jr. (Jr.) models available in Chinese Red or chased black hard rubber large "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold
Jr. De Luxe - Wide 14 karat solid gold cap
band (about 3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US
$12.00 Lady (Ringtop) models available in Chinese Red or chased black hard rubber large "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold
- With Chatelaine ring and wide 14 karat
solid gold cap band (about 3/8 inches and extending to
the cap lip) - US $10.00 Later in 1923, Parker decided to drop the premium for the Narrow Band models and reduced the prices to the same as the no band models, from US $8.00 to $7.00. Parker advertisements stated, "Our price is possible only because of the Duofold's boundless popularity," and also calling the pen, "a $10 pen for $7." In 1924, Parker reduced the size of the imprint to the "medium" size. Parker also introduced the Big Brother (or "Big Bro." in some copy) pencil at US $4.00, a size match to the Over-size Duofold. The wide band De Luxe model appears to have been dropped from the line as it no longer appears in advertising or catalog references. The model may have only been offered for two years.
In 1925, Parker introduced the oblique nib, giving the line a total of six nibs, also including: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub. New pencils to match the Lady (US $3.00) and Jr. (US $3.50) were introduced.
1925 Duofold Line Over-size models available in Chinese Red hard rubber and large "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold -
Narrow Band model with single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band -
US $7.00 Jr. (Jr.) models available in Chinese Red hard rubber large "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Jr. Duofold -
Narrow Band model with single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band -
US $5.00 Lady (Ringtop) models available in Chinese Red hard rubber large "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold -
With Chatelaine ring and wide heavy rolled gold band (about
3/8 inches and extending to
the cap lip) - US $5.00 Plastic Conquers The Pen World Sheaffer shook the pen world twice in 1924, introducing the all-plastic Jade Senior and then upping the ante with their Lifetime Guarantee, marking such pens with the now famous Sheaffer White Dot. Sheaffer claimed their pens were better than hard rubber in almost every way and called their plastic "Radite". Almost every manufacturer immediately rushed to introduce their own plastic pens, including Parker. The red Duofold now had color competition, and it was green.
Parker changed the line over to its new "Permanite" plastic in 1926 and launched a heavy advertising campaign and tour of the USA, tossing the pens from planes, buildings and even the Grand Canyon to demonstrate the new material was unbreakable. The new pen had a flush and slightly wider cap band, probably due to the change in material allowing for some changes in manufacturing process. Parker claimed that the new plastic pens were "28 percent lighter than comparable hard rubber pens." Parker also reduced the imprint to the "small" size.
New models were introduced. The new Special was essentially a stretched Jr., in an Oversize length and a length between the Jr. and Oversize. The new Juniorette was the same as the Lady with a clip cap instead of a ringtop cap. In advertisements Parker began to drop the "Chinese" from the "Lacquer Red", and started calling the pen color "Black Tipped Lacquer Red" or simply "Lacquer Red." "Flashing Black" was sometimes called "Jet Black" and was no longer a chased finish in the new plastic pens. A new line, the Juniorette, was added, essentially the same pen as the Lady Duofold with a clip mounted instead of a ringtop.
In 1926, the Duofold line included the following models: 1926 Duofold Line Over-size models available in Lacquer Red or Flashing Black Permanite and small "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold - Narrow Band model with
single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band - US $7.00 Jr. (Jr.) models available in Lacquer Red or Flashing Black Permanite and small "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold Jr. -
Narrow Band model with single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band -
US $5.00 Lady (Ringtop) models available in Lacquer Red or Flashing Black Permanite and small "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold -
With Chatelaine ring and wide 12 karat heavy gold plate band (about
3/8
inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $5.00 Juniorette models available in Lacquer Red or Flashing Black Permanite and small imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold Juniorette - With wide 12 karat heavy gold plate band (about 3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $5.00
Parker also introduced a new plastic pen in the Duofold design, but without the Duofold name, in 1926. This green pen, made of "Permanite", was called the "Parker Black Tipped Jade", "The only pen besides Duofold with the Duofold point." Many sources say that Parker had some unease with putting the new color on their flagship brand, and so the new pen was a Duofold in every way but the imprint, and was effectively run as a one-year test. Jade Duofolds without the Duofold imprint were made in all the standard Duofold sizes and are uncommon, but not rare. More Color!
Parker added two new colors to the line, Lapis Lazuli and Mandarin Yellow, and brought the Jade color officially into the line, giving a total of five colors: Lacquer Red, Jet Black, Jade Green, Lapis Lazuli blue, and Mandarin Yellow. The story of the Mandarin Yellow model may be one of the most famous Parker pen stories. The story widely known, and from Parker's own literature, is that George Parker traveled to the Far East in 1926 and purchased a yellow Cloisonné vase. In the 1920s, items from the Orient were considered fashionable and George Parker decided to have a Duofold made in this color. Mandarins are notoriously fragile pens, with cap lip cracks being quite common, though they don't generally suffer discoloration as badly as the Jade Green pens. Beware posting these pens, as the cracks tend to start longitudinally along the cap, probably from posting. A perfect near mint Mandarin is a very pricey pen indeed! In 1927, the Duofold line included the following models: 1927 Duofold Line Over-size models available in Lacquer Red, Jet Black, Mandarin Yellow, Jade Green, and Lapis Lazuli blue Permanite and small "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold - Narrow
band model with single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band - US $7.00 Jr. (Jr.) models available in Lacquer Red, Jet Black, Mandarin Yellow, Jade Green, and Lapis Lazuli blue Permanite and small "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve Parker Duofold Jr. -
Narrow band model with single 1/8 inch heavy gold plate band -
US $5.00 Lady (Ringtop) models available in Lacquer Red, Jet Black, Mandarin Yellow, Jade Green, and Lapis Lazuli blue Permanite and small "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold -
With Chatelaine ring and wide 12 karat heavy gold plate band (about
3/8
inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $5.00 Juniorette models available in Lacquer Red, Jet Black, Mandarin Yellow, Jade Green, and Lapis Lazuli blue Permanite and small imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold Juniorette - With wide 12 karat heavy gold plate band (about 3/8 inches and extending to the cap lip) - US $5.00
In 1928 Parker split the single wide cap band on the Oversize model, now called the Senior, and on the Jr., into two narrow bands. The Lady model was split into three bands.
The De Luxe - The Last Of The Flat-Tops The final new flat-top model was introduced in 1928 in a new "Moderne Black and Pearl" plastic. Parker called this new plastic, "silvery, beautifully iridescent," and "having silvery, luminous crystals of pearl . . . combined with Parker's jet Permanite." The new pen was introduced with three narrow cap bands and heralded as the new top of the line Parker.
Originally introduced as the Parker Imperial Duofold in an October 1928 advertisement, Parker quickly renamed the model as the Duofold De Luxe, reviving the earlier top of the line premium priced Duofold name. As a premier pen, the De Luxe was priced even higher than the rest of the Duofold line at US $10.00 for a Senior size pen, US $8.50 for a Jr., and US $7.50 for a Lady or a Juniorette. Each size had a matching pencil for US $5.00, $4.00, and $3.50, respectively. Unlike the previous De Luxe, which kept the same colors as the rest of the line, but was set apart by having a wide 14 karat or rolled gold cap band, Parker made the new De Luxe in a unique plastic and unique triple band style. There would be no confusing this pen with any other Parker. Parker asked a premium basically on style over substance, but was offering a unique new plastic at the time. In 1929, the Duofold line included the following models: 1929 Duofold Line (Before Streamlining) Over-size models with small "DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold De
Luxe - Moderne Black and Pearl Permanite, three
narrow gold filled cap bands - US $10.00 Jr. (Jr.) models with small "DUOFOLD Jr." imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold
Jr. De Luxe - Moderne Black and Pearl
Permanite, three narrow gold filled cap bands - US $8.50 Lady (Ringtop) models with small "Lady DUOFOLD" imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Lady Duofold De Luxe - Moderne Black and Pearl
Permanite, three narrow gold filled cap bands - US $7.50 Juniorette models with small imprint with Lucky Curve banner: Parker Duofold
Juniorette De Luxe - Moderne Black and Pearl
Permanite, three narrow gold filled cap bands - US $7.50
1929 was the last year of the flat-top model before streamlining. In 1929, Sheaffer would again shake up the pen world, introducing the cigar shaped Balance pen, which would force another rethinking of pen design, as if not more radical than the changeover to plastic from hard rubber. Parker, like many other manufacturers, would be forced to counter with some form of streamlining, and introduced those models in 1929. Performance I was able to try fine, medium, and broad nib Duofolds with both the standard and Arrow nibs. I also tried a Jr. pen with a very flexible medium nib.
The first thing one notices in the hand is that the Senior is a really big pen. These are well balanced pens, posted or not, but I definitely prefer to post the cap. The Jr. pens, in my experience tend to post a bit deeper and more securely than the Seniors. The pens are all one color, with a simple straight tubular design. The clip is made as a washer under the cap top and is springy enough to clip to quite thick material, which was needed in the 1920s, as many pens were worn in jacket pockets. The pens fill easily by removing the end cap and depressing the button once. A quick wipe of the nib and we're off to work. There is some variation in flexibility in the nibs on Duofolds. The large majority of nibs, in my experience, will be on the very stiff side. This set of pens showed a nice spectrum. Generally, they are good to excellent writers, but I have run across a few nibs in the field that needed some work. Such problems should not deter one from buying an otherwise nice Duofold, as help for this is available.
In my experience, red and green Duofolds are the most common found in the wild. Unfortunately the Jade green plastic, although very durable, was very susceptible to staining and discoloration from ink and the rubber sacs, so perfect colored pens are fairly hard to find and command a fairly high price. Juniorettes are generally less expensive to acquire than their larger brethren, which makes collecting Juniorettes attractive. One could collect a set of very nice pens in all of the available colors in the Jr. size for less than one or two equal example Senior Mandarins or Lapis pens. Flat-top Duofolds are easily enough found from user grade to very nice collector pens. In my opinion, one should have at least one of these in a representative collection. A good "Big Red" makes a nice centerpiece. The good news is that some models and colors are not budget breakers and they can be very nice user pens. Acknowledgement Grateful thanks to Bertram's Inkwell for loaning the beautiful Parker Duofold Mandarin set. Comments on this article
may be sent to the author, Jim Mamoulides |
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