I have had this pen since 27 December 1986, bought at WHSmiths, Uxbridge. I know this because I still have the box with the Access card sales voucher, with the guarantee and care guide, folded up beneath the pen tray. So, that’s 37 years.
I wish I could say that during that time, the pen has been a constant companion, always to hand, faithful and dependable, travelling with me everywhere. But that would not be true. Certainly, that was the aim, but for some reason things did not work out and I never gelled with the pen.
As I still have my old diaries, I dug out my old 1986 volume to see whether I had written anything about the purchase. Sure enough, there was a line near the top of the page (after a reminder to watch the movie “Splash” at 8.30pm), which reads “See about Parker 75 Lacque (sic) £60!?” So, I was aware of the pen and its price and planned to give it another look. Perhaps I had seen it, possibly marked down in the post-Christmas sales.
My diary entry went on to say “I went to Uxbridge with Hilly (my sister) & bought the Parker 75 Laque fountain pen. Also got us an A4 size diary each and went in M&S & got some pre-faded jeans for £14.99! Pyjamas in Burtons where they were playing “If she knows what she wants” (Bangles).* My pen was an example of reality not matching up to the dream…grips in the wrong place & writes a little dry. Watched Splash with mum & felt a bit sad.”
Not much of a honeymoon period for the Parker then. I was already disappointed with it, the day I bought it. This sounds to me like an early case of buyer’s remorse.
The pen cost me £60.00. This was quite a lot of money for me at the time, when I might have been accustomed to buying steel-nibbed Sheaffer No Nonsense pens for about one tenth of that amount. Indeed, a quick calculation in my diary recorded the meagre total of my savings at that time. Expectations for the pen costing 2.3% of my net worth, would have been high.
I see that I took an almost immediate dislike to the facets on the grip section (but not quite quick enough to stop me buying it). The pen was also quite small and slender, compared to what I had been used to.
It’s worth reminding ourselves that this was before the age of the internet, websites, YouTube reviews, nib-meisters and the interconnected global fountain pen community. This was 10 years before I possessed a PC. I was on my own, unless I wrote a letter to Parker (which I did once, to ask about an image used in one of their advertisements).
As I did not enjoy using the pen very much, it stayed in its box, largely untouched for the next 37 years.
Thinking back, I do not remember even being aware of the pen’s special and possibly unique feature for that time, namely that the nib and feed could be turned a few degrees to the left or to the right in the section, to alter the alignment of the facets in relation to the nib. Supposedly this was to help people, such as myself, who liked to rotate their pen (in my case, to the right) but then found that the symmetrical facets were no longer equidistant from the centre of the nib: you were left with thumb and finger resting on an uncomfortable sharp ridge.
Perhaps this innovation would have helped me. I simply cannot recall now whether I had tried experimenting with this facility and still not liked the pen, or whether I was completely unaware of the feature. I need to look back for any more references in my diaries.
On the rare occasions when I did get the pen out again, I noticed a little corrosion on the gold plated ring at the end of the section (called a “rust ring”). This did not help endear the pen to me.
It was only last year, when a friend wrote to me and mentioned the Parker 75 and its adjustable nib feature, that I remembered that I had one and got it out to try turning the nib. It is very easy. No tools are required. You just grip the nib and feed and twist them left or right, as desired.
The only other pen I know of now that had this feature, is a child’s beginner pen, the Stabilo EASYbirdy (not to be confused with the EASYbuddy which does not have this ability).
Last year was a year in which my enthusiasm for vintage Parker fountain pens flourished, helped by eBay and pen shows. I collected a number of Parker 17, 45 and 61 models as well as a Parker 51, all of which I enjoyed very much. I am glad to have a Parker 75 in this line-up.
One thing I have learned in recent years, is how to make some basic adjustments to a fountain pen nib, to make it write wetter or smoother, using a loupe, some brass shims, some micromesh pads and a bit of courage and/or recklessness. A few weeks ago, I got out my Parker 75 again. I spent a few minutes examining the nib and then eased the tines apart just a little, until a gap could be seen all the way to the tip. Then, checking that the tines were still aligned I tried writing with the pen once again. A few minutes’ effort had made a huge improvement. I found a suitable converter, filled the pen with Waterman Serenity Blue and have been enjoying it ever since. The medium nib now writes with a smooth, easy flow and has just a little softness too.
Better late than never. I no longer regret buying the pen, but only that I did not have the knowledge to tinker with the nib all those years ago. The main thing is that we are getting along again now. Feel free to reflect upon the lessons of this post, when you next hear Billy Joel singing “Turn the Lights Back On.”
*”If She Knew What She Wants” song, by The Bangles.
Fountain pen blog 
That’s so cool. For some reason I am really happy you were able to finally connect with your pen.
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Thanks Debi. Yes, we are good now. And apart from a little bit of corrosion, the pen is like new. It has aged better then I have 🙂
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Wonderful story as usual!
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My wife bought me a Parker 95, which I did use daily. It eventually split on the section by the nib and leaked badly. The slim feel of the pen was not an issue. But would be now that I have used more robust designs. Love your story here. Nice to finally find it has been reintroduced into your life. The Patient Parker come back into the fold. All the best.
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What an entertaining and pleasing story. Top marks for keeping not only the pen and Access receipt, but also your diaries complete with relevant music and film notes. Splash is a decent film as I recall.
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Thanks Pamela! It can be illuminating to dip into old diaries to check something. I would not otherwise have remembered hearing The Bangles whilst shopping in Burtons. 🙂
Yes, Splash (1984) was a great film, as is any film with Tom Hanks. Who can forget the scene when Daryl Hannah shrieks in the department store and shatters all the television screens?
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The Parker 75 looks very nice. It’s good that you’re getting along after all these years. I also sometimes find it annoying when parts of a fountain pen are not aligned and its impossible to get it right. Fortunately, you were able to solve this problem. I also hope to be able to add a Parker 75 to my collection, best regards.
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Thank you Pascal. Now that I have adjusted the nib to improve ink flow, it writes very well. It is a little slim for me, but the length and the weight are very comfortable when the cap is posted.
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Lovely post as usual. Glad you got the pen tuned to your liking. I did not know about rotating the nib – I shall try that with mine!
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Thanks Jon! I am glad I am not the only one who was not aware of the swivel nib. It was not mentioned in the user guide leaflet. Unless we had seen an advert or been told about it, how would anyone know?😀
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I bought a Parker 75 Tortoiseshell Lacque on our NZ auction site last night, and paid the same amount you paid for yours in 1986! I hope it doesn’t take as long to be appreciated. Cheers, John
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Hi John. Thanks for this. The tortoiseshell lacquer version is beautifull. I am a big fan of vintage Parkers now, as you can find some excellent pens, with gold nibs, at a fraction of the cost of a modern pen with equivalent specification. As well saving money, the old pens have the added character and appeal of being vintage. I hope you will enjoy yours!
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In 1970 I bought a beautiful fountain pen for myself at the Vulpenhuis on the Koningsstraat in Arnhem. It had to be a pen that I could use for the rest of my life. After good consultation with the seller, I made my choice that I still stand by to this day. It was, and I only realize this now, a Parker 75 Sterling Silver fountain pen made in USA. It was a solid, beautiful and very good writing fountain pen that I quickly attached myself to. For many years we were inseparable, this sounds sentimental, and it was. This lasted until there was an irreparable rift in my relationship and we broke up. Not long after, first my eldest son and later the youngest left, they went to live in rooms. The oldest in Breda to study and the youngest in Arnhem to also experience what it’s like to be independent.
At some point there was reason to fête my eldest son so that I bought him a permanent gift. Because I didn’t feel good about myself in that period of my life, I didn’t know what the gift was. Not so much later, I realized that even though my youngest son had taken a completely different path in life than the eldest, I appreciated the youngest more than that. I saw myself in him more than in my eldest son. I thought long and hard about how best to restore the balance. It had to be something permanent, something that belonged to me, something that I could say goodbye to. That’s how I had to do it and so I gave the youngest my silver Parker 75 fountain pen, in my experience that was something emotional that I hoped he would experience as a special gift.
Many years later, when I was staying with my youngest son and his family for a few days, I sat at the dining table and opened a drawer without thinking. I was shocked by what I saw and quickly closed the drawer. I felt uncomfortable and sad, I intensely hoped that no one had noticed. There was the Parker 75 Pen raggedly in a corner. I don’t blame anyone, but it hurt me. Now, years later, I was unexpectedly confronted with an offer on Ebay where the same fountain pen was offered for sale as a collector’s item. This fountain pen has been in my possession for a few days now, it is as if an old friend has come back.
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Thank you for sharing this touching story of your Sterling Silver Parker 75. It is impressive that you knew it could be a pen for life, back in 1970. I have never owned a Sterling Silver pen, although I have bought hundreds of fountain pens since 1970! The principle of Buy It For Life (BIFL) is admirable and people are now more aware of the need to be more responsible in our consumerism, for the environment, the climate and wildlife.
Perhaps you could ask your younger son, casually, whether he still has the Parker 75 and ask if he could return it to you if he is no longer using it. Meanwhile it is great that you have recently bought a replacement for this much loved pen.
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Very nice. I’ve never seen one in person, I do own a couple in silver ciselle.
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