1938 Parker Opaque Black Vacumatic Long Major; 14K Solid Gold \'F\' Nib; Restored
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1938 Parker Opaque Black Vacumatic Long Major; 14K Solid Gold \'F\' Nib; Restored:
$74.00
1938 Parker Opaque Black Vacumatic Long Major; 14K Solid Gold \'F\' Nib; Restored 1938 Parker Opaque Black Vacumatic Long Major; 14K Solid Gold \'F\' Nib; Restored
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DescriptionThis 1938 Black Double Jeweled Vacumatic Long Major has been fully restored - a new diaphragm (and tested). I took the pen apart and ultrasonically cleaned then hand polished the components, even knocking the nib and feed out of the section.
The components on this pen are Vintage and are in excellent condition. The Speedline filling unit with a new diaphragm works nice and smoothly. The date code on the barrel is \'18\', so the 1st quarter of 1938. This was the year that Parker introduced the Vac Major, introduced the Split Arrow Clip, eliminated the matching pearl sections and soon thereafter, eliminated the Blind Cap Jewel. The filling unit would soon migrate to an all plastic design and the pearl striped Jewels would all be changed to black. This is also the time that Parker switched from the number/number date code system to the number/dot date code system. During this transitional period, there are all kinds of hybrid Vacs out there - many uncatalogued models - this is one of them - Parker hated to waste inventory. It has the original Feather Clip design, but the new slimmer Long Vac Major design. The original Vac Standard and the new Long Major were produced concurrently for a couple of years.
The imprint on the barrel is quite good at the beginning but has worn off quite a bit towards the date code. It reads \'Geo. S. Parker PARKER VACUMATIC MADE IN U.S.A. 18.\' so 1st quarter of 1938. The Black color was made with opaque material - zero transparency, circilar transparent rings and longitudinal transparent stripes. In 1938, Parker started migrating from the Feather clip to the Split Arrow clip, but this pen still has the original Feather Clip design. Parker added a Star to indicate a Lifetime warranty, but dropped the Star about a year later for the now very popular Blue Diamond clip. The Blue Diamond clip was first introduced in the U.S.A. and then in Canada. Parker continued to make Vacs without the Blue Diamond on the clip, but all of the components were essentially identical. The Lifetime Warranty pen cost about $.50 (50 cents) more. Parker stopped making this model of Vacumatic in 1948 in the USA and 1953 in Canada. This is probably one of the last Long Majors with the Feather Clip and the Speedline filling unit, before all of the changes hit.
This 1938 Vac has a beautiful and proper Parker Arrow U.S.A. made 14K Solid Gold nib with a \'.4.\' date code - 2nd quarter of 1944, so most likely a replacement nib. The original nib would have looked identical to this one - just a different date code, although it could have had the two-tone Palladium masked nib as well. The Solid Gold 14K nib on this pen is extremely nice and is a very smooth writer. Tine alignment is spot on - about perfect. I\'d judge the nib to be about a \'F\' point - stiff and very smooth. I like this nib! Parker Arrow nibs are very high quality and this one is right up there.
The trim is Gold filled and the Feather Clip and Tassies look excellent. The single Art Deco cap band is nice and tight on the cap, as is the clip. There is a monogram panel on the cap band but it hasn\'t been used. I don\'t see any visible brassing at all - just some patina. I don\'t like to over clean the trim as it makes the pen look like a modern day knock-off, so the patina is visible on the clip and cap band. The cap jewel has a couple of tiny \'dents\'. The blind cap jewel looks spotless. I don\'t see any nicks, gouges, bad scratches, etc. on the barrel, cap or section. There are just a few teeth marks on the blind cap. So overall, just the usual light surface scratches from normal use over about a 79 year period.
Parker made the Vacumatic in many sizes, both length and girth - typically the most common were the Debutante (smallest), Standard, Major, and Over-sized (later changed to Maxima), and they also made Slim Maximas, and Juniors - and a few others as well. This one is the Long Major - the most popular - Parker\'s No. 1 Vacumatic seller, and measures right at 5 1/4 inches capped and 6 inches with the cap posted. Barrel length on the Long Major is about a 1/4 inch longer than the Standard from the early 1940\'s. It is also a bit thinner.
I\'ve included a writing sample using this pen. I tested the pen with water to assure it filled properly and then dipped the pen to create the writing sample. As I mentioned earlier, it lays down about a \'F\' line, leaning towards an \'EF\', depending on how you judge line width. This nib is a very smooth writer.
BTW, if you are relatively new to the Parker Vacumatic filling system (used in Parker 51\'s, Vacumatics, later model Duofolds, etc.) for maximum fill, depress the filling plunger about 8 - 10 times, with just a brief pause between plunges. This will assure a maximum fill. The Vacumatic filling system design was very innovative. Parker marketing materials indicated that it could hold 103% more ink than rival filling systems. It worked. Sales increased by 23% in the following year, and over a several year period, Parker was again at the top of the fountain pen food chain. They had \'fallen from grace\' a bit as their Duofold button filling system and pen design had become dated.
If you are looking for a superb Vac to add to your collection, then this is a very good one for you to keep your eyes on. A Top-Shelf Vac for sure! A hybrid Parker Vac like this one does not show up very often at all.
U.S.A. First Class Mail is $4.80. Insurance is included. International shipping is via calculated First Class Mail International. Insurance is included. I gladly combine shipping for multiple purchases. I ship same or next business day.
I WILL ONLY PUT THE CORRECT INFORMATION ON THE CUSTOMS FORM. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO CHANGE ANYTHING AS IT IS ILLEGAL IN THE U.S.A. AND I\'D PREFER NOT TO DO JAIL TIME!
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1938 Parker Opaque Black Vacumatic Long Major; 14K Solid Gold \'F\' Nib; Restored:
$74.00