The Parker 180 in Thuya was introduced in 1980, this superb example is date coded for the first quarter of 1983. It is a deep lacquered pen, part of the prestigious 'Place Vendome' collection made in Meru, France. Later in the year the 'Place Vendome' 180 was discontinued and replaced with a cheaper, solid coloured version with a steel nib, this pen has a 14 Ct. Gold nib.
The pen and box, made for one to three pens, are in excellent condition and the pen is fitted with the original ink converter. The 180 is a slim pen and standard Parker converters won't fit so the inclusion of the converter is an important issue with these pens. Two Parker cartridges are included so the pen is ready to write.
The 'thuya' colour was a replacement for both the 'tortoiseshell' and the 'woodgrain' finishes used on the earlier Parker 75. The Gold filled 'stack of coins' cap stud also seems to have been 'borrowed' from the 75. The deep lacqered, multi layer surface is in excellent condition and the gold filling, also pristine, appears deeper and more richly coloured than usual, it may be 18Ct. A useful feature of the 180 is the flared band at the end of the barrel. This 'clicks' into the cap when the cap is posted to prevent the rim of the cap making contact with, and scratching, the barrel when the pen is in use.
The 180 was so named to emphasise the fact that the pen is designed to write with the front and back of the nib. The feed is stamped 'F-B', for fine and broad. Used the 'correct' way round the pen writes with a very good medium to broad line, the reverse is extremely fine and drier than the 'broad' side and not as smooth. The parker 180 nib is quite spectacular, although it could be lethal in the wrong hands!
The 'Place Vendome' lacque pens had a relatively short production run of less than three years and the Thuya version is quite a rare, hugely attractive, and very collectable pen.