The Parker 180 in Tortoise Shell, later called Ecaille,was introduced in 1979, this example is carries no date code so it appears to be a first year pen, as date coding began, in France, in 1980. It is a deep lacquered pen, part of the prestigious 'Place Vendome' collection made in Meru, France. In 1983 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 is in excellent condition, although ther are some very small chips close to the cap band, not at all noticeble with the naked eye. 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. A Parker ink cartridge is included so the pen is ready to write in either configuration. The box is unbranded but is in perfect condition and shows the pen off quite well.
The Gold filled 'stack of coins' cap stud seems to have been 'borrowed' from the Parker 75. The gold filling, which is 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 super smooth and 'wettish' medium to broad line, the reverse is extremely fine and drier than the 'broad' side, as expected from a fine point. The parker 180 nib is quite spectacular, although it could be lethal in the wrong hands!
The original Tortoise Shell pens had a very short production run and this version of the Parker 180 is quite a rare, hugely attractive, and very collectable pen.