The Parker '17' Lady was introduced into the Parker Duofold line in 1964 and replaced with the Parker Lady Standard in 1968. The same year the pen was redesigned to include a Parker 45 style clip and a cap band at the very end of the cap which extended inside the cap. This pen is an intermediate model, it has the Standard barrel, the cap is inscribed, but it has the '17' style clip and cap band. It was only made for a short time in 1968.
This is a fine example. It is finished in Green, the least common of the Lady colours, with Gold filled 'Arrow' clip and cap band, it has an excellent surface and an unstained ink sac. The Lady Standard was not barrel imprinted but, unlike the previous models, it had the Parker name stamped on the cap.
The pen is in remarkable condition throughout, and in perfect working order. The fountain pen has a clear ink sac, pristine Gold filling and an excellent shine. It is probably unused but I have inked it, once for testing purposes, and then throughly flushed the pen.
The 'chalk marks' are actually wax stencils that were intended only for use by the retailer to ensure the pen was corretly identified. Before sale the marks should have been removed but sometimes this wasn't done and, if the pen was unused they may remain, as in this example. the marks are very fragile and will disapppear quickly as the pen is handled.
The pen has a 14Ct. Gold nib and is a superb writer. It produces a very smooth and consistent medium line and is an 'easy' writer.
The Parker box is probably from a later pen but it is in good, clean condition and will serve well for protection and transport.
For an aspiring collector the Parker Lady is a good starting point. There are only four colours: Black, Blue, Red and Green, and three main models so a complete collection is twelve pens. This excludes the Gold filled 'Insignia'.
Although the Parker Lady is not a particularly rare vintage pen, mainly due to its success in the global market, it is nevertheless very difficult to find a transitional pen, particularly one in such good condition and the least common colour.
For a comparison of the different Parker Lady models read here: