The Parker Slimfold was added to the immensely successful U.K. Duofold range in 1962. The cap and clip design was changed to this Mk. ll design in the late 1960s and the 'New Slimfold' was introduced in 1971.
Despite the name the Slimfold is a very comfortable 14.6 cm. in length when posted for use, only marginally shorter than the Parker 51.
This pen is a fine example of a MKII Slimfold, made in England around 1967. The MkII differs from the original in that it has a terminal cap ring and a more modern version of the 'arrow' clip. The cap ring wraps around inside the cap lip so preventing cracks, a common fault in the original Slimfold.
The cap and barrel have a brilliant factory finish, the Gold filling on the clip, cap stud, and cap ring are similarly pristine and the ink sac is unstained. The pen is immaculate and could well be unused. The Mk.ll did not have a barrel imprint, a practice that was carried over to the subsequent model.
It is interesting to compare the quality and price of this pen with a modern equivalent. New gold nibbed pens start at around £100, most are a good deal more. Very few modern pens have a built in filling system, the vast majority use cartridges, not a good thing in terms of plastic consumption, and none have the charm and character of of good vintage pen.