The Parker 180 in Tortoiseshell, later called Ecaille,was introduced in 1980, as part of the prestigious 'Place Vendome' collection made in Meru, France. In 1984 the 'Place Vendome' 180 was discontinued and replaced with a cheaper, solid coloured version with a steel nib. This pen is the last of the Place Vendome, 14Ct. Gold nibbed 180s, it carries a date code for the last quarter of 1984. The nib is clearly stamped '585M', signifying a 14Ct. Gold nib with a medium point.
The 'Tortoiseshell' 180 is often confused with the 'Thuya' colour but, when seen together, the colour schemes are quite easily distinguishable. The thuya is a darker more mottled pattern while the Tortoiseshell is a lighter brown with much lighter patches.
The pen is in mint, unused condition throughout, it could well be new old stock. The multi layered lacqered finish has deep shine and the Gold filling, which is pristine, appears deeper and more richly coloured than usual, it may be 18Ct. The ink converter also shows no signs of use. The 180 is a slim pen and standard Parker converters won't fit so the inclusion of the original 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 Gold filled 'stack of coins' cap stud design seems to have been 'borrowed' from the Parker 75. 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 hard, high quality presentation box is new, it will serve well for transportation, protection, and display.
The 180 was originally so named to emphasise the fact that the pen is designed to write with the front and back of the nib, but by around1982 Parker did not advertise this fact and only stamped the feed wiith one width, in this case 'M' for medium. The Parker 180 nib is quite spectacular, although it could be lethal in the wrong hands!
The Tortoiseshell pens had a very short production run and this version of the Parker 180 is quite a rare, hugely attractive, and very collectable pen.