This pen is now reserved
The Parker Duofold Centennial was the first pen made after the English branch takeover of the American Parker pen division in 1988, a hundred years after the first Parker pen, and had to be something very special. At a huge 173mm. when posted for use and with a barrel width of 13.2 mm. it is an extremely impressive but distinguished looking pen.
This fine example is a rare first year pen, very shortly after launch the clip was lengthened and the imprint changed. Presented in the original box along with an ink converter and two ink cartridges, it is in mint condition throughout, and could well be unused. The acrylic material used for the construction of the Centennial gives a hard , vibrant finish with a brilliant shine.
The pen is, despite its huge size and chunky proportions, not such a heavy pen at 30g. The meticulous design places the centre of mass of the pen, when posted, at 100mm. from the tip of the nib. It is not surprising that this is exactly where the pen would sit in the 'jaw' of an average sized hand when in use, giving perfect balance.
At launch, the Centennial was only produced in three colours, Black, Marbled Blue, and Marbled Maroon, this pen. I have seen it described as 'Marbled Burgundy' understandably so, but Parker called it 'Maroon'. It is a strikingly attractive colour with shades ranging from a very deep red to a very light, prearlised pink. The cap, barrel, section bands and clip are 23Ct. Gold plated.
The nib is two tone 18 Ct. Gold with an elaborate parker 'arrow' motif and a medium point. The nib code on the feed, '83', indicates that it is a regular medium point. Parker claimed that it was the largest solid Gold nib in production and that it was hand slit and polished by tumbling in a barrel of walnut shells for 48 hours before being hand finished.
The Parker Centennial has been the top of the range 'flagship' Parker pen for thirty six years, it is a very fine example of English pen making at its very, very best.