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. A small number of pens, this is one of them, identifiable by the clip design, were actually produced in 1987. 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 hard clamshell 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 Centennial is a large pen with chunky proportions. 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, this pen, and Marbled Maroon. It is a strikingly attractive colour with shades ranging from a very deep red to a very light, pearlised blue. 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 it oozes quality.