The Parker 75 Milleraies, meaning 'a thousand lines' or 'needle chord' was part of the prestigious Place Vendome metal collection, introduced in 1981. This pen can be dated to the late 1980s.
The pattern consists of closely spaced, fine longitudinal lines with a blank cartouche on the side of the cap. Despite the name, there aren't a thousand lines on the pen, I counted sixty eight on the barrel.
The pen is in totally mint condition throughout, it appears to have seen no use and shows no handling marks.
It is a cartridge/converter filler, fitted with the original Parker ink converter and supplied with an ink cartridge so it is ready to write in either configuration.
The pen is constructed in Brass with a 23Ct. Gold filling and Gold filled 'stack of coins' end studs. The nib is 14Ct. Gold with a medium point. It is stamped '585M' for 14 Ct. Medium along with 'France' and the Parker 'shield'. The nib can be rotated in the collar to give the optimum writing angle which is retained if the ribbed 'grips' on the section are used to hold the pen.
In the late 1980s the thin gold ring was added to the section and the section was changed from a sculpted three sided contour to a cylindrical shape with the grip part reduced to a smaller 'teardrop' shape, as on this pen.
This change to the shape was not simply a change of look, or a money saving exercise, but a significant improvement in the ink delivery system. To accommodate a new style ink collector, or 'governor', as Parker called it, the section needed to be cylindrical. This meant that the triangular section had to be replaced with a tubular shape, the grip 'teardrop' was added to continue to facilitate the advantages of a rotating nib.
The Parker 75 Milleraies is quite a rare and very collectable pen. It is outrageously attractive and has a great deal of prestige.