The Parker 75 Grain d'Orge (Barleycorn) was one of the first 75s made in Meru, France. This example is an early pen, it still has an American made nib and no date code, showing it was made before 1979. It was part of the prestigious 'Place Vendome' collection.
The pen has been fully serviced and tested and is in excellent condition throughout. It has a very bright Silver plated finish with heavily chromed clip and end studs.
The length of the pen, when capped is 13cm. The cap is a push fit, it snaps into place with a satisfying 'click' and posts securely in position for writing, although many users prefer not to post a metal bodied pen. The posted length is 14.3 cm.
At each end of the pen is a Gold filled 'stack of coins' stud, this was replaced by a plain stud in the very late models. Around the plain cap band are the words:
The Parker 75 is a cartridge/converter filler, a most convenient arrangement as it allows for the ease of use of cartridges with the flexibility offered by the use of bottled ink. The pen performs equally well with both filling systems and which one to use is merely a matter of personal choice. The use of bottled ink is probably a good deal more environmentally sound and is certainly much, much cheaper than using cartridges. The pen is fitted with the original converter and a new cartridge is supplied so the pen is ready to write in either configuaration.
The pen is very comfortable in the hand and is an easy writer. It is also a very tactile item with an unmistakable top quality 'feel'. The Parker 51 is often referred to as 'the best pen Parker ever made' but I think this is a questionable assertion when it is compared to the fabulous Parker 75.
The Silver plate Parker 75 Grain d'Orge was not made in great numbers and is now hard to find and very collectable.