The Parker Duofold Centennial was the first pen made after the English branch takeover of the American Parker pen division in 1988 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 date coded for the last quarter of 1990, the first year of pens made with a higher relief feather design on the clip.
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.
The nib is two tone 18 Ct. Gold with an elaborate parker 'arrow' motif and a medium point. there is a tiny suggestion of a kink at the very end of the nib, this is reflected in the price. 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. It's certainly a great writer,producing a super smooth, firm, medium line.
The pen is a cartridge/converter filler and is supplied fitted with the original parker ink converter, box, and leaflet
The Parker Centennial is a very fine example of English pen making at its very best.