Launched in 1923, the Parker Duofold Special was advertised as:
'A well balanced pen as long as the Senior, but smaller in diameter'
At 16.6 cm. (over 6 1/2 inches) posted, it is a large, impressive pen with a good deal of presence.
The photo of the advert shows the black pen as a model '16', this pen has a '16' imrint on the end of the barrel. The pen was made in Canada, at the time Parker were unable to ship from America to the British Empire so had set up a factory in Toronto to manudacture pend for export. The imprint identifies the pen as a duofold special.
From 1925 the Duofold pen had been made in 'Permonite', rather than hard rubber but this wasn't advertised until 1926. This example has a Permanite barrel and cap but the end studs show the slight brown patina of the earlier hard rubber pens, consistent with a 1926 date. The pen has the 'Christmas Tree' feed and a Lucky Curve imprint but, by 1926, the nibs were not imprinted as such.
The pen has been restored, tested, and is in excellent workinng order. It has a very good classic black surface, contrasing well with the gold filled trim to give a distinguished effect. The cap is a smooth screw fit, tightening with one and three quarter turns.
A button filler, with the original 'hanging bar' arrangement, the pen fills well on a single operation. The correct and original Canadian Duofold gold nib writes well, producing a firm, fine line.
The Parker Duofold Special is a rare pen and, at about a hundred years old, this is a remarkable example. Clearly highly collectable, it also continues to do its job very well indeed.