The Parker Premier De Luxe 23Ct. fully Gold plated pen sat at the very top of the range of luxury Parker pens. This set, comprising a fountain pen and a ballpoint is in superb condition throughout and in perfect working order.
At 140mm. capped and an impressive 156 mm. posted the fountain pen is a large and very substantial pen. The ballpoint has a length of 135mm.
The pattern on the gold finish is described as 'graduated chiselled'. The 'windows' on the pen bodies get smaller in size towards the end of the pen, reminiscent of a view of a skyscraper building when viewed from the ground. It is unique, very attractive and gives the Gold a little extra sparkle and doesn't show fingerprints easily. There is a very small area of plating loss on the end of the collar that houses the converter but this is only visible when the barrel is removed. The exterior surfaces are in gleaming, near mint condition. I provide eighteen high level photographs of the set but it isn't possible to convey the sheer quality of the set 'in the flesh'.
The cap is a secure 'click fit' to cap and also when posted, this prevents the cap rim from touching the barrel to avoid scratching.
The nib is 18Ct. Gold with Rhodium sections overlaid to highlight the parker 'arrow' and outer edges of the tines, it is a most striking effect. The performance of the nib matches it's appearance, it writes with a super smooth medium line and has the very pleasing 'soft' feel often associated with the highest quality nibs.
The ballpoint mirrors the design of the fountain pen, it operates by twisting the cap.
The set is presented in the original luxury parker 'clamshell' case. The fountain pen is fitted with the original De Luxe Parker ink converter and is supplied with two new ink cartridges so it is ready to write in either configuration.
This version of the Parker Premier had a relatively short production run and, as the top of the range, was extremely expensive. Consequently the Premier De Luxe GT is rather hard to find, particularly in mint condition. This is a luxury pen set of the highest quality and represents pen making at its very best, taking opulence to a level not seen anywhere else in the Parker range. The Premier de Luxe Graduated chiselling is a rare pen with an enormous presence, a new top of the range Parker Centennial appears quite ordinary by comparison.