Unlike the "51", the 88 takes its name from
the year of it's release (sort of-- it began popping up in late 1987).
The design of the thing shows its age very clearly-- pens of the 1980s tended toward the metal tube shape. It is, frankly, not a
decade of pen I get very excited about, and if I had not decided to try
and shape the Parker wing of my collection by buying all the pens with
numbers for names, I'd have passed on this one (likewise the 25). This particular body style
actually started out and persists in Parker's lower-end Vector, which was
elevated for a while as the 88 through having the point and furniture
gold-plated. I have seen it suggested that the "Place
Vendôme" affix was reserved for pens with the body also plated in
some precious metal or other, and perhaps chased as well, but since the
factory price-tag in the box this came in says "Matte" as a colour
indicator, I'm hanging onto the extra part of the name for it.
The 88 was made from 1988 (or so) to 1994. This particular
example has no date codes anywhere a probing eye can discover-- odd, in
that the modern letter and stroke code was begun well before this model
run and still persists. It came with the rather unpleasant modern
Parker slide-piston converter, so it may well be a Rialto (which is
what the 88 turned into) in an older model's box-- although I from what
I've seen the Rialto has a more decorated point.
In performance, it is no better or worse than other pens with this sort of point.
The click-cap mechanism and the likelihood of its wearing out are
somewhat balanced by the long false blind cap on the tail which means
that posting the cap does not damage the finish on the barrel.
Specifications: Medium plated
steel
point. Cartridge/converter filler. 13.2 cm long capped,
15.6 cm
posted.
Condition: Essentially new. It not being one I hurry to
use, it's unlikely to get a lot of wear, either.
Repairs: None.
Location: My collection.
For sale?: No, but
it not being one I hurry to use, I may listen kindly to any offers to
buy.
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