Maker: Parker.
For the moment, I am limiting myself to the latter-day Parkette, although the earlier ones were of a similar nature. That nature is something so far down the rankings in terms of finish and cost that Parker wasn’t quite willing to put their name on. In this later incarnation, the pen was in essence a “21” front end (the cheapest thing Parker fully admitted to at the time) with a thin-walled chromed cap and the slightly expensive Aerometic filler swapped in favour of a lever-filling set up. This arrangement gives the Parkette the same writing performance of the “21”, which is not a bad thing, but also the same weakness of plastic and the additional handicap of having an entirely mysterious ink supply; maybe it’s running low…. As a point of trivial interest, this was the last lever-filler Parker ever made.
Production Run: 1950 – 1952.
Cost When New: $3.50 (for modern value, try this calculator).
Size: 13.1 cm long capped, 14.4 cm posted, 12.1 cm uncapped.
Point: Steel (or, if you like, “Octanium”).
Body: Polystrene.
Filler: Lever, capacity approx. 0.7 ml
The late form of the Parkette
If you are relying on the preceding information to win a bet or impress a teacher, you should read the site’s scholarly caveat. Remember, this is the internet, and it’s full of bad information.