collection1b

collection1b

June 13, 2015

The Parker Duofold Numbers


 

, from the 1927-29 catalogues.

[Posted on L&P on Nov 3, 4, 2007, and revised in 2015.]


        Here are the Parker Duofold catalogue numbers that I mentioned before, the ones that Derek Lepper posted on L&P in 2007.  These turned out to be merely the color designations in the 1927-
to-1929 catalogues.  When I re-arranged the list by placing it in numerical order, in groups of four lines, certain patterns emerged.  The ones place stands for the size of the pen or pencil, and the higher the digit, the bigger the pen or pencil, and it also stands for the clip-or-ring-top appointments.  But the tens and hundreds places seem to stand for the color groups.  The first four numbers stand for the red-with-black-tips color scheme, and the rest of the quatrains, in their growing tens and hundreds places, seem to correspond to the chronological or sequential appearance of the various models of pens and pencils in their various colors, first the red, then the black, and then the colorful celluloids.  There may be some exceptions to the correct order, but it seems okay.  Also, two numbers were left out, 131 and 631, so I re-inserted them.
        I had seen similar lists of numbers for Duofolds, Black and Golds, Pastels, Moires, Challengers, and Vacumatics, but Derek’s list added the True Blue and some depression pen numbers as well, which I have left out.  I didn’t know what to make of these numbers at first because many of them repeated, or duplicated the numbers in both model and parts number lists.  It was probably just a color numbering scheme used in the catalogues sent out to the dealers.  This catalogue numbering scheme constitutes yet another numbering scheme that is not compatible with the other two, which at first seemed to be continuous and compatible with one another.  Where the early model numbers left off, the later repair parts numbers seemed to pick up and carry on, but they were inevitably irreconcilable.  The problem with this Grand Unification Theory is this crossover period of the Duofolds and the Vacs and the depression pens, which had their own, separate numbering schemes.  Here are just the Duofold numbers.



Duofold Numbers



1  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
2  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands with ring-top
3  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Jr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
5  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
7  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Sr., flat top pen, 2 cap bands
9  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Sr., flat top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

11  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
12  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, ring-top
13  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Jr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
15  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
17  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Sr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
19  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Sr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

37  Flashing Black and Gold over-sized pen, lined, #7X nib

71  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Lady, pencil, clip
72  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Lady, pencil, ring-top
73  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Jr., pencil
77  Duofold Black-Tipped Lacquer Red, Big Bro., pencil

81  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Lady, pencil, clip
82  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Lady, pencil, ring-top
83  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Jr., pencil
87  Duofold Flashing Black and Gold, Big Bro., pencil

101  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
102  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, ring-top
103  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Jr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
105  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
107  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Sr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
109  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Sr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

111  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
112  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, ring-top
113  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Jr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
115  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
117  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Sr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
119  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Sr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

121  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
122  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, ring-top
123  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Jr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
125  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
127  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Sr., flat-top pen, 2 cap bands
129  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Sr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

131  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, clip
132  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony Lady, flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands, ring-top
133  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony Jr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands
137  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony Sr., flat-top pen, De Luxe, 3 cap bands

171  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Lady, pencil, clip
172  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Lady, pencil, ring-top
173  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Jr., pencil
177  Duofold Black-Tipped Green Jade, Big Bro., pencil

181  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Lady, pencil, clip
182  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Lady, pencil, ring-top
183  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Jr., pencil
187  Duofold Black-Tipped Lapis Lazuli, Big Bro. pencil

191  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Lady, pencil, clip
192  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Lady, pencil, ring-top
193  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Jr., pencil
197  Duofold Black-Tipped Mandarin Yellow, Big Bro., pencil

631  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony, Lady, pencil, clip
632  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony, Lady, pencil with ring-top
633  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony, Jr., pencil
637  Duofold Moderne Pearl & Ebony, Big Bro., pencil


And later, in the early ’30s, there would also be
the Moderne Green & Pearls,
the Burgundy & Blacks,
the Sea Green Pearls,
and the Vest Pocket pens and pencils.
 

George Kovalenko.


.
 

Addendum, posted on FPN Jan 10, 2005, on L&P Aug 3, 2005, and added on Jan 16, 2016.
    Parker Duofold Nib Codes
        Parker had an arcane system of letter codes on their Duofold nibs in the 20s and early 30s, but no one seems to have cracked that code, yet, not even Michael Fultz, and Daniel Zazove, and all the other Parker experts.
        At the height of the Duofold’s popularity, Parker probably couldn’t keep up with the demand for parts produced by their factory, so they had to out-source their nib production.  This is just a theory, but Parker must have had to have had a way to distinguish between Duofold nibs made by Parker in Janesville and those made in their foreign factories, and by secondary suppliers.  Here’s my list of guesses about this broken English.

P = stands for Parker-made nibs
P-C = Parker Canada (or Pfanstiehl Chemical ?)
C = Canada, the factory in Toronto
N = the factory in Newhaven, England
D = the nibs made in Denmark
B = a nibmaker such as Barrett, or Beyer & Hayes (?)
Z = maybe a supplier located in Zanesville, Ohio, in the industrial triangle (?)
Y = and this one stumps me, maybe a company with a name like Yale, or a factory or supplier in New York, since “N” was already taken (?)
     Alternatively, the nib letters may refer to different types of nib tipping alloys on the different batches of Duofold nibs.  John Mottishaw in his online article “Where’s The Iridium?” mentions at least 4 or 5 different nib tipping alloys tried out by Parker.

        This is all conjecture, you understand.  Maybe it’s only coincidence.  I’m just setting the cat amongst the pidgins.