Parker “Duofold”
mid-1920s
About This Model
Parker's Duofold was the successor to its early pens, the numerous and various Jacknifes and Lucky Curves, appearing first in 1921 and lasting until the late 1930s. Its first transition kept the Lucky Curve name, and its feed, for the first few years, but more importantly effected the shift from ebonite to celluloid, the Dupont brand it called Permanite. Duofolds came in Seniors, Juniors, Ladys, and Juniorettes, as well as desk pens, and are easily recognizable for their “derby” crowns and detailed imprints. Later, starting in 1930, Duofolds adopted tapered barrels and caps, and were now Streamlined Duofolds; their lengths at each model were a few millimeters shorter s well. In the late 1930s, these later Duofolds transitioned into the vertically striped Striped Duofolds, which appeared in two generations, the button-filled models and then, until 1948, as Vacumatic-filled models (now often called Duovacs). There has always been some confusion among the overlapping models of the 1940s, but to me, if it carries a Duofold imprint it’s a Duofold; that plus a Vacumatic-filler makes it a Duovac, the Vacumatic-imprinted vertically striped pens are Vacufolds; but even the experts admit that there are more variants than can be named. Typical for their day, Duofolds generally carry firm to stiff nibs. They were very well-made, solid pens, so are often found today in surprisingly good condition, even after decades of steady use.
About This Pen
This is a Lucky Curve that has resisted typically precise identification: it has the imprint of a Duofold still using the Lucky Curve name, the appearance of a mid-1920s petite Duofold in a color not found in any Parker catalog. It looks something like an early 1920s Ivorine, Parker’s short-lived casein output, but it does not have the defining Jack Knife cap and, of course, isn’t made of casein. It looks something like the 1927-32 Pastel, but the Pastels usually had moire celluloid and their own characteristic Parker imprint. So, in the absence of a defined model identification, it has been named a lower level Parker Duofold Lucky Curve and was most likely one of the late 1920s “Depression” models. How does this happen? Parker was never consistent in its nomenclature, probably for a combination of marketing and inventory management purposes. Names carried into next models, names that worked were used repeatedly.
All of that said, it’s a nice smaller pen, 4.4″ long and slim, a classic button filler that looks like a small Duofold. It is largely unmarked and quite clean, although the barrel is darker than the cap from its early years holding a latex sac. There is one very small, old crack in the cap edge; it appears to be stable so was not repaired. Crown and tassie are both hard rubber and unmarked; the trim is gold and very nice. Finally, it’s a very nice writer: smooth, wet medium, some shading. This pen won’t withstand heavy duty use, but it can be a very attractive regular user for a smaller hand.
Price: $69