Parker Pens

Lets start this history when Parkers first got involved in the pen industry. After graduating with a college degree to his belt, George Stafford Parker taught telegraphy to local students. To subsidise his meagre earnings he also took a job selling John Holland Fountain Pens. Parker focused on his students for sales, but it soon became obvious that the pens were not great quality. Often his students would complain to him that the pens he sold them were prone to leaking and breaking. There were also times when the pens would contain too little or too much ink, rarely the right amount.

Pretty soon, Parker began to notice that he was exerting as much time and effort fixing the very pens he sold to his students, as that of selling the pens to them in the first place. But then, his students became very impressed with the way he fixed the pens that he sold to them. Soon, his sales figures began rising because he became very trustworthy when it came to repairing the pens. However, with this success came frustration on George Parker as well. The more pens he sold, the more pens he had to repair! His frustration became so intense at one point in time that he decided to think of ways of building a better pen for himself. Not long after that came the momentous decision to indeed build a better fountain pen, thus laying the foundation of the Parker Pen Company.

It was on December 10, 1889, when George Parker was given his first ever patent for his fountain pen. In the next 18 months, he was given another 2 patents for his pens. At this time his pens were also considered an improvement throughout the industry

In 1892 Parker joined forces with William F. Palmer, having been friends for quite some time, with Palmer being a successful insurance agent at the time. With their partnership sealed came the rise of the Parker Pen Company. The next few years saw a lot of promise for the partnership, with Parker acquiring more and more patents for his pens.

With the onset of the next century, the fountain pen was increasingly becoming a status symbol amongst the upper classes. This can be attributed to the fact that only the educated and the elite could read and write, therefore being the only ones who would have the need for a fountain pen. Having a reliable Parker Pen in tow is a strong indication that the owner is as educated as the elite should come. What's more, the fountain pens at the time came with gold nibs, making them all the more expensive looking.

During the early twentieth century Parker developed the Snake Pen. This legendary pen was made of black rubber that was hard to the touch. The pen was eyedropper filled, and had a snake that was wound around the barrel and the cap. The snake came in either gold or sterling silver. The snakes also came with emeralds or rubies for their eyes. Truly one of the impressive collectibles you can ever find in the market.

In 1906 Parkers emblem pen was developed. This was the pen that first carried logos associated with secret societies. Today the Parker Pen Company can vouch for 60,000 logos that they have in their database. These logos are representatives of all sorts of businesses and companies around the world.

In 1921 the company launched the Parker Duofold. This fountain pen was oversized, bearing a bright orange color. The Duofold was clearly a leap from the contemporary style and design that has long been associated with the fountain pen. But the public adored it, making the pen a huge success. Today, the Parker Pen Company has expanded worldwide, with branches in Canada and in England. The huge empire built by George Parker is definitely one that is here to stay, particularly in the fountain pen industry.