1960s Sterling Silver Parker 75 Flat Top Fountain Pen & Mechanical Pencil Set

1960s Sterling Silver Parker 75 Flat Top Fountain Pen & Mechanical Pencil Set
Photo Credit: jay-pens

1960s Sterling Silver Parker 75 Flat Top Fountain Pen

Buy It Now Price: $285 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This is an outstanding example of a vintage sterling silver Parker 75 flat top fountain pen and mechanical pencil set with gold-filled trim.

-The Parker 75 was created in response to the widespread adoption of cheaper ballpoint pens by the public in the late 1950s and early 1960s.  Some fountain pen makers tried to compete against the new ballpoint invaders on price, by going down-market.  But margins were low and this strategy was not very successful for the fountain pen industry.

-The head of the Parker Pen Company at the time, Kenneth Parker, decided he needed to move up-market to save his company.  This up-market strategy worked and the famous Parker 75, with its iconic sterling silver grid-pattern barrel, was born.  The Parker 75 was immensely popular with the public and was produced in many different varieties over 30 years, from 1964 to 1994.

-The Parker 75 is one of the most collectible vintage fountain pens in existence and high quality specimens are always in strong demand among pen connoisseurs.

-Upon its introduction in 1964, the Parker 75 flat top fountain pen originally retailed for $25, which is equivalent to $198 in 2017 when adjusted for inflation.  Later, in 1968, the price was raised to $30, or $210 today in inflation-adjusted terms.

-The moniker “flat top” refers to the end of the pen cap, where there is a flat, unadorned surface.  The Parker 75 flat top is an early, desirable variety that was produced from 1964 until around 1970 (or possibly 1971).  After 1970, the end of the cap was modified to a raised outer ring with an indented center.  This was done to easily accommodate corporate logos or emblems.

-This vintage Parker 75 flat top pen and pencil set was made in the U.S.  By the late 1980s, all Parker 75 production had been moved to France.

-This Parker 75 flat top fountain pen has a solid 14 karat gold nib with a “fine” size.  Solid karat gold is a premium material used in high quality nibs because of its superior writing characteristics.

-I love the original case that this Parker 75 fountain pen and pencil set comes in.  The heavily textured navy blue and olive green striped fabric exudes classic 1960s styling.

-Many Parker 75s that survive today were well-loved and well-used.  Therefore, they tend to have brassing on the gold-plated/gold-filled trim and dings or dents on the sterling silver barrel.  But this set is nearly pristine.

-It is my opinion that vintage fountain pen and mechanical pencil sets are very investable.  A lot of collectors are interested in fountain pens, but the community is only slowly warming up to the charms of mechanical pencils.  As a result, it is still possible to buy some pretty phenomenal old fountain pen and mechanical pencil sets between $100 and $500.

 

Cons:

-At first when I found this set on eBay, I thought to myself, “This is a great Parker 75 flat top set, but the price is just too high.”  Then, after doing some research and looking around at comparable pieces online I completely changed my mind.  The $285 asking price is absolutely fair for an early Parker 75 fountain pen and mechanical pencil set in superb condition in its original case.  You would end up paying around $200 for a vintage Parker 75 flat top fountain pen by itself, with no original case or mechanical pencil.

-If you are looking for a pen and pencil set to use on a daily basis, I would steer clear of this one.  Its condition is simply too good to mar through regular use.  You would be better off buying a cheaper, more imperfect Parker 75 if you want an everyday fountain pen.

Zeitgeist – The Soul of Fine Art and Antiques

Zeitgeist - The Soul of Fine Art and Antiques

When I was a child, my parents took me on a weekend trip to New York City.  It was September, 1985 and I can distinctly remember singing along to Madonna on the radio as we drove across the George Washington Bridge into the city.  I can recall the vibrancy and neon lights of Chinatown after dark.  I can conjure up images of the grandeur of Manhattan as viewed from the observation deck of the Empire State Building.

I was only a child of 9 years old at the time and was completely unable to adequately articulate my sense of wonder at the things I saw.  But I knew a cultural apogee when I saw one.  New York City in the mid 1980s was the epicenter of a golden age that was no less impressive than that enjoyed by ancient Athens in the 5th century BC or renaissance Venice in the 15th century AD.

What I really experienced was the zeitgeist of the city as it washed over and engulfed me.  The term “zeitgeist” was borrowed from the German language and refers to the spirit, energy or cultural milieu of an age.  While every time and place has its own zeitgeist, movies, television and books tend to mythologize the most brilliant and romantic of these eras, leaving them indelibly branded on the popular imagination.

This concept of zeitgeist is incredibly important to both the fine art collector and the antique investor.  When you purchase a late 19th century French Pointillist painting, what you are really buying, in part, is the zeitgeist of the era in which the work of art was created.  And this is equally true whether you collect 17th century Indian Mughal silver rupees, Mid-Century vintage fountain pens or Gilded Age Edwardian jewelry.

Zeitgeist sits alongside portability, quality, durability and scarcity as one of the 5 critical factors that determine an antique’s investment potential.  Although it is insufficient to catapult an antique to investment grade status on its own, in many ways zeitgeist is the most important of the 5 elements.  All else being equal, a work of art that hews closely to the popular aesthetic trends of an age will inevitably be more desirable and valuable than a similar work that inelegantly fuses two or more artistic movements together in an awkward transitional style.

In other words, art connoisseurs expect their 1920s Art Deco masterpiece to use streamlined linear elements and geometric motifs.  And antique collectors want their late 18th century Georgian objet d’art to reflect staid Neo-Classicist rigidity and formality.  Those works that most purely represent the stylistic era in which they were created are generally the most desirable.

Artists and craftsmen are always influenced by the cultural trends in which they live and work, even if they don’t consciously realize it.  These cultural influences inevitably find their way into artistic endeavors, subtly influencing an artist’s personal style in a myriad of ways.  As a result, even though an artist may not intentionally be trying to create art that reflects the current zeitgeist of an era, the prevailing cultural cross-currents will nearly always be visible in his works under close examination.

Zeitgeist also has a distinctly historical aspect as well.  Sometimes an era is dominated by monumental geo-political events that overshadow everything else.  World War II is a perfect example of this occurrence, where the entire world was pre-occupied with or embroiled in a truly global conflict.  The most desirable antiques from this era, like World War II military insignia, will directly reference this world-shaping conflict.

For those interested in further exploring this topic, I highly recommend watching the superb BBC documentary titled “Bright Lights, Brilliant Minds: A Tale of Three Cities“.  Narrated by the engaging art historian James Fox, this three part mini-series examines the cultural milieu of 1908 Vienna, 1928 Paris and 1951 New York City.  Specifically, it looks at how the rich cultural backdrop of these near-mythological 20th century golden ages allowed avant-garde art to flourish.  Unfortunately, while this series used to be available to stream through Netflix (at least in the U.S.), it isn’t as of the winter of 2017.

Diaphaneity – The Secret of Fine Gemstones

Diaphaneity - The Secret of Fine Gemstones
Photo Credit (CC 2.0 license): Matthew Hurst

Diamond quality is judged according to four criteria known as the 4 Cs – color, clarity, cut and carat weight.  Colored gemstones are assessed in a very similar way to diamonds, but only using 3 Cs – color, clarity and cut.  However, there is a little known characteristic that sets the very finest gems apart from more pedestrian stones – diaphaneity.

Diaphaneity is difficult to succinctly explain, but is perhaps most analogous to the transparency of a stone.  The very best gemstones, those that exert a magnetic pull on observers, often possess an uncommon ultra-transparency or super-transparency that allows light to travel through the gem completely unimpeded.

Diaphaneity should not be confused with the color or clarity of a gemstone.  It is possible for a colored gem to have a mediocre, washed out color, but still possess an almost inexplicably alluring sparkle driven by its exceptional transparency.  Of course, the most desirable gemstones will combine excellent color with outstanding diaphaneity.

Likewise, a gem can have inclusions or flaws while still retaining diaphaneity.  Perhaps the best example of this phenomenon is the almost mythical blue sapphires originating from Kashmir in Northern India.  These deep, velvety blue stones are characterized by silk – tiny rutile inclusions that are only visible under high magnification.  This silk grants Kashmir sapphires a soft, almost dream-like blue color.  However, the presence of silk does not interfere with the diaphaneity of most Kashmir sapphires.

Diaphaneity is absolutely distinct from both clarity and color.  And it gives gems a presence or depth that is singularly attractive.  There is speculation among gemologists that the super-transparency of diaphaneity occurs when a gem grows unusually slowly, allowing for the creation of an unusually regular crystal lattice.  This results in a gem with almost no distortions on the molecular level.

Diaphaneity has had many different names throughout the long history of the gem trade, including transparency and crystal.  However, the oldest name for diaphaneity is “water”.  The acclaimed 17th century gem dealer to European royalty, Jean-Baptiste Tavernier, mentioned gems “of the finest water” in his writings.  However, the term water was used most notably in the diamond trade of the 19th and early 20th century.  In this period, before diamond grading was rigorously standardized, diamonds of the best water were very highly prized.

In a book titled “Gems and Jewels: A Connoisseur’s Guide” the gem trader Benjamin Zucker underscored the importance of diaphaneity in diamonds with this quote:

“Place a Golconda diamond alongside a modern, recently cut D-colour diamond and the purity of the Golconda stone will become evident.”

Located in India, the legendary Golconda diamond mines were the source of many of the world’s most famous diamonds, including the Hope Diamond, the Sancy and the Regent.  Indeed, almost the entire world’s commercial production of diamonds before the mid 18th century originated from the Golconda mines.

The concept of diaphaneity applies to colored stones just as readily as diamonds, though.  Allow me to tell you about my own experience with diaphaneity.  Years ago I went on a gem-hunting expedition to the Jewelers Exchange Building in downtown Boston.  There was one little hole-in-the-wall gem shop that I frequented there.  On this particular day I entered and started looking through the dealer’s inventory, but nothing really appealed to me.

And then something in the corner of the display case caught my eye – a magnificently sparkling stone that simply called out to me.  It was a huge, 4.05 carat, vivid pumpkin orange mandarin garnet from Nigeria.  Now, orange is not normally a color that excites me, but this stone was truly exceptional.

Few people know that garnets aren’t just red, but also come in all colors of the rainbow.  The orange Spessartite variety, widely known as mandarin garnet in the trade, is one of the most coveted.  As an added bonus, garnets are one of the few types of gemstones that are not enhanced via heat, dyes, irradiation, fracture-filling or other methods.  That makes these completely natural stones perfect for engagement rings or other high end jewelry.

I calmly asked the dealer his price for the orange treasure.  “$125 a carat” he responded gruffly.  I quickly did the math in my head – a bit over $500.  I slipped my wallet out of my pocket and slowly counted $506 in cash onto the counter.  “I will take it” I said quietly, trying to suppress the quiver of excitement in my voice.  The dealer agreed and the deal was consummated.

Now the interesting thing about this story is what made this particular mandarin garnet so good.  There were other orange garnets on display right beside the stone I chose.  They were very similar in terms of hue, clarity and size.  In fact, it was probable that all of these mandarin garnets were originally purchased from the same lot.  It is even possible that the material they were cut from originated from the same deposit.  But only one of the stones was special – the one I purchased that displayed superb diaphaneity.

Diaphaneity is a subtle characteristic.  It is also exceedingly uncommon.  The number of stones I have seen with truly good crystal probably amounts to perhaps one or two hundred out of many thousands (or even tens of thousands).  The layperson, particularly one that only frequents chain jewelry stores, will likely never come across a stone that exhibits good, much less great diaphaneity.  But, if you are a serious gemstone or jewelry connoisseur, collector or investor, the crystal of a gem matters.

If you want to learn more about diaphaneity, or gemstones in general, I highly recommend a book titled “Secrets of the Gem Trade” by gemologist Richard W. Wise.  It is packed full of useful information, interesting anecdotes and beautiful color photos.  For years I had been striving to find gems with excellent crystal without knowing exactly what that ephemeral quality was.  But once I read Richard Wise’s book, all the pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place.

French Art Deco Medal Set by Paul-Marcel Dammann

French Art Deco Medal Set by Paul-Marcel Dammann
Photo Credit: jamoni10

French Art Deco Medal Set by Paul-Marcel Dammann

Buy It Now Price: $420 (price as of 2017; item no longer available)

Pros:

-This Art Deco medal set by the French Artist Paul-Marcel Dammann was created in 1932 to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité (Parisian Electric Distribution Company).

-This exquisite set contains two identical medals struck in different metals – one in solid silver and the other in bronze.  The medals feature an attractive rendition of the personification of electricity on the obverse and a woman bestowing light on the Parisian skyline on the reverse.

-The Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité, or CPDE, was founded in 1907 with an initial capitalization of 100 million gold francs and was subsequently listed on the Paris Stock Exchange in 1908.  It was eventually nationalized and folded into the EDF group (Électricité de France) in 1946.

-Both medals are impressively large, with a diameter of 64 mm (2.52 inches).  The silver medal weighs a massive 132 grams (4.24 troy ounces), while its bronze counterpart is a hefty 120 grams (3.86 troy ounces).  Art medals this large are rather unusual and very desirable.

-This Art Deco medal set was designed by Paul-Marcel Dammann, a French artist who lived from 1885 to 1939.  Although he was best known for his Art Deco pieces, his other work was also well regarded.  Paul-Marcel Dammann won many awards throughout his career, including the coveted Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1908.

-This Art Deco medal set comes in its original, fitted case!  It is always a pleasure to be able to find a high quality antique in its original case.  The original case modestly boosts the value of the medal set, as well.

-The original case is stamped with the name of the medal manufacturer, “Arthus Bertrand Paris”.  Arthus Bertrand is a famous French medal-making firm that was founded in the early 19th century during the Napoleonic era.  The company still operates today and is responsible for producing the coveted French Legion of Honor medal.

-This Art Deco medal set is a magnificent celebration of 1930s artistic style.  The design is streamlined and bold, yet also sports a geometric sensibility that is characteristic of the Art Deco zeitgeist.  I especially enjoy how the artist subtly worked lightning bolts into the obverse design to pay homage to the issuing company – Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité.

-I believe that antique European art medals, especially French art medals, are ridiculously undervalued in today’s marketplace.  Therefore, I find the $420 asking price for this impressive Art Deco medal set to be completely reasonable.

 

Cons:

-This French Art Deco medal set is close to the top of the price range for European art medals.  Excellent examples can usually be found in the $100 to $300 range.  However, because of its superlative design, extraordinarily large size and original case, I believe this Art Deco medal set is well worth its premium price.

-Subject matter significantly affects the value of antique art medals.  Some topics, like automobiles, aviation and royalty, tend to have higher valuations assigned to them then other topics.  The 25th anniversary of the founding of the Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Électricité is mid tier in terms of its desirability.