Pen Noob and Parker DuoFold

[GreekGuy]

Hey Guys,

So I know very little to nothing about fountain pens. Father's day is coming up, and I know my dad really likes the Parker DuoFold pen(s?). Can anyone tell me about this model, how easy/hard to find then are, and also how much would something like this cost in decent working condition?

I really appreciate any help that you guys could give me.

Much thanks,

 

[Vlad]

Love the old Duofolds, but I don't know nearly enough to give any advice. I would think you could pick one up under $100, depending on the model and condition. I would start with the BST forum on fountanpennetwork.com

 

[Groat]

Parker still makes Duofold fountain pens. The new ones seem to go for around $300 (at the very cheapest) to about $450. You seem more likely to find them at the upper end of that range. There are special editions that cost a good deal more than this, as well.

As far as vintage duofolds, you really are best off looking on fountainpennetwork.com. People there are knowledgable about the subject, will give you a pretty fair price and will disclose everything about the pen they're selling. I suspect you should be able to find some in the $100 range that are in good working order, but that is FAR from a definitive answer (as I don't collect vintage pens.) As always with vintage pens, you can probably find some that are pretty beat up for considerably cheaper and somebody out there likely has one in perfect condition that will sell for a boatload of cash.

 

[GreekGuy]

Thanks guys for the advice. I wasn't sure if this was a common model or something rare, and how long it was made for. It sounds like its a model they have been making for a long long time. I was hoping I might be able to get one off the BST here, but I may have to join the fountainpennetwork

 

[bassopotamus]

but I may have to join the fountainpennetwork

That's probably your best bet. They are good folks over there. My advice would be to post a WTB (not sure if there is a post minimum for that or not), as often times, stuff in the classifieds gets scooped really fast.

 

[wimbouman]

Hey Guys,

So I know very little to nothing about fountain pens. Father's day is coming up, and I know my dad really likes the Parker DuoFold pen(s?). Can anyone tell me about this model, how easy/hard to find then are, and also how much would something like this cost in decent working condition?

I really appreciate any help that you guys could give me.

Much thanks,

Great pen. Around for ages; I've seen one from 1928.
wikipedia article here

I collect as many as possible. But they are expensive.

Beware of sizes; there's a full size Centennial and a small size International. I think this is the same as Senior and Junior models as they are sometimes referred to. Centennial is the way to go, usually though YMMV.

You can buy them quite often on the big pen retailers or - indeed - at the FPN. Beware of fakes, those do occur. Also your local shop might have a good deal.

Has been made in quite a few colors and patterns, some of which are now no longer available.

There's a couple of new ones, with a check pattern.

Most recent, a 'DNA' one:

The classic black is still available:

Highly desirable are the yellow and orange ones.

link

 

[LuckyR]

Hey Guys,

So I know very little to nothing about fountain pens. Father's day is coming up, and I know my dad really likes the Parker DuoFold pen(s?). Can anyone tell me about this model, how easy/hard to find then are, and also how much would something like this cost in decent working condition?

I really appreciate any help that you guys could give me.

Much thanks,

You really need to find out if he would be more into a new or vintage pen, since both are available and tend to be attractive to different people.

If vintage is the answer, I would snap up a pen that looks like it could be the right one, since they don't last on the market for long periods of time. Myself, I would concentrate a lot on the nib, since in the Parker line, flexible nibs are less common than other vintage finds, he may not be all that into penmanship, though.

 

[maxman]

The Duofold is a very nice pen. My dad used one when he was working.
he has a ball point/pencil/fountain pen set in silver.
I've admired it for a while now and i really should clean it up.

Anyway, what I was getting to is you can't go wrong with a vintage Parker.
I use a 51 at work now and I love it.
Very well made pen.

 

[GreekGuy]

I know he is into the vintage ones, but I'm not sure how much variance there is year to year. I realize that I'm probably getting ahead of myself trying to find one, but I appreciate the advice thus far. I asked him about the nib and he doesn't seem to have a preference, other than it being a fountain pen.

 

[LuckyR]

I know he is into the vintage ones, but I'm not sure how much variance there is year to year. I realize that I'm probably getting ahead of myself trying to find one, but I appreciate the advice thus far. I asked him about the nib and he doesn't seem to have a preference, other than it being a fountain pen.

No suprise there (about the nib comment).

Here is a pretty blue (lapis color) one for $350:

http://www.pensandwatches.com/Duofold.html

 

[GreekGuy]

I went to a few antique stores, and I found one that looks like this one, except with the original filler mechanism. The one in this photo looks like a replacement I think. They were asking $140. Is that too much for one of these pens from the 1930's, assuming it works as it should?

View attachment 165659

 

[GreekGuy]

They also had an orange Junior version for $85. But I don't know if thats a fair price or not. I really appreciate any advice. Razors I know. Pens...not so much

 

[demerson]

GreekGuy,

The pen in your photo appears to be a Parker Vacumatic, a different model line that overlapped/followed production of the Duofold line. The original Duofold line were button fillers, and used a sac to hold the ink. The Vac used a diaphragm and held ink in the translucent barrel. Vacs are attractive and come in a variety of colours and sizes, but many tend to write like a nail. Then again, so do many vintage Duofolds.

Older Duolfolds will be found in black, mandarin yellow, jade green, lapis blue. The green and blue discolour, and the yellow seems prone to cracking. Check the cap lip for cracks on the yellow pens, a common fault. Value varies by colour, significantly.

Restoration of the filler can be done by the skilled enthusiast, or by a pen mechanic. It's simpler for the Duofold than the Vac [which required a special wrench for the filler], but neither should be all that expensive.

Be aware that the Duofold name was applied to pens in the straight sided pens of the 20s and 30s, the vacumatic fill version of the 40s, and to aerometric fill pens of the 50s, as well as the modern line.

Be aware also that there are counterfeits out there of the modern line.

Good luck in your search.

 

[coyotewhisper]

I have an older one it writes beautiful.

 

[AL3X]

I have a duofold from the 50s and I managed to score it for around 40-50 bucks. Needless to say, I love it