16 replies to this topic

[david i]

In this recent thread...

Diamond Medal Vac-Fil: Rebadged Parker Vacumatic


... we discussed what essentially were Parker Vacumatic pens that had been rebadged for sale as Sears's Diamond Medal Vac-Fil pens. More charming still was the finding that the DM Vac-Fil pens have styling cues derived from Parker pens besides Vacumatic, proper. And... some pens of that sort appear to have been released (de-re-badged) with Parker trim.

But, there were other Parker pens (with other filling systems) rebadged for Sears during the mid 1930's, and Parker made at least one for Woolworth. Some of these are very appealing, but have tended to fall under the radar, relative to the Vac-Fil model, assuming one considers the mostly ignored Diamond Medal Vac-fil itself to be "within" the radar of collectable pendom.

For the DIamond Medal Vac-Fil, I am aware of 24 possible pens: two sizes and three colors each in four plastic patterns (a- stripes, b- pinstripes, c-plaque-on-black, and d-mosaic).

But, during the mid 1930's Parker also produced several button fillers for Sears, under both the Diamond Medal and Webster labels. Lever fillers were re-badged as Good Service pens. A Good Service bulb filler also is found, and I have vague suspicion this too is a Parker, perhaps "Parker's" only bulb filler.

As the last thread was not short, I figured I'd toss (and seek) info on the other Parker-made pens into this new thread.

Let's have at it...

The first pen in this series is a Diamond Medal button filler, a fluted celluloid pen of good quality. I'll toss a couple images out.

The CHALLENGE for readers: Which Parker pens contribute structure/style to this pen, re-badged for sale by Sears as a Diamond Medal?

First Example. Black and Pearl. Does the color seem... familiar? Johnny Appleseed posted this one

One from my own collection in the same plastic:

A gem I acquired a couple years back. I'm happier- perhaps- with the box and papers that accompanied it-- the instructions having a very "Parker" flavor-- than I am with having the pen.

I see two Parker pens contributing their look to this pen, not counting color. Do you know which? If no one coughs up some info, I'll post images in a bit

regards

David

[FarmBoy]

Deluxe Challenger.
Thrift Pen
?

[Hugh]

No idea, but I'm starting to like these Diamond Medal (or who ever made them!!) pens.....even worse some of those vacs are starting to look okay...

Regards
Hugh

[George]

Well, the bottom of the pens may resemble a Depression pen. But this answer is very wrong.

So, I would like to consider a hybrid of the Parkette junior sized with the stepped bottom and tops and the full sized Parkette DeLuxe. Maybe a very similar test akin to the WASP story? I think someone will have to fill that out.

I never realized how refined the cap rings are... Nice! Do the nibs sport any mark indicating relative year production at the base or on the underside?

Regards,
George

[FarmBoy]

Well, the bottom of the pens may resemble a Depression pen. But this answer is very wrong.

So, I would like to consider a hybrid of the Parkette junior sized with the stepped bottom and tops and the full sized Parkette DeLuxe. Maybe a very similar test akin to the WASP story? I think someone will have to fill that out.

I never realized how refined the cap rings are... Nice! Do the nibs sport any mark indicating relative year production at the base or on the underside?

Regards,
George

Ahh yes. The brain was thinking Parkette Deluxe but somehow Challenger came out. The faceted barrels are a nice change of pace.

[david i]

Those are some good stabs above at the Parker pens that provided structure and style cues for the fluted Diamond Medal button filler (Sears) pens above. While as George notes- there is a Parkette (2nd Generation 1934) that has stepped ends (only one size made), I view this Diamond Medal as not deriving from that pen, as the stepped ends are (i believe) bit different in contour, and the stepped ends of the Parkette, proper, are fused to the ends of the pen as there is no removable clip or blind cap to those.

There is a pen from Parker that has stepped ends and a contour (save for the fluting) and clip essentially identical to the Diamond Medal. It is a relatively nameless critter that is known from only a recently-come-to-light December 1933 Parkergram, but it is a pen well appreciated by collectors of 1930's Parkers, even if often lumped under the "Thrift Time" moniker. That pen is the "Parker $.3.50" pen (named only by its price, and I'm not sure I have the price right, need to double check). This pen gave way for the 2nd-tier Challenger and Deluxe Challenger short after it was issued. As it is pre-late-1934, it has no date code on nib and barrel, and has plain "Parker Pen" nib.

Here is that pen. note the streamlined Duofold type clip. Note the stepped ends. note the removable blind cap and removable stepped top piece.

The other pen I see in this Diamond Medal fluted pen is- as has been suggested above- the Parkette Deluxe, first generation (1934-7). This photo is a Slender pen, thus smaller than the "$3.50" pen above, but there is a Standard model about the same size as the "$3.50" pen. This is the only Parker (proper) pen from the 1930's and probably 1920's to have fluted look. Were there some early HR eye-droppers with flutes? I cannot recall.

Note though that the Parkette Deluxe is a cheaper pen, in both price point and in quality than the $3.50 pen or the Diamond Medal fluted pen. But, the flutes are its contribution to the DM.

The DM fluted pen also used colors (well at least one color) not found either in Parkette or in $3.50 Pen. That color was the Moderne Black and Pearl of the venerable Duofold, probably out of production (at least in that color) by the time the DM pen appeared.

Look again at the Diamond Medal. Flutes from the Parkette Deluxe. Shape and clip otherwise from the $3.50 pen. I suppose we can invoke the triple band pattern of Deluxe Challenger or High-Line Vacumatic if we wish. Styling cues from many Parkers, but the core contour is that of the $3.50 Pen.

As an aside, I have seen one Parker Vacumatic Crystal, mint with yellow-white clarity, done with fluted barrel. Have not photographed it though.

regards

Daivd

[david i]

Some more information (and a photo gift that will appear in the print article... eventually).

We discuss the Parker-made Diamond Medal button-fill pen from around late 1934 (I have vague recollection seeing the pen in a late 1934 or early 1935 Sears catalogue, but could not dig up the ad on first hunt in my apartment.

The pen, as noted above, borrows structural and cosmetic features from several Parker pens (a common theme to Diamond Medal pens Parker made for Sears).

Basic form from the "nameless" Parker "$3.50" catalogued only in December 1933, and found (by me) with latest date code "34" for third quarter 1934. A pen of good quality that perhaps gave way as the 2nd tier pen (behind Vacumatic) to the Parker Deluxe Challenger, which appeared in 1934. The fat-middle-band triple band evokes Duofold Deluxe. The clip is streamlined Duofold style. Again, this one is a true Parker, indeed a not-so-common series, found in two sizes, the small size either ring or clip top, four colors for 12 possible pens.

Fluted barrel and cap borrowed from Parker Parkette Deluxe. A Third tier Parker.

Simple triple cap-band from many Parker pens, usually those that are high-end within their given series: Vacumatic (high-line), Deluxe Challenger, Parkette Deluxe, etc.

Colors from pens other than what was found (mostly, maybe completely) for the Parker "$3.50" shown above.

All those styles, mixed together for the Sears version with Diamond Medal imprint. I'm guessing the pen was found in two sizes, though all I've found are the Standard.

Look at this example again of the final mix, the pen from Johnny Appleseed's collection

We are, again, very lucky to have Sears advertising to provide direct model information and context for these pens. Information about Parker pens, proper, likely is more prevalent than information for any other manufacturer. This has allowed better characterization of their pens than is possible for most other makes. The rebadged pens are a small niche for Parker product, at least in retrospect. Many other makes leave us wholly with speculation. In the recent Diamond Medal Vac-Fil thread, David Nishimura pointed out that an author of a Parker book, with access to Parker's archives, reported no information whatsoever available about the Diamond Medal connection.

Regarding the fluted DM's, I was fortunate as well to find on ebay a pen in original DM box, correct-to-era, with warranty and with filling instructions. Several nice findings on the paper:

• The text had a quite Parker-like flavor (supporting the Parker-DM connection)
• The image was quite like Parker's button-filler instructions (ditto)
• The date code on the two pieces of paper suggesting middle and late (respectively) 1934 printing, supports the timing of the pen, appearing in overlap with the winding-down of the "donor" Parker $3.50 pens. This supports the connection of that model to the DM fluted pens and again raises the notion that "left over" stock or at least "models ending their run" made good material for rebadging.

Take a peek at the instructions front and back

Obviously, an image of the Sears catalogue page would be of use. I do believe I have one. Just cannot find the catalogue in the mess at home. Later maybe.

In meanwhile I offer a bit of a gift regarding this series, before moving on (at some point) to other Parker-made Diamond Medal button fillers, Webster button-fillers, Good Service level-fillers and (for Woolworth's) Safford Fifth-Ave lever fillers. This pic probably will show up in the print article, if and when I get around to that.

I'm not sure how many out there have managed to score FOUR COLORS of the fluted DM's. This is my collection, representing perhaps 6 years of awareness of the pen. Do look at the colors. See if you can ID the Parker pens that contributed their colors to this pen.

Regards

David

[david i]

All posts in this thread until now have been devoted to the Diamond Medal Sac-Fil pen that derives largely from the Parker "Thrift era" $3.50 pen, with fluted contour taken from Parker Parkette Deluxe.

Time to move to another Parker pen made for Sears. While we are not... quite... done with Diamond Medal label (next week I'll have images of some DIamond Medal Sac-Fill pens that are cousins to Deluxe Challenger, proper), let us move for now to the Webster label, pens also made by Parker for Sears.

First, though, consider another Parker pen, the Televisor.

Televisor was made in Canada (possibly mainly for the British market, though I cannot exclude sales in Canada as well), and used a candy-stripe or mesh plastic not used on any other Parker branded pen, though the pattern does turn up on a variety of other makes.

Structural elements of Parker's Televisor otherwise have marked similarities to the Challenger and Deluxe Challenger pens; Televisor served a similar market niche overseas.

The USA-made pens:

Deluxe Challenger: Triple cap-band, wide-brim clip, bottom black blind cap and small top blind jewel.

Plain Challenger. SIngle cap-band, thin-brim clip, bottom black blind cap and large top black piece

Canadian (for Britain only?) Parker Televisor. Triple cap-band like Deluxe Challenger, thin-brim clip like plain Challenger, large black top piece (rounded though ) somewhat like plain Challenger, unique-to-series (for Parker branded pens) candy-stripe plastic

Here are couple more shots of Televisor

And open. A great majority of these have opaque barrels (as with Challenger and Deluxe Challenger), and feature ink-view gripping sections, perhaps dating some Televisors to a bit later than the typical ball-clip Challenger-type pens, as that feature appeared in 1937 just about the time Challenger and Deluxe challenger switched from ball clip to blade clip. Televisor never featured the blade clip, though.

Occasional ( i was surprised when I first encountered them) Parker Televisors are found with transparent windows incorporated into the barrel proper, Neither Challenger nor Deluxe Challenger ever had this feature.

You can see this finding (a somewhat limited view) on the black Televisor on the left side of this cluster. The photo is of my collection of Televisors.

This prepares us for the Webster pen to follow. You likely can guess where this is going...

regards

David

[matt]

David,

Hope this doesn't divert the topic, but you once told me this is a Depression or Thrift era pencil, I think because of the self-colored clip jewel. In light of the above discussion, is that still true? It's just marked Geo. S. Parker - Parker - Made in USA 47. Same clip as a Challenger and the plastic sorta resembles the fluted Diamond Medal shown above or a green pearl 2-band Jr cap. Are there matching pens?

[J Appleseed]

I will double-check the files at home, but to my memory, the fluted DMs appear only in the Spring 1935 catalog. I do not have 1934 catalogs to see if they appear there as well (I would assume that they make an appearance in Fall 1934/Winter 1935, as Sears tended to put out a larger catalog with more items with gift-potential in the Fall catalogs for the Christmas season). Colors are the 4 shown above in David's picture - Marine Green, Burgundy, Black and White, and Jet Black (note the names vs Parker names for the same colors).

The Fall 1935 catalog makes no mention of a fluted barrel, but does continue to offer a "Vac-Fil" Diamond Medal and a "Sac-Fil" Diamond Medal - the latter for $1 less than the former. No picture is provided to show the sac-fill, so it might be fluted, or might not.

The Fall 1936 catalog makes no mention of a Sac-filler Diamond Medal.

Also of note - Sears used the faceted "Parkette" barrells in Good Service lever filler pens as well - note the Spring 1935 catalog (above) or the Fall/Winter 1936/1937 Good Service pens in the other DM thread.

I really need to get down to the library and fill in the blanks on these catalogs. . .




John

[david i]

David,

Hope this doesn't divert the topic, but you once told me this is a Depression or Thrift era pencil, I think because of the self-colored clip jewel. In light of the above discussion, is that still true? It's just marked Geo. S. Parker - Parker - Made in USA 47. Same clip as a Challenger and the plastic sorta resembles the fluted Diamond Medal shown above or a green pearl 2-band Jr cap. Are there matching pens?

Hi Matt,

No worries, this is a round-table discussion, not a lecturn lecture. Room I daresay for tangents

My description over the years has evolved regarding the so-called "Thrift" (Thrift-time, Thrift pen, Thrift-time pen, etc) stuff.

At the most accurate (if limited) it is a Parker pencil (for similar matching pen) lacking any model name, as is found with a number of 2nd-tier Parker pens. Where it (and similar later black top-piece, blade-clip variant) is interesting is the mixed features it has with Challenger and Deluxe Challenger. It has the thin-brim clip of plain Challenger, the triple bands of Deluxe Challenger, but again the mottled (not plaque-on-black) plastic of plain Challenger (although your plastic seems bit odd at first peek). The mottled top piece of course is found with neither pen, but was seen in the slightly earlier 1933 "$3.50" pen. I need to date code more of these.

There are matching pens. I believe I own all three colors (probably a black too but I have not noticed).

You mention the green color. I'm not sure at first peek. The plastic of the fluted DM Sac-Fill (in green) reminds me indeed more of Parkette family than it does Challenger (more of a mottled green-on-green pearl, rather than green/black swirl). Also the black/burgundy seen in the fluted pne pic above is NOT the red pearl of the $3.50 pen but the early Parkette (? same as Duofold) burgundy. It is possible this "thrift" pen(cil) and the fluted DM Sac Fill are Parkette plastic. But I just cannot see enough in the image to insist your pen is not Challenger green.

regards

david

[david i]

I will double-check the files at home, but to my memory, the fluted DMs appear only in the Spring 1935 catalog. I do not have 1934 catalogs to see if they appear there as well (I would assume that they make an appearance in Fall 1934/Winter 1935, as Sears tended to put out a larger catalog with more items with gift-potential in the Fall catalogs for the Christmas season). Colors are the 4 shown above in David's picture - Marine Green, Burgundy, Black and White, and Jet Black (note the names vs Parker names for the same colors).

The Fall 1935 catalog makes no mention of a fluted barrel, but does continue to offer a "Vac-Fil" Diamond Medal and a "Sac-Fil" Diamond Medal - the latter for $1 less than the former. No picture is provided to show the sac-fill, so it might be fluted, or might not.

The Fall 1936 catalog makes no mention of a Sac-filler Diamond Medal.

Also of note - Sears used the faceted "Parkette" barrells in Good Service lever filler pens as well - note the Spring 1935 catalog (above) or the Fall/Winter 1936/1937 Good Service pens in the other DM thread.

I really need to get down to the library and fill in the blanks on these catalogs. . .

John

Great images. I have some of this at home or on computer or somewhere. I do have an image of a Good Service with the flutes- not facets to be nitpicky (who, me?). Will have to pull those up.

regards

David

[david i]

SNIP

This prepares us for the Webster pen to follow. You likely can guess where this is going...

regards

David

Skipping back to my post a couple back, having more or less finished with the Parker-made Diamond Medal fluted Sac-Fil pens, I turned to an introduction to a Parker-made Webster pen for Sears.

Canadian made perhaps for the British market, Televisor had much in common with Parker's Challenger and Deluxe Challenger pens. Most have opaque barrels, but I've found a couple with transparency windows incorporated into the barrel... a most unusual finding not shared with Challenger.

So, a few years back, I was surprised to find a very Televisor-like pen with the Webster label. Here is Televisor next to the Webster pen, set apart mainly by imprint and by clip. Not shown in this image is the full barrel for the webster, which has a transparency window, much like the less common of the two barrel styles found for Televisor, proper. Interesting...

At the time I found this pen, I was unaware (at least I recall that in retropspect) of the Sears- Webster connection. I had guessed the connection based on the pen, and the link made much greater sense once I found the Sears catalogue ad.

Notice what is poking head up into this cropped photo, in the bottom part of the image, shown on the same page as the Webster.

Three colors again, as is the case for most. The ad is most suggestive of the connection to Parker.

regards

David

[david i]

I have more images of pens and ads lying about.

We now have seen the fluted Diamond Medal Sac-Fil pens, and the Webster, based on Televisor, all made by Parker for sears.

Here are a couple more pens that might seem... familiar. The badge is... Good Service. The pens were sold by... Sears.

regards

David

[matt]

Here are a couple more pens that might seem... familiar. The badge is... Good Service. The pens were sold by... Sears.

...and made by Sheaffer?

[david i]

...and made by Sheaffer?

I dun' thin' so.

Adverts to follow. As you probably know... think Parker Parkette

-d

[david i]

Since this thread addressed Parkers rebadged for Sears (etc) with names including Diamond Medal, Webster and Good Service, I'm happy to add this latest find, courtesy of the Chicago Pen Show, May 2012. A Webster with Parker-type nib date code, with Parker Plastic, with end pieces the match, evoking the "Challenger-like Thrift Pens" save for having lacking the washer clip, with side clip more reminiscent of Parker Parkette, or... some for-Woolworth Safford Fifth Ave.

regards

David