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Parker Vacumatic: The Rare Senior RetroMax. Or is that Anti-Overmax?


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#1 david i

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Posted 31 December 2011 - 06:33 PM

For this thread it helps to know basic first vs second generation Vacs. Briefly, the big boy from the early generation is the Oversize. The big boy from 2nd and 3rd generation is Senior Maxima. Both are about same length and width. Early pen, the Oversize is less streamlined, thus seems chunkier. The threads for early Oversize are a wee bit bigger; one cannot close a cap from one pen on the other. Both pens have same total barrel-blindcap (barrel assembly) length, but because the Oversize uses an early lockdown filler (smaller blind cap fits) and later Senior Maxima uses non-locking filler (longer blind cap necessary), the barrel itself for Oversize is longer than barrel for Senior Maxima, allowing the whole unit for each pen to match in total length. The key trim difference of course is that 1st generation Oversize has triple cap-rings, while 2nd generation Maxima has a wide decorative single cap-band. Oversize was catalogued 1933-1938. Maxima appeared 1937 (bit of overlap) and continued past the end of the second generation (which ended in 1941)

Parker Vacumatic was a long running series with many models produced. There are some well known off-catalogue clusters of pens (eg. wide "Jeweler's" cap-band pens) and a litany of progressively esoteric anomalies, many of which do not receive dedicated (collector created) model names, but. some of which... do.

One of the anomalies of greatest collector cachet and recognition is a pen that has come to be called the Overmax-- a name possibly coined by Rob Morrison.

Overmax features:
  • Oversize's contour and dimensions. A chunky first generation pen with short blind cap.
  • Oversize's (and as seen on Maxima through early 1939) matching striped section and blind cap jewel.
  • Late date code for 1940 (always, so far), after the era of the Oversize
  • Maxima's wide decorative cap-band.
  • Burgundy: the only color seen (so far)
Overmax is rare. I've seen at most ten specimens during more than a decade of hunting, since first discovering the variant. I've owned probably 4-5 at one point or another. I have one now in my personal collection, which is superb (the pen, not necessarily the collection).

It is not the rarest anomalous Vac. But, it is recognized, it is at root the largest Vacumatmic. And... it is red. The mix of rarity, recognition and visual "oomph" render it one of the most desirable off-catalogue (or on-catalogue) Vacs to be had

We do not know why the pen was made. Later production using residual stock but using the then-current trim? Still, the 1940 pen has striped bottom jewel and striped section, both features gone by mid 1939 even on period-correct Maxima. Presumably, entire pen (cap, jewels, section, blind cap, barrel) were lying about, unimprinted and untrimmed, such that parts of the day were added. Was this a parts blow-out? Special order? Why only red? And so forth...

Here is a glorious Parker Vacumatic Overmax. The cleanest of the 6-7 I've handled, of the 4-5 I've owned, of the couple others I've seen lurking on ebay

Posted Image




But, as we play with Vacumatic anomalies, far fewer are aware of a "reverse" pen, though some might guess at it. A few of us have played with such a beast, and I have posted about it before, though we are overdue for a freshening of the subject.

Instead of Overmax with:

  • Oversize's contour and dimensions. A chunky first generation pen with short blind cap.
  • Oversize's (and as seen on Maxima through early 1939) matching striped section and blind cap jewel.
  • Late date code for 1940 (always, so far), after the era of the Oversize
  • Maxima's wide decorative cap-band.
  • Burgundy: the only color seen (so far)
We have:

  • Maxima's contour and dimensions. A streamlined second generation pen with long blind cap.
  • Oversize's earlier triple cap-bands

I've seen two such pens so far, both Silver Pearl. I own one. Barrel details are less specific to this as finding a Maxima barrel with Maxima-era date code perhaps is no surprise, or at least less surprising than finding Overmax's Oversize Barrel with later-than-era date code. The reversed Overmax does not appear to be a mirroring the age issue; it seems not to be a very early production of Maxima. It is Maxima era, but with earlier-era trim. Thus, date code is somewhat less key to this item than is finding the anomalously late date code that is part of the Overmax's detail cluster.

I've wrestled with the one I own, wondering if it could have been after-market. But, the cap swaps perfectly with other Maxima parts, the contour is correct, the inside of cap appears normal. The hassle (if even possible) to reshape an Oversize cap to take smaller Maxima clip and to take smaller Maxima barrel threads would be... considerable.

Again, we don't know why this pen was made. Lunchtime fun? Special order? Rare pre-Max-band (pre "Vac"-band) trial for the new generation (noting the barrel with mine seems to be 1939'ish, not 1937 which might be expected for a pre-Maxima trial), niche market piece?


A final issue is what to name a "reverse Overmax".

Per start of this thread, not every anomaly warrants major effort to develop a model/variant dedicated name. But, such effort can be fun.

The Anti-Overmax has a certain charm. Of course, with that, we must be certain never to let the pen touch a regular Overmax. 2 ounces of opposites upon contact would cancel each other, yielding a gamma burst with energy equivalent to 1.2 megatons of TNT. Dangerous.

One could argue that if Overmax has a specific mix of Oversize and Maxima, then if another pen has opposite mix, we can simply rearrange elements of the two names. But, a Vacumatic Maxi-Size sounds suspiciously like a hygiene product. Not good for enhancing the cachet of the model.

I find myself leaning towards Vacumatic RetroMax. A Maxima with retro features. Mellifluous and accurate.

Thoughts?

Oh yeah, almost forgot to post the shots of the the Silver Pearl Retromax:

Posted Image



regards

David
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

Posted Image

#2 Greg Minuskin

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:34 AM

Dear David,

Amazing information! I am so glad I am on this site! The translucence of the barrel is just breathtaking and the condition, well, only the best Posted Image

I have one question: I assume a two tone nib, and USA made; would the 4-5 that you have seen also have been Canadian manufacture?

Greg Minuskin
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#3 parkercollector.com

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 01:48 PM

Would the Retromax be a representation of the third size of the Streamlined Standard and Streamlined Slender?
Please excuse the very poor image quality.
/Tony
Posted Image

Posted Image

#4 david i

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 03:50 PM

Would the Retromax be a representation of the third size of the Streamlined Standard and Streamlined Slender?
Please excuse the very poor image quality.
/Tony


Hi Tony,

I don't see why not Posted Image

-d





David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#5 parkercollector.com

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 04:52 PM


Would the Retromax be a representation of the third size of the Streamlined Standard and Streamlined Slender?
Please excuse the very poor image quality.
/Tony


Hi Tony,

I don't see why not Posted Image

-d






Have you seen the other colours of the Slender ones?
They are both Canadian. Having trouble completing the mini collection.
And now I need to look for the Retromax too!
It seems a Vac-collector's work is never done.Posted Image
/Tony


Posted Image

#6 david i

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 05:29 PM

Have you seen the other colours of the Slender ones?
They are both Canadian. Having trouble completing the mini collection.
And now I need to look for the Retromax too!
It seems a Vac-collector's work is never done.Posted Image
/Tony


Hi Tony.

Couple points.

First, I have several Streamlined Slender pens, or should that be "Streamlined Slender", reflecting collector-- rather than Parker-- nomenclature. Recollection is that all are Canadian. Stramlined Standard pens of course turn up from USA and Canada. Brown, Gray and Red come to mind. Not sure offhand on Green and Black.

Second, you put the gray "RetroMax" in an interesting context, generating a view of the pen quite different from mine. There is merit to both, but your view might represent a better way to integrate the pen into the Parker "bestiary".

The Overmax is a very weird crittter. It stands largely on its own. We've seen not so many of them, but ten pens, all 1940 (late date), all red, lend a certain solidity to the context for and concept of the pen. I can muddle things a bit in noting I believe I once saw what might be a Slender Over- Max (essentially a Senior with Max band), but the Overmax really stands alone as a late mutant Oversize.

I put my pen, least provocatively described as "Maxima with triple cap-bands", into the context of the Overmax, by pointing out its opposite characteristics and thus lumping it with the Overmax notion, by calling it an Anti Overmax or, for fun, Retromax.

Your integration of the model with the Parker line is less cutesy and connects it to a large family of similar and far better known pens. By invoking Streamline Standard, a sound collector name for uncatalogued Parker pens that essentially are Major with earlier style triple bands (a RetroMajor one might say) and by invoking Streamlined Slender-- a less often seen and possibly Canadian-only model that essentially is a Debutante with earlier style triple bands ( a RetroDeb one might say), you have put the drastically more scarce Silver Pearl "RetroMax" i cited, into a much better defined and better connected setting.

I do note that so far I've seen the pen only in Silver Pearl. I have one. I've seen another sometime somewhere (maybe on a pen board), and I don't know if that second one was yours (is this your first showing?). That all seem to be Silver Pearl (have you seen another color?) and that they are overwhelmingly rarer than any of the other "Streamlined X" family, leaves us with this pen still being more of an anomaly than the other late streamlined triple-band pens.

But, I do like the idea, even if it somewhat plays down the weirdness of the RetroMax, that it can be clustered descriptively quite well with Streamlined Standard and with Streamlined Standard by calling it... the Streamlined Oversize.

regards

David
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#7 david i

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 07:31 PM

Dear David,

Amazing information! I am so glad I am on this site! The translucence of the barrel is just breathtaking and the condition, well, only the best Posted Image

I have one question: I assume a two tone nib, and USA made; would the 4-5 that you have seen also have been Canadian manufacture?

Greg Minuskin
www.gregminuskin.com


Hi Greg,

All the OverMax pens I've seen are USA issue. Generally they've had two tone nibs. They've all had striped sections despite 1940 date code, keeping in mind that all Oversize pens from USA have matching section, but that Oversize ended around 1938. Maxima and other high line pens continued into the 2nd generation with matching sections, but that that feature ended in early 1939. The Overmax looks like an earlier Oversize, completed save for imprint and cap-band, that was finished a couple years after Oversize ended. Weird pen.

regards

David
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

Posted Image

#8 parkercollector.com

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Posted 01 January 2012 - 07:54 PM

The pens in my (poor) picture above are the five colours of Streamline Standards, three are US-made two are Canadian, one has a plain clip, one has a Parker clip (blue diamond style sans blue diamond), one US has a plain clip the two others have star clips. They are all dated second or third quarter 1939, while the black and brown Streamlined Slenders are both Canadian and dated second quarter 1940. I have never seen a Retromax, but I do have a silver Standard anomaly with a Standard cap and streamlined body, a "Majard"? And a dito grey peral Shadow wave, a "Juniard"?

Here's an image of the three styles, lockdowns at the bottom of each group, true Speedlines at the top and the anomalies in the middle. The anomalies are both dated second quarter 1939. Parts not interchangeable.

/Tony
Posted Image

Edited by parkercollector.com, 01 January 2012 - 09:51 PM.

Posted Image

#9 matt

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 12:55 AM

Tony,

What jumps out at me is the Christian Olsen mark on the anomalous Shadow Wave...

Matt

#10 david i

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 02:29 PM

Tony,

What jumps out at me is the Christian Olsen mark on the anomalous Shadow Wave...

Matt


Hi Matt,

The 1.5th generation pens are found with USA and with Canadian markings, and since (probably) the Danish export pens derive from these, having such markings crop up at least makes sense. On other hand, given how uncommon this pen variant is, to find one with uncommon C.O. markings adds some charm no doubt.

regards

david
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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#11 david i

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Posted 02 January 2012 - 02:36 PM

The pens in my (poor) picture above are the five colours of Streamline Standards, three are US-made two are Canadian, one has a plain clip, one has a Parker clip (blue diamond style sans blue diamond), one US has a plain clip the two others have star clips. They are all dated second or third quarter 1939, while the black and brown Streamlined Slenders are both Canadian and dated second quarter 1940. I have never seen a Retromax, but I do have a silver Standard anomaly with a Standard cap and streamlined body, a "Majard"? And a dito grey peral Shadow wave, a "Juniard"?

Here's an image of the three styles, lockdowns at the bottom of each group, true Speedlines at the top and the anomalies in the middle. The anomalies are both dated second quarter 1939. Parts not interchangeable.

/Tony



Hi Tony,

My bad. I had thought one of the pens in your photo earlier had been one of the RetroMax / Streamlined Oversize pens.

Note that the pen you describe, triple band streamlined barrel and earlier non-streamlined Vac Standard cap, has Standard not Major threads even though has shape of streamlined barrel. Note too that when these are found correct (as best as we can tell), the barrel length is intermediate between Standard and Major.

I have several of the high line pens and several of the Shadow Waves. Both can maintain their usual names (Standard is Standard, whether streamlined or chunky) and Junior is Junior similarly. I use "1.5th Generation" to modify name; we've had threads on this... I shall have to hunt them. Neat pens, which must be viewed carefully (size is not consistent with the frankenpen approach, which is to put a long blind cap on earlier pen, noting frankenpens won't have the proper 1939 date code)

Recollection is the barrel length difference on Shadow Wave leaves a full barrel-blindcap assembly length not too different from typical 2nd generation Shadow Wave. The high line triple band versions are markedly longer than Major or Standard though.

regards

david



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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#12 Diabolical_Engineer

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Posted 31 July 2016 - 11:22 PM

This pen and pencil set recently arrived from ebay. This seems to be a nice example of the Streamlined Oversize. The clarity is good, but not perfect. The imprint is still strong, with added "Marca Registrada" below the main imprint. Date code is for second quarter 1939

retromax





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