Duofold

Duofold

The Parker Duofold "Big Red" is one of the quintessential vintage pens. It is possible that more words have been written about this pen and the later Parker 51 than any other. There are abundant advertising references, as Parker was a very heavy advertiser, and the Duofold was most successful, being one of the best selling pens for nearly a decade. This is the pen that made Parker one of the top tier manufacturers in the 1920s, along with Sheaffer, Wahl, Waterman, and Conklin. A Parker Duofold, especially a "Big Red," is one of the dozen or so pens that most collectors would place in a core fountain pen collection.The Parker Duofold was introduced in 1921 in a very unusual orange red hard rubber called "Chinese Lacquer Red." The majority of hard rubber pens being made at the time were all black, so the Duofold stood out. It was a very large pen, being 5 1/2 inches long capped and 6 7/8 posted and the large red pen quickly became known as "Big Red," the name it and all following large red Duofolds are known by to this day. The pen was offered with five nibs: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub.

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold

Duofold