Colors: The Parker Vacumatic

Colors: The Parker Vacumatic

The Many Hues of Parker: In August 1932, Parker announced the next generation in fountain pens, the Golden Arrow. The pens actually went into production in 1933; the name underwent rapid changes to Vacuum Filler and then to Vacumatic, and a legend was born. The Vacumatic line remained in Parker’s stable until about 1948; as best I can tell, Parker ceased using the Blue Diamond, which indicated a lifetime warranty, and ended production of the Vacumatic at the same time. Over the lifetime of the Vacumatic, a broad array of colors was available; but not all of the colors were offered at the same time. When the Vacumatic went on the market in 1933, the Standard line was offered in black, Burgundy Pearl, and Silver Pearl, while the Junior line was offered in black, marbled Grey or Burgundy, and Crystal. A the end, Vacumatics were available in Emerald Green Pearl, Azure Blue Pearl, Golden Pearl, and Silver Pearl. The information here is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative.

This article shows the striped “Pearl” colors, then the Junior colors (“Golden Web,” marbled, and Shadow Wave), and finally the black versions. Check out for Acrylic paint tips for beginners

In addition to the changes in the Vacumatic’s color palette, Parker also made changes in the pen’s design; for more information, including photographs of the external appearance of the Vacumatic, see Dating by Design Features: The Parker Vacumatic. A technical description of the Vacumatic filling system is given in Anatomy of a Fountain Pen II: The Vacumatic.

Striped Colors

Color

Name

Years

Emerald Green Pearl

Emerald Green Pearl

1935-1948

Azure Blue Pearl

1941-1948

Burgundy Pearl

1933-1941

Golden Pearl

1936-1948

Silver Pearl

1933-1948

Junior Colors

Color

Name

Years

Brown (“Golden Web”)

1936-1938

Gray

1934-1938

Green

1935-1938

Burgundy

1934-1938

Shadow Wave Black

1938-1939

Blacks

Color

Name

Years

Opaque Black

1934-1938

Black Visometer (early longitudinal striped)

1934

Crystal (completely transparent barrel)

1934-?

Laminated Black

1935-?

Black Visometer (later version)

1936-?

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