This beautiful pen was missing from my life before I acquired it. Made between 1979 and 1982 the unusually short production run for this model makes the stately Parker 105 quite a rare beast.

Its rarity however does not take anything away from it, for me this Pen is like a slightly more extravagant British version of the solid Lamy 2000, made from a metal body coated in rolled gold in a very fetching “Bark” pattern this pen does look like an opulent twig from the gardens of some fantasy pleasure palace. The 105 also comes in a flighter finish (don’t all Parker’s since the 70’s get that treatment?) and a rare silver version. The 105 was also used to commemorate the Royal wedding of Charles and Diana – so some real royal pedigree with this one.

The 14 ct gold nib is a delight also, it is smooth, regal and made integral to the body of the pen.

Strictly a cartridge pen when it was first introduced, I suspect that you could put one of Parker’s converters in the pen, the nib is quite a lot smoother than a lot of Parker pens that I have used from the same Era, it really does have a special feel to it.

At 13.5 cm long capped this is not the largest pen in the world but it is long enough and wide enough, unlike the Parker 15 or Vector that can sometimes feel a little insubstantial in the hand.(depending on your hand)

This pen was born to be personalised and has a smooth name plate section on the barrel which you will often find engraved on the second hand market.

I have seen these pens for sale at £125 all the way up to £300 depending on the condition and where you look, I think they are a great addition to anyone who has a fixation with the Parker Pen company,

In Summary I like the Parker 105 a lot more than i thought I would, its surprisingly easy to live with if you dont mind a little bit of desktop bling and it does have a lot of features to love, I would certainly look to try one of these out if you love the Lamy 2000 but want to try a Vintage pen from another brand.