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The Parker Pen Company was established by George Safford Parker in 1888 after he decided that the pens available at the time were not good enough. His philosophy right from the start was based on the premise that if you make a better pen, people will buy it. This has been the main aim of Parker ever since and the statement is as valid today as it was 125 years ago! 

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With the aid of an investment partner, W F Palmer, George set about developing a more reliable pen and the breakthrough came in 1894 with the invention of the Lucky Curve feed system which used capillary action to drain ink back into the barrel when the pen was not being used.

The invention and subsequent patents put Parker on the map as far as fountain pen production and it is fair to say that, over the years, they have been responsible for most of the innovations and developments that have moved the pen world forward. Innovative products like the Vacumatic filling system and the Aerometric system were copied and adapted by other manufacturers worldwide.

George Parker understood the power of market penetration and he worked hard to establish distribution partners throughout the world. His first new region was Scandinavia and this was quickly followed by the UK and South America.

The UK operation grew quickly with technical support and components from the US and quickly developed their own manufacturing facilities in Newhaven, Sussex.

The company continued to develop in the years between the wars and the Parker brand itself  became synonymous with Fountain Pens. It was as famous as the Hoover, the Xerox copier or the Kleenex tissue and the brand had become famous for style, innovation and reliability. It is hard to imagine how powerful the brand was 80 years ago, in today’s terms it would rival Apple and Microsoft – it really was that big!

George Parker died in 1937 but his legacy lived on and new products like the Parker 51, 61 and the ever popular Duofold range continued to keep the company at the forefront of the marketplace. Parker survived the transition into the world of Ball pens, unlike many others who fell by the wayside, and, now part of the BIC Group, they continue to produce high quality writing instruments from their factory in France.

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