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Pentrace — Fountain Pens That Write

Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2026 Serving the fountain pen community since 2000 848 articles · 116 writers

Topic of the Week

The Parker Vacumatic

Oct. 31, 2026

Parker’s flagship from 1933 to 1948 hides a date code in its barrel imprint. Read it yourself, or let the Vacumatic Dater check every part of your pen against it — see the full guide.

Three Parker Vacumatics in Burgundy Pearl, burgundy and pink stripes with gold trim: a pencil, a large capped pen and a slimmer pen uncapped beside its three-ringed cap, on a white background
A Burgundy Pearl set, dated by the Vacumatic Dater: a big Oversize of late 1934, a slim pen of early 1934 and a pencil of spring 1936. (Photo: Donal Higgins, private collection)

  • History

    Pen Pioneers Cliff and Judy Lawrence - The Pen Fancier's Club

    In appreciation to pen pioneers Cliff and Judy Lawrence, Founders of The Pen Fancier’s Club.

    Len Provisor · Oct. 17, 2026 · 7 min read

  • Reference Pages

    Montblanc 149 Feed Question

    A question from Robert Arief on the Pentrace Message Board led me to investigate whether my own 1990's Montblanc 149 has an ebonite or plastic feed.

    Donal Higgins · Sept. 28, 2026 · 3 min read

  • Pen Identification

    The Origin of the Duofold Name

    I'm sure many of you are tired of the seemingly endless discussion about the origins of the Duofold name.

    Tim Barker · Sept. 25, 2026 · 6 min read

  • History

    History of the Parker Aztec Fountain Pen

    The pen commonly called “the Aztec” would never have been created were it not for the youthful ambition of a young man to visit the Wild West of America in the twilight days of western America discovery and settlement.

    Len Provisor · Aug. 29, 2026 · 3 min read

New on Pentrace

  • Reference Pages

    How to Read a Parker Vacumatic Imprint

    A Golden Pearl Vacumatic Maxima. Its barrel code dates it to July–September 1940, with the second-generation Speedline filler; its arrow clip, used until about 1937, is older than the rest of the pen.

    Donal Higgins · Oct. 22, 2026 · 21 min read

  • Review

    Review: Surrender! by Richard Binder

    Richard Binder follows the pens — and the people — through twelve surrender ceremonies, from a tent in Sicily in 1943 to a Hong Kong ballroom in 1945.

    Donal Higgins · Oct. 18, 2026 · 8 min read

  • Pen Identification

    Wahl-Eversharp prototype Snorkel-Piston filler

    One of my best flea market finds!

    Len Provisor · Oct. 10, 2026 · 3 min read

  • Videos

    Hannah's Favorite Fountain Pens

    The wait is finally over: Hannah Fry introduces Michael Stevens to her beloved fountain pen collection and the beautiful physics behind how fountain pens work.

    From The Rest Is Science podcast · Sept. 24, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min

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848 articlesBy 116 writers since 2000. The busiest year was 2003, with 215. Pick a year to read it as it happened.

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Len Provisor