a Parker Vacumatic very similar to the standard size of the '40s but slightly longer.

Parker's yellow color introduced in 1927 on the Duofold line. The story is that the color came from a vase the Parker's found while travelling in the Orient. The color was not popular so is now scarce and more valuable than common colors.

a line of plastic lever-filling pens by the Moore Co. of Boston from 1929 through 1946.

the opposite of flexible in a nib - one that is rigid. Manifold nibs were popular for bookeeping and pressing through multiple copies.

The knob, which has to be turned in order to move the piston for filling the pen with ink.

Another of the many approaches to depressing a sac inside the barrel to fill a pen. A matchstick or a small rod attached to the cap was used through a small hole in the barrel. Some Weidlich pens used this device.

the large version of Parker's Vacumatic which replaced the earlier "Oversize Vacumatic." The O/S Vac had three cap bands while the Maxima had a single wide engraved band, and later, the blue diamond on the clip."

Clips that were mounted near the top of the cap to allow the pen to ride low in the pocket so a flap could be buttoned over it as required by military regulations. Sheaffer addressed this need in a novel and cost-cutting way by using their regular clip mounted upside down, then bending it over the top of the cap onto the other side.

a name first used by Parker in 1929 for their "Moderne" Black and Pearl Duofold. It was later used for the "Moderne" Green and Pearl Duofold as well."

Most commonly used to describe a line of Parker pastel pens from the late '20s with a fine lined pattern. Skylines with the striped cap and barrel are also sometimes referred to by this name.

A green, bronze and gold color pattern used for the Waterman Patrician.

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early hard rubber was available only in black and in red and therefore difficult to decorate or provide variation. One approach was to swirl the black and red together which is known as mottled. The term is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to ripple and woodgrain hard rubber patterns.