Parker 75 Sterling Silver Plain. This Parker 75 set has a fountain pen and mechanical pencil in a finish called “sterling silver plain” on Parker Pens Penography. I hadn’t noticed this finish before, and I couldn’t find photos online, so here we go.
The look is posh, elegant and formal. Mine was manufactured sometime between 1966 and 1970. It’s fun to think that in those same years the Rolling Stones were releasing Aftermath, Between the Buttons, Beggars Banquet and Let It Bleed. This pen set is for Mr. and Mrs. Robinson in The Graduate, not Benjamin.
And still, I’m totally into it. It’s a beautiful object, sleek and stylish. The un-ornamented sterling silver is simple and feels almost contemporary. Next to this plain sterling silver, the iconic 75 finish, sterling silver ciselé, looks much more traditional.
The plain sterling silver looks lighter and brighter. It’s shiny, but in a restrained way, because it’s sterling silver.
And here’s a nice touch: Because the smooth silver finish is liable to show scratches, fingerprints and tarnish, Parker provided two little pouches made of silver cloth.
My pencil and pen are filled and in use right now, but I love having them in their pouches. I’m sorry, it’s adorable.
The sterling silver ciselé 75 makes a good companion, and a good contrast.
The ciselé is crosshatched, which gives it texture. This grid makes the finish easy-care, with no polishing or special precautions needed, whereas I suspect the plain silver may need a light polish every now and then. The plain silver finish may pick up some marks of use over the years, too, just like the Kaweco AL-Sport in raw aluminum.
So even if the plain silver 75 were commonly available, it wouldn’t be for everyone. But it is for me. I wasn’t kidding that I am not interested in buying fountain pens these days. But when I saw this one, boom, interest.
Parker 75s are great user pens if you don’t mind a thinner pen, and the nib is a pleasure to use if you write like I do — quickly and without flex. A Parker 75 isn’t very expensive, either: in fact, the more common ciselé is a veritable bargain, and has always been one of my favorite pens. Now I will enjoy using them both.
Fountain Pen Follies 
I have two smooth sterling 75’s (one with a matching pencil). It is one of my favorite finishes and these are relatively uncommon. So congratulations on acquiring one.
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Very cool. I’ve never seen a 75 that isn’t cisele, so this was new to me. I love the Flighter style pens – have a 45 and a 50 in that style. Great stuff.
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Both are very nice looking. The cisele though is the one I have always loved. The cross hatching just appeals to me a little more. Congratulations on your new find!
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You have very good taste: the ciselé is the classic finish, and by far the most popular. I’ve owned 75s with other finishes in the past, but those never stuck, because I thought the ciselé was so much better. It’s a beauty.
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Cool pens, bro.
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Thanks!
But: sis. 😉 🙂
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Very classy. I like the mix of gold furniture with the sterling silver. But I’m not sure that this pen and pencil would have been listening to the Stones. More likely a nice string symphony, over a glass of sherry.
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Perhaps the tune should be the Andrew Oldham Orchestra version of Stones’ “The Last Time”? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKC5cdGBY04
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Honestly, the only time I like when an orchestra plays popular music is when the Chicago Symphony played “Chelsea Dagger,” the Blackhawks goal song, after the team won the Stanley Cup. 🙂
ETA: Three times. 🙂
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Yes, exactly. That’s what I was trying to say, but you said it better. 🙂
It’s interesting to look back with the benefit of hindsight. The 75 was designed to be a luxury product aimed at an older, more wealthy demographic, and to embody a higher-end, gracious-living ethos of quality and tradition. This was a time when popular culture was changing and becoming youth-oriented, and more messy and disruptive. Values seemed to be changing, for good and bad. The 75 was out of step with the changing times, and on purpose.
Going back to music, the next Stones record was Exile on Main Street — their masterpiece, in my opinion, and a steppingstone to punk rock. I’m a fan of the Clash and the Ramones, so by all rights this pen shouldn’t appeal to me — it wasn’t designed to. But I appreciate its anachronism. It’s a beautiful artifact of a different day, and a really well-crafted, high-quality pen. Also, I’m practically an old now myself, so…. 🙂
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