Parker T1 & Parker 50 Falcon

Parker T1 & Parker 50 Falcon

From the photo below, you can see the similarity between the Parker T1 versus the Parker 50, aka Parker Falcon. The Parker Falcon was produced from 1978-82.


- In the 1970s, Parker had a failed attempt at producing an all-titanium pen called the "T1", which was too expensive to manufacture due to the toughness of titanium.
- In 1978, Parker introduced the "50" Flighter model, which borrowed design cues from the T1 but was made of more affordable steel instead of titanium. It had a distinctive brushed steel finish and a unique nib design.
- The Falcon was very successful when it first launched in 1979, available as a fountain pen, ballpoint, or set, in a brushed steel Flighter finish.
- In 1980, Parker raised the prices on the Falcon line, and also introduced a matte black "50B/TX" version as well as a gold-filled "Signet" version in 1981 as part of their heritage collection.
- The gold Signet version was more expensive, with the fountain pen costing $125, the ballpoint $75, and a matching pencil also $75.
This provides a helpful overview of the development and variants of the Parker Falcon pen over the late 1970s and early 1980s.


From the information I gathered from the internet, in time for the Christmas season 1978 the Parker "50" Falcon appeared on the shelves. It borrowed many features from the predecessor Parker "T1" with one big difference: it was made of steel, not titanium. The Falcon was produced in the UK and US and was very much a pen of a particular time, the design is evocative of many things then and despite having a certain ageless elegance.
The Falcon appeared in the 1979 Parker catalogue it was offered in all steel Flighter. The fountain pen cost $25, the ball pen $15 or as a set for $40. The cap and body came in a brushed, stainless steel design with an electroplated 22k gold clip. It was offered in three nib sizes, Fine, Medium and Broad,

A Falcon in a Matte Black finish was also introduced referred to as the 50B or TX and a year later, in 1981, the Gold version, or Signet, was launched as a part of the heritage collection. It was referred to as "the luxury look of tapered 12k gold fill". Matching pencils were also offered. The last design to be offered was the Parker Falcon in Matte Brown but already in 1982 the Falcon had disappeared from the production catalogue.

Below photo showing the T1, The Matte Brown Falcon and the All steel Falcon. 

  • The caps and clips are very similar.
  • The Falcon 50 body is slightly longer, with a wide gold band where the hood and the barrel meet
  • The T1 has a thin gold ring instead
  • The T1 Titanium has a darker steel colour, not as bright and brillant as the Falcon.
  • The T1 Cap jewel is ruby red, while Falcon has no barrel jewel and just a sunken spot.
  • The T1 is much lighter in weight
  • http://vintagepen.blogspot.com/

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