MINIM

Two fabulous gold filled Minim, ca 1960.

To be able to fit a regular Jotter cartridge inside the pen, a new button-actuated mechanism was developed by Bieger where the button was situated partly on the side, rather than on the top of the pen. To eject the nib the button was pushed, and to retract it one touched the button on the side and a small feather pulled the nib back into the pen.
"Getting the springs to be effective in the minimal area allowed was the real challenge, but we worked it out in the model shop", Walter Biegel remembers.

Wally Bieger followed Rhoades and Doman's example and left Parker in 1959 to start his own industrial design studio. He was awarded some 30 patents after leaving Parker and about 400 of his designs came into production.

Special thanks to Francis Meinhardt and Graham Hogg.

Parker in the four solid colours of black, red, blue and grey, ca 1960.

Parker Minim in boxes.

Two prototype Parker Minim.
Top one with enamel in a fish scale pattern.
Under: a close-up of the top shell and unique mechanism.

A 1958 ad for the Parker Minim.

Shop order.

A selection of Parker Shop orders.