Parker 45 TX

The Parker 45 TX was made between 1979 and ended production in 1983 giving it a fairly short lifespan and at a time where Fountain Pen sales were falling. As a result not that many were produced making this pen a bit of a rarity. All were made at Parker’s Newhaven Factory in the UK.

Parker 45 TX

The defining characteristics of the 45TX are the dark blue epoxy painted over brass body with gold trim and a flattened conical disk on the end of the barrel to finish it off. Nibs should be 14k gold although like all of the 45 family these could be changed quickly and easily to suit the customers requirements.

Earliest ones have no date code (1979) which were made prior to their official release date in 1980. From 1980 onward they will usually have a date code on the cap.

Recommended Retail Price including VAT in Aug 1981 was £18.00 for the Fountain Pen
Recommended Retail Price including VAT in Aug 1981 was £8.00 for the Ball Point Pen

The Black Parker 45 “TX”

A matt black epoxy version of the 45 TX was made by Parker in the UK although it is extremely rare to find one with only a handful of pens made. The same basic pen as the blue one with gold trim but without the gold button on the end of the barrel. Although the original TX ended production in 1983, the black versions are usually dated much later (1994)

The UK Manufactured Black Parker 45 “TX”

The Parker Factory in Argentina also made a version of the 45 that used a similar epoxy coating in black and with a slightly raised conical end to the barrel instead of the gold button that is found on the UK made TX. The clip is also different, utilising the same arrow as found on the Parker 61 and the shell grip is usually slightly textured. Original nibs will be stamped “Parker Industria Argentina”.

Often referred to as a black TX although it was never given that designation by Parker and examples are quite rare, although not as rare as the UK Parker Newhaven made one.