Classic Pens LR5 Alaska 2001

by Jim Mamoulides, February 23, 2024

Classic Pens LR5 Alaska fountain pen 2001

Where Eagles Soar

The Classic Pens LR5 Alaska fountain pen is the fifth and final pen in the LR series collaboration between Paul Rossi and Andreas Lambrou. The scene cut and carved into the sterling silver cap and barrel overlay by Paul Rossi depicts a family of eagles with the cap overlay scene showing the male soaring in flight over a blue lake and against a blue sky with a mountain range in the background. The foreground shows tall trees and rocky shores lining the lake, with one tree dominating the view. The female, with two sleepy eaglets is shown at the nest, in an overlay scene on the barrel. The artwork is cut in a way to use the Lapis Lazuli Blue of the Parker Duofold Centennial pen as colorful background.

Classic Pens LR5 Alaska fountain pen 2001

The eagles depicted on the pen are probably Alaskan Bald Eagles, though color cannot be seen in the silver engraving. Bald Eagles are the largest bird of prey in Alaska and are easily identified by the white feathers on the head and tail. The name “bald” meant “white” when these birds were first seen by colonial Americans. Bald Eagles often build their nests in the same spot each year, usually high conifer trees and close to water, as their main diet is fish. This is reflected in the scene on the pen. As discussed in the description of the Classic Pens LR1 Eagle Chief, eagles were a favorite subject for Paul Rossi.

This pen completes the limited series Andreas Lambrou and Paul Rossi began developing in 2000 as the Classic Pens Lambrou Rossi LR collection. By the end that year, they decided on five designs. Each design is numbered, LR1 to LR5, and the collection debuted at the February, 2001 Los Angeles Pen Show.

The cap and barrel overlays are hallmarked 925 in an oval, indicating sterling silver, on the front near where the cap and barrel meet, and below the clip on the cap. The barrel overlay has Paul Rossi’s initials on either side of the hallmark. The back side of the barrel overlay is engraved with the edition number, as “No 9” for number nine.

Classic Pens LR5 Alaska fountain pen 2001

The base pen for LR5 Alaska is the Lapis Lazuli Blue Duofold Centennial, which was introduced in 1987 as a modern interpretation of the flattop Parker Duofold of the 1920s. Parker updated the pen in 1996 with several new design changes, favoring the streamlined Duofold design introduced in 1929. The changes included a new two tone 18 karat gold nib, a tapered cap top, a new cap top emblem, a single plated band on the nib section, two wide cap bands, a single plated barrel end trim band, and a shorter barrel end cap. Interestingly, this pen has the nib from the earlier Duofold Centennial, but I don’t know the story behind why. In addition to black, three new marbled cap and barrel colors were introduced, Jasper Red, Jade Green, and Lapis Lazuli Blue, made from acrylic resin.

I don’t know how many LR5 pens were actually made, but I recall the edition was to be a total of ten. This example is number 9, so it’s likely that ten were made. These pens are highly prized, and a complete set is very valuable. They are rarely available for purchase.

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References

Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Species Profile, Copyright © State of Alaska · Department of Fish and Game

Parker Duofold, by David Shepherd and Dan Zazove, 2006 Surrenden Pens Limited, Brighton, UK, pages 278, 316-319