Ballpoint technology was invented in the 1800s, but Uni-ball (originally the Masaki Pencil Manufacturing Company, founded in the late 19th century) didn’t produce its first ballpoint pen until 1959.

The second Parker pen to make this list; Arthur Conan Doyle favoured a Parker Duofold Classic. That’s right — Sherlock Holmes himself sprang from the nib of this model, and it was religiously used by ...