Despite the cap finial of the modern P51 really just being a single part, the stepped shape and 'jewel' insert somewhat recreates the look of the vintage. In MINT Condition. When uncapped, the modern Parker 51 (Left) is a bit shorter than its vintage counterpart! Absolutely! and the more uncommon Navy Grey. The cap jewel or clip screw, was made in black (while the Standard had a pearl coloured plastic)The "51" Special initially came in four colours, Green being a later fifth addition to the line. You may however quote No risk of accidental uncapping and an inky mess. From what I can tell, it does indeed look like the nibs are Parker's standard semi-tubular nibs (and feeds) that were used in the previous iterations of the IM, Vector, Jotter, and some other sub-100$ models. Parker date codes --

Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium to fine tipped nib. here are also examples of Demonstrators, a pen in all aspects like the ordinary Parker "51" but made in clear plastic, showing the workings inside the pen, primarely made for pen sellers. Small changes and improvements to the 51 continued almost annually from 1950 on with the major redesigns in the late 1960s with a streamlined Mark 2 followed by the final Mark 3 version in around 1975. In Absolute MINT Condition. Surprisingly, the roles are reversed when uncapped: here, the modern P51 is 4 mm shorter, coming in at just 12,3 cm (4.84"). The new 51 looks quite nice but I still think the original pen has cleaner lines. In MINT Condition. pens. In Near MINT Condition. Demonstrators in clear Lucite were made for dealer use, but not sold to the general public. The Demi pens were not made in this style. First-year examples, such as the pen above, had a number of distinctive features, including "jewels" at both the cap top and barrel end (more on first-years); from then through 1948, pens could be single- or double-jeweled -- though double-jewel pens postdating 1946 are very much the exception. Custom, Gold filled plain Lustraloy with GF clip and GF cap band Tan (aka Buckskin Beige). Secondly an imprint can be found on the top of the barrel, just under the cap clutch ring: Cordovan brown This transparent demonstrator reveals the fine-finned "collector" hidden under the 51's hood. Fitted with the original 14kt gold super smooth medium to fine tipped nib.

Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium tipped nib. Aerometric fill. To complicate things further there's also a MK I-B, a transitional Vacumatic filler with the new style non-blue diamond cap with a long clip. Read more about the great "51" in David and Mark Shepherds book "Parker 51". Mark I (1942-48), had the (late) Vacumatic filling system with a plastic plunger hidden behind a blind cap. No, thank you. Pens with breather tube problems will only fill to around 1/4 of their proper capacity, and with their reservoirs filled with air instead of ink, they will be prone to flooding and irregular ink flow. The brand is taking advantage of its customers. Parker also manufactured 51s in Canada and England, and later in Argentina. Parker 51 in Black with gold filled trim. Mustard (aka Yellowstone) There's really no excuse for not including a converter with a 90 pen, and then charging a ridiculous 8 to 10 extra euros for one. Exactly! In Absolute MINT Condition. This essay should help put to rest the persistent myth of Moholy-Nagy as the designer of the 51, restoring credit to the designing trio of Marlin Baker, Gaylen Sayler, and Milton Pickus. The sophistication of their design and the outstanding quality of the materials make these, in our opinion, the best pens ever made! Copyright 1995-2022 eBay Inc. All Rights Reserved. Our most popular vintage Parker 51 pen is this Aerometric Mk1 with the Classic steel cap or the Custom rolled gold cap and rounded end to the barrel as shown here. Fountain Pen and Ballpoint. $50-$75 is about right. The nib, then. Aerometric fill. Heirloom, all solid 14 k gold, two tone red/yellow lines Only the shape of the hood is slightly less pointy on the modern version (Right). The Aerometric filling system is shown below in an extract from an original ad, c. 1948. On both my vintage pens, the cap feels mushy and it's hard to tell if it clicked on properly or not. We sell, service and refurbish more of these Mk1 models than any other make or model of pen. Scarce USA Parker 51 Custom in Cocoa with Gold filled cap. In Near Mint Condition. Although it has often been repeated as fact that 51s bearing a "T"-prefix date code were assembled in Parker's Toronto plant, there are strong reasons to doubt this (full discussion here). Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium to fine tipped nib. The MK II can also be divided into MK II-A, with the longer clip cap, (identical to the MK I-B), the MK II-B with a shorter clip and MK II-C with an even shorter clip with fewer feathers and the "halo" logo on the cap. I have to agree, these pens are a modern homage to the original iconic 51. Oh, did I mention it's seriously overpriced? Aerometric fill. The metal 'jewel' finial is actually surprisingly historically correct, as the very first P51's came with an aluminum jewe! From the top: India Black, Cordovan Brown (aka Burgundy), Dove Grey, Cedar Blue, Nassau Green (aka Sage), Mustard (aka Yellowstone) and Tan (aka Buckskin Beige). It's a stiff nib with a noticeable amount of feedback (though not scratchy). Vacumatic 51s - with the filler under the blind cap at the end of the barrel - were in production in the USA from 1941-48, Above: Another Parker 51 Vacumatic in black with a coin silver cap and single jewel. Dove grey. Sterling hammered Silver (intro 1942) As it stands now, only the Deluxe version gets one as standard.

Some 1946 and 1947-dated 51s bear date codes with a "T" prefix, which has led to (incorrect) speculation that the "T" stood for "Toronto" -- even though such pens are all clearly marked "MADE IN U.S.A." In fact, the "T" surely denotes pens from Parker's new Janesville production line, set up to meet postwar demand in the former Townsend Tractor building.

As an aesthetic nod to the original design, a metal ring just below the threads mimics the original clutch ring of the vintage 51. Fountain Pen and Pencil. Despite both test pens having medium nibs, the 18k gold nib writes at least a solid half size wider than the steel one - the steel nib being more true to a western medium IMHO. In 1949 the Parker "51" Presidential was introduced in solid gold. Aerometric fill. here's also the rare button filled Parker "51" referred to as the Red Band, which was produced for a few months only from June 1946 until the end of 1947, and the Cartridge Filler Parker "51", produced 1958 until 1962. These anomalies are most likely the result of pens having been sent back to Parker for repair, and since there were no more old stock, vacumatic filler sections and bodies were made from later aerometric coloured stock. A number was chosen because it could be used in any country, obviating barriers of language. I have a several vintage P51s, vacuumatics and aeromatics and they are terrific pens. The screw-cap at least leaves that guessing work out of the equation, and you can be certain that it's always on securely. Aerometric fill. While you can find a slight hard start from time to time, it never really dries out over longer periods of time, and usually starts right up again. In MINT Condition. Cordovan brown It might become grounds for confusion, but In this article the Vacumatic filler will be referred to as the MK I, the Aerometric with the rounded end as the MK II, the aerometric with the plastic jeweled "61" style cap and squarish end as the MK III and the aerometric with the metal jeweled "61" style cap as the MK IV. Ink is drawn in to the pen by repeated pushing of a plunger at the end of the barrel. Specials also usually have caps that are polished bright rather than frosted, and a cap jewel that is black, not pearlescent (note, however, that late-production Specials from the 1960s resembled normal 51s, with frosty caps, pearl jewels, and gold nibs). PARKER 51 Special edition in Vista blue with Sterling Silver cap. custom, Gold filled with alternating 4 vertical lines and plain band, this is the most common GF design Not that I think cartridges or converters should be seen as a lesser option, as they remain a very accessible and practical option for everyday use. "MADE IN U.S.A. 50". Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium tipped nib. Works perfectly. Parker 51 Clutch Pencil in Black with Stainless cap. Dove grey Navy grey A collection of Parker "51" MKIII/IV in standard and uncommon colours. Aerometric fill. In late 1947 Parker in Newhaven, UK, started to produce Vacumatic filler Parker "51"'s, although no double jewelled pens were offered and the pens only came in the colours of India Black, Cedar Blue, Dove Grey and Cordovan Brown. All versions are being made both as vacumatic fillers and aerometric fillers with original Parker internal parts, so it's very hard to tell the difference. In 1949, the New Aero-metric Parker 51 was launched in the USA and described as a clear case of improving on perfection. For this reason we install fresh diaphragms in all Vac-fillers that we sell. Blue

Despite some people's criticism of the new nib not being true to the original design (Left), I don't think the old and new are that dissimilar from a visual perspective. Aerometric fill. Nor is it merely a triumph of styling -- though it has a place in the Museum of Modern Art's design collection, and Lazlo Moholy-Nagy found it worthy of praise -- for it is also one of the most robust and practical writing instruments ever made. Rant over. Why oh why would any pen designer put airholes under the finial, except to use a little less metal? Basic Parker 51 Aerometric Repair A fantastic collection of double-jewelled Vacumatic filler Parker "51" 's" with rare caps. $100 for a steel nib c/c is too much. RARE USA Parker 51 Aerometric Demonstrator Fountain Pen Clear Body and Cap model with gold filled trim. Those air holes under the finial are a killer for me, I'll never buy a Parker pen with these. In Absolute MINT Condition . In the event, even this projection proved to be a little pessimistic as 51s continue arriving here every month for their first service and sac replacement in 70 years! Top: the modern P51 takes a regular Parker converter, Bottom: a vintage P51 aerometric captured converter. The Full Demonstrator, with both the section, body and blind cap in clear plastic, was made from 1945, although most are dated 1947-1948. Almost all pens had to have moving parts (well, all until the Parker 61) to make the filling easy. The filling system was instead moved to the Parker 45, introduced in 1960. Scarce Parker 51 Custom Mark 2 SET in Teal Green with Gold fill caps. Forest Green. Green. In 1947 the arrow clip was simplified, eliminating the earlier Blue Diamond mark (for the simplified clip, see the image at the top of the page), and at the end of 1948 the filling system was changed from a multi-stroke pump (taken over from the From 1950 the single "year" digit on the body became 2 digits. Matching pencils and desk sets were offered throughout the 51's production run.

Parker 51 in Black with Stainless cap. This does not seem to have been a commercial success and was discontinued in 1963, Above: The 51 Aerometric Mk2 introduced in the late 1960s featured a 61 style cap with plastic jewel, a slightly shorter barrel with flattened rather than rounded end amongst a number of other differences. Importantly, the front shell and barrel were still made from lucite with the barrel threading being the same as on the Mk1, This is only intended to be a very brief overview of the key immediate visual features of the various 51 models to help with a quick initial identification. Designwise, Parker stayed pretty true to the original. The new filling system was initially advertised as the "Foto-Fill" filler, with the term "Aero-metric" applied to the pressure-equalizing venting system provided by the specially-designed sterling silver breather tube. Two Vacumatic filled Parker "51" in Dove Grey Twin Tassie Model. More precisely, it's inspired by the first generations of the Parker 51. This model, with many variations, was in production in the USA and UK from around 1948 to the late 1960s. The sectional view below comes from a Parker repair manual from 1947. Far too much. The 51 Special was a later addition to the line, an economy version without a gold nib and with a simplified Aerometric filler mechanism. The same year the additional logo with the arrow through a circle was added to the cap, aka the "halo" logo, while the Demi Parker "51" was discontinued. Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium to fine tipped nib. The small digit denotes the year of making for the barrel. The new clip was very similar to the early Vacumatic clips but was longer. At least in the condition that original vintage P51's are in at this point -often well-used throughout the years- I'm not a particularly big fan of how the clutch-style cap works. Aerometric fill. Images 2012 and courtesy of Tsachi Mitsenmacher. The barrel takes up all of that extra length, creating a different cap-to-body ratio. It also had the arrow clip with the blue diamond design previously added to the the Vacumatics in 1939. I think opinions in general have already become a bit more nuanced, showing that it certainly isn't all bad as some would suggest in the past. barrel, c. 1964. Sterling Silver with vertical lines with GF clip and chevron band, a cap band sporting a pattern of repeated chevrons, this is the most common silver cap. The caps have some interesting air holes embedded in the cap finials, but those don't seem to negatively affect the nib drying out all that much. Parker decided to discontinue the Blue Diamond on the clips. Grey In 1955, a matching 51 Jotter ballpoint was introduced, along with the so-called Liquid Lead pencil -- a nonretractable ballpoint using a graphite slurry. Aerometric 51s used a transparent synthetic sac that is extremely durable but prone to darkening (new replacements are available here. The Mark I Parker "51" came in seven colours: India Black This flexes a rubber diaphragm attached to the plunger with the partial vacuum drawing ink into the barrel. I also like the Parker 75 but I keep going back to one of my Parker 51 pens. The U.S. design patent for the Parker 51 was 116,097. Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium to fine tipped nib. Basic Parker 51 Aerometric Repair). Fitted with the original 14kt gold, super smooth medium tipped nib. The Parker 51 went into production in 1941, and remained a best-seller for decades thereafter. Other notable members of the 51 series were the Flighter (cap and barrel in stainless steel), Signet (gold filled cap and barrel), Heritage (solid 14K gold trim), Heirloom (solid 14K gold cap and trim), and Presidential (solid 14K gold cap and barrel; 9K and 18K versions in the UK). For those that do like a slightly longer pen, just like its vintage counterpart, the new P51 posts very securely and balanced.

Current Parker ballpoint refills fit the 51 Jotters, but the Liquid Lead refills (which reportedly never worked all that well) have long been unavailable. The gold nib is also noticeably smoother, with a more subtle hint of feedback. Parker 51 Fountain Pen | Midnight Blue Barrel with Chrome Trim | Fine wit Parker 51 Fountain Pen | Black Barrel with Chrome Trim | Fine with Black Parker 51 Fountain Pen | Teal Blue Barrel with Chrome Trim | Fine with Bl Something went wrong. The same was levelled at the previous S/E edition in 2002, well look what has happened to those models !! The barrel colours were: This pen was made of steel with GF trim and survided until 1960. The gold-nibbed Deluxe version is a slightly different beast though. Nassau Green (aka Sage) Smooth Finish with Chevron Cap Band. Burgundy The MKII pens of course had a brand new filling system that was to be adopted by virtually all Parkers in the future, the Aerometric. Some Notes on Repair of the Parker 51 -- Both transitional and blue diamond clips clips offered until 1948, while Parker cleaned out old stock. Another Parker "51" was also added to the series in 1950, the Parker "51" Special. Vintage and Modern Pen SpecialistsPO Box 295, Hexham NE46 9HS01434 683 162 (Mon-Fri 11am-4pm)orders@penhome.co.uk, The original Parker 51 pen was the biggest selling and probably most practical fountain pen ever made. I did get some hard starts now and then, but over the course of several days (weeks even), they'd never really dry out. From top to bottom: a Dove Grey 1946 Vac-filling 51 with sterling silver cap and Blue Diamond clip; a 1947 Vac-filling Demi in Cordovan; a Forest Green 1949 Aerometric Demi; a 1950 full-size Aerometric in Navy Grey; a Flighter with stainless steel cap and barrel and inlaid gold filled cap band, c. 1952; and an English-made Signet with gold-filled cap and The Parker "51" aerometrics: Black, Navy Grey, Teal Blue, Midnight Blue, Plum, Burgundy, Blood Red, Forest Green and Cocoa. Instead of the button operated rubber diaphragm filler, this new 51 came with a PVC pli-glass reservoir with a 30 year life expectancy - an astonishingly long life given that most pens then required a service every 5 years or so. For more on the origins of the 51, see the article by Zazove & Fultz in the Fall 2000 issue of The PENnant, now available online here. First, starting in 1943, the year of making was printed at the bottom of the tubular nib, but of course dating from the nib is inexact at best, as the nib is one of the most frequently replaced parts. In Absolute MINT Condition. Plum (aka Aubergine) The MKII type 2 pens were not produced in this colour In MINT Condition. Midnight Blue (aka Dark Blue) All Aerometric pens were single-jeweled. In Absolute MINT Unused condition in original Box. Market prices are significantly lower already and the Deluxe might be one of the cheapest gold nibbed pens you can get right now.Nice review and I agree, the new 51s are much better than their reputation.

Sitemap 0