What Did I Get Here?

[Sailor Kenshin]

At a thrift store...

 

These.

 

http://extras.ourpatioparty.com/files/9813/9731/7651/Thrift_Store_Pens-610w.jpg

 

What can you tell me about them, other 'n' the fact that the Duofold Jr. lacks a nib and the other one (unsure what model) looks like the feed doesn't really match up...maybe even the entire section....

 

Thanks. I really know very little about Parker, though I have another older Duofold Jr. awaiting restoration, and a Frontier I use now and then.

[icardoth]

Left pen is a Parker Striped Duofold from 1940-1948c. Have a look at http://parkercollector.com/duovac.html

 

The pen in the right is a Parker 51. The nib and feed should be inserted deeper in the section. The section seems to be somewhat warped, but a close examination will confirm that.

Edited April 12, 2014 by icardoth

[Ernst Bitterman]

The one on the right is a "51" or Super "21"-- I can't quite tell the colour of the point or the shape of the clip in this picture. Whichever it is, it looks like someone had managed to shrink the hood and drag the point and feed part-way clear.

[OcalaFlGuy]

The 51 looks like a gold nib to me. The cap also seems pretty decent at that angle. You will be amazed at how well the Vac trim cleans up.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

[Sailor Kenshin]

Thanks!

 

The section on the 'Super 21/51’ seems to be shaped. Unlike just about every 51 I have seen in pictures, or even the Hero 616s I have, which are not. It's smaller toward the nib and middle and fattens out toward the threads.

 

Did someone try to heat-shrink this? The feed just doesn't seem to fit and I don't want to force anything.

 

I dipped it in water and it still writes in a blue-black color.

[Florida Blue]

I think that black pen is a 21 Super rather then a 51. I'm basing this on the fact that the section is badly shrunk and the cap has no lip. The 21 Super was made from polystyrene rather then Lucite and was more susceptible to shrinking, especially the hood.

 

Also, that striped Duofold is not a Jr. size. The Jr. had two thin cap bands. Is the Striped Duofold a button or Vacumatic fill? If it's a button filler then it is probably a Lady Duofold.

 

You can probably get a new hood for the 21 pretty easily.

Edited April 12, 2014 by Florida Blue

[Sailor Kenshin]

I think that black pen is a 21 Super rather then a 51. I'm basing this on the fact that the section is badly shrunk and the cap has no lip. The 21 Super was made from polystyrene rather then Lucite and was more susceptible to shrinking, especially the hood.

 

Also, that striped Duofold is not a Jr. size. The Jr. had two thin cap bands. Is the Striped Duofold a button or Vacumatic fill? If it's a button filler then it is probably a Lady Duofold.

 

You can probably get a new hood for the 21 pretty easily.

I made a mistake calling the Duofold a Jr. There's no Jr. on the barrel, lol. Sorry! Yes, it's a button-filler. So that's a Lady Duofold? It is on the small side. Thanks!

[Florida Blue]

I made a mistake calling the Duofold a Jr. There's no Jr. on the barrel, lol. Sorry! Yes, it's a button-filler. So that's a Lady Duofold? It is on the small side. Thanks!

 

You're welcome!

 

Yes, a Lady Duofold would be a smaller pen and marketed to women. It's probably close in size to a Debutante or Sub-Debutante Vacumatic from the same era. Still they were good looking, high-quality pens.

[Sailor Kenshin]

Update!

 

I tried removing the hood of the Super 21. No way. Therefore, I just left it as is.

 

So I flushed it and refilled it with a mix of half Skrip Blue Black and half Skrip Turquoise. And it writes. Really really well. It just LOOKS ugly with that shrunken hood.

 

So? What woulda been a good price for both?

[pajaro]

The black pen is a Parker 51. A super 21 has a different, raised, clutch ring.

[Ernst Bitterman]

The black pen is a Parker 51. A super 21 has a different, raised, clutch ring.

 

Some did...

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Parker-0353.jpg

 

...but later ones didn't:

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Parker-0215.jpg

 

If the cap has a 45-style clip, then it's a Super 21. A 51 Special... um, should, I think... say so on its filler housing, and both had the Octanium point.

[Sailor Kenshin]

At a casual glance I can't tell the difference between clip styles. What do I look for?

[pajaro]

 

Some did...

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Parker-0353.jpg

 

...but later ones didn't:

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/Parker-0215.jpg

 

If the cap has a 45-style clip, then it's a Super 21. A 51 Special... um, should, I think... say so on its filler housing, and both had the Octanium point.

Or you might have a 51 saying " 51 SPECIAL" that has a 14K nib, Lustraloy cap and gray cap jewel.

 

I have seen quite a few 21s, never one like the gray one. That looks different from a 51 clutch ring anyway.

Edited April 18, 2014 by pajaro

[Florida Blue]

At a casual glance I can't tell the difference between clip styles. What do I look for?

 

The 51 arrow is much more detailed and is three dimensional. The 21 Super and 45 clip has the detail stamped into the clip. Also, a 21 Super doesn't have a pearl or black cap jewel. The jewels on the 21 Super are either convex or concave steel.

 

 

If the cap has a 45-style clip, then it's a Super 21. A 51 Special... um, should, I think... say so on its filler housing, and both had the Octanium point.

 

Or you might have a 51 saying " 51 SPECIAL" that has a 14K nib, Lustraloy cap and gray cap jewel.

 

That's true. In 1957, Parker discontinued the 51 Special and replaced it with the 51 "Standard." Originally, the features were exactly the same, but in the early 1960s they changed the polished steel cap to a Lustraloy cap. In the mid 1960s, they gave it a 14k gold nib and pearl cap jewel, but it still retained the open hoop filler with "51 Special" etched on it all that time.

 

I still think the OPs pen is a 21 Super though.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Florida Blue

[Sailor Kenshin]

I think you are correct.

[Mike 59]

Hi, Here is a '51' for comparison, the clip has a more detailed arrow and 'feathers'.

Also there is a band around the lower edge of the cap, as mentioned in the posts above.

This one has the Aerometric filler, nib is 14K broad, with 'Made in England' on the cap, and the date of manufacture is around 1959-1962-ish I have been told.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Mike 59

[betweenthelens]

Nice finds!

[Scribblesoften]

As Ernst said, the model name is usually found on the filler housing. Could you post a picture of the pen with the barrel removed showing the filling mechanism?

[Ernst Bitterman]

Or you might have a 51 saying " 51 SPECIAL" that has a 14K nib, Lustraloy cap and gray cap jewel.

 

I have seen quite a few 21s, never one like the gray one. That looks different from a 51 clutch ring anyway.

 

I was a little nonplussed the first time I ran into one, too, so I questioned it aloud here and was told it was the norm for the later Super 21. I've seen a few since (not being a great pursuer of the 21, and few people seeking service for them), and it is consistent. You're right that it's not quite the same spec as the 51, as it is more recessed into the joint.

Edited April 19, 2014 by Ernst Bitterman

[Florida Blue]

 

I was a little nonplussed the first time I ran into one, too, so I questioned it aloud here and was told it was the norm for the later Super 21. I've seen a few since (not being a great pursuer of the 21, and few people seeking service for them), and it is consistent. You're right that it's not quite the same spec as the 51, as it is more recessed into the joint.

 

My 21 Super was one of the NOS 21s from the great Peyton Street Pens horde and it has the recessed clutch ring and an indented cap jewel. I believe these were mid 1960s 21 Supers.