1949 Parker Presidential 51

[pfriend]

Question for the experts here. I have this nice Presidential Parker from 1949 and it has been sitting in its original box for forty years. No ink in the pen, and it looks very clean. Should I get this pen serviced and if so, does anyone know where in Ontario, Canada I could get this pen/pencil set serviced? It is in excellent condition. Also, have any of these been auctioned in the past couple of years? Not interested in selling but curious about value. Last time I was on this forum, someone privately suggested that it might be worth $1,000. That seemed low for a solid gold pen. My searches have have not found any recent sales online or in auctions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ralfstc]

Hi,

 

Nice set! Probably does not need serviced, just a good flush like any other aero 51.

 

As for value, it depends who wants it! I expect somebody will be along soon to address that question . . .

 

Cheers,

 

Ralf

[Parker51]

My only suggestion in using it, is to take appropriate precautions, such as not taking it into the community on mass transit, or handling it over marble floors that are not covered by thick carpets. Oh, and always using clean gloves when writing with it.

[Hooker56]

pfriend,

 

Beautiful set...forty years...there must be a great story there. Would love to hear it!

 

Clayton

[FarmBoy]

Assuming all parts are properly marked (14K in the US, 9 or 18 in the UK) and there are no serious defects you should be able to get more than 1000 for the set.

 

I paid 1450 for the last set I purchased a year or so ago. I know of no transactions involving said pen in the recent past.

 

The trouble will be finding someone (other than me) that is willing to buy one should you decide to sell. There is less demand for the Presidential 14K smooth set than there would be for an Empire set as an example.

Farmboy

[pfriend]

Thanks for the replies so far. My grandfather gave it to me in the late 1970's. It is 14k solid gold and the pen is smooth. There are no scratches or dents or inscriptions. He did use the pen but kept it in excellent condition. I am not sure why he bought this set, but I am glad he did.

 

So I gather that I can leave it for another 40 years and there is no servicing necessary. That is good to know. For a 65 year old pen set, it looks nice and I dare not use it.

 

Does it matter which year the pen is from? What research I did makes me think that this was the first version of the Presidential. My grandfather bought this in Curacao (where Parker would test new pens because of the humid climate). Apparently my grandfather was proud of Eisenhauer signing the surrender of Germany with a Parker pen. The box still has the store label from Curacao on it. It probably cost $200 to $225 back then.

 

I estimate that there is about 1 ounce of 14k gold. I could be wrong though. Other markings on it is the Made in USA, and a 9 with a dot. That means 1949 and the dot mean in the first quarter of the year. That is all I know about the pen.

 

Cheers!

 

P

[FarmBoy]

I would need to go look to be sure but I recall the retail price was $225 in 1949.

A 9 and one dot is third quarter 1949.

 

Using the pen will not hurt it, just do as your grandfather did, treat it with respect.

FB

[Derivativemusic]

I would have thought *not* using the pen would be more likely to hurt it!

 

It would certainly hurt me, because the only reason I like Parker 51s is that I like writing with them. They are sort of cool too, but that's not the point for me.

[mitto]

See here for price and other relevant infirmation .

 

http://www.parker51.com/gpage.html

[stephenchin]

the last one I saw on eBay went for $1250 if I recall correctly. I think it might be hard to get a retail price like Ernesto's, without having a well established reputation on the internet as a dealer etc. They do come up from time to time.

 

The issue with using the solid gold 51's, is that they ding very easily. Even the gold filled ones, with the brass underneath ding easily.

 

Even though there are skilled repair people who can "remove" dings, in my experience, you can still tell.

 

I don't use my solid gold 51's on a daily basis and I encourage the OP, if he/she intends to keep the pen for sentimental reasons, to use it very carefully.

[FarmBoy]

the last one I saw on eBay went for $1250 if I recall correctly. I think it might be hard to get a retail price like Ernesto's, without having a well established reputation on the internet as a dealer etc. They do come up from time to time.

 

The issue with using the solid gold 51's, is that they ding very easily. Even the gold filled ones, with the brass underneath ding easily.

 

Even though there are skilled repair people who can "remove" dings, in my experience, you can still tell.

 

I don't use my solid gold 51's on a daily basis and I encourage the OP, if he/she intends to keep the pen for sentimental reasons, to use it very carefully.

I know who purchased that pen on eBay.

[kirchh]

Even though there are skilled repair people who can "remove" dings, in my experience, you can still tell.

 

Ouch.

[bsenn]

I know who purchased that pen on eBay.

Do you like it?

[FarmBoy]

Do you like it?

My last one did come from eBay as a single pen. If we are referring to the same pen, it worked out well.

[georges zaslavsky]

nice pen indeed

[stephenchin]

 

Ouch.

Let me make it very clear I was not referring to Daniel's work. Only to work that others have done for me, and that I have seen on offer (without attribution). Daniel has an extraordinary reputation for this work. I have not been fortunate enough to experience it myself.

[kirchh]

Let me make it very clear I was not referring to Daniel's work. Only to work that others have done for me, and that I have seen on offer (without attribution). Daniel has an extraordinary reputation for this work. I have not been fortunate enough to experience it myself.

 

No worries. I am always striving to improve my results in this domain. Outcomes do vary, depending on the initial state of the damaged piece.

 

--Daniel

[Arieut]

Wow what a great set! Congratulations

 

Aerometrics should work with a simple flush, provided the breather tube hasn't corroded over the years.