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Is This Parker 51 Good For It's Price?


jmarcoscp

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I am new to the FPN, and i wanted to start a collection of vintage fountain pens buying one of the most iconic pens of history, a Parker 51. Then i saw one that i liked very much. I will not be posting ano photos (in part because i don't know how, and i want to respect the seller), but if somewone can help me, here is the link:

 

 

http://mostlyparker51.com/page2/page2.html

 

 

My goal is to know if this pen is a good one (for it's price) and the reputation of this seller by here. Since now i want to thank everyone who can help me starting another (addictive?) pleasurable hobby.

PS: The pen has the code P51VF-2498. It is a india black vacumatic with a gold filled cap.

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IMO, it's priced about $60-70 too high.

 

Check with FPNer Farmersmums. Search on the past classifieds with his nickname to see 51s he's sold.

 

I would think the same pen from him would be in the $90-110 area.

 

His pictures speak more than loudly enough for the quality of his work.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited by OcalaFlGuy
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Allow me to clarify.

 

There are X numbers of pen people who have more money than they do patience.

 

They are looking for X pen. And they want it in the mail to them Tomorrow. That is the market the restorer who keeps stock on hand and has a web presence is looking for.

 

There is to many people some $ value in being able to pick the pen they are looking for "off the shelf" and being done with it.

 

Perhaps the better statement would have been it's overpriced to someone who doesn't have to have it TODAY and is willing to be patient in finding the pen they want.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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Here is the same pen somewhat recently sold by our own Thomas Bickham.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Parker-51-Blue-Diamond-Vacumatic-GOLD-FILLED-CAP-RESTORED-amp-READY-TO-USE-/311187172779

 

Now remember he also has Fleabay fees to pay that Farmersmums doesn't.

 

Thomas is also a restorer whos widely known great reputation adds some $ to his close prices.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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After researching a little bit, i found this Parker 51 with a medium factory nib:

 

http://www.pensforever.com/produtos_detalhe.asp?id_Produto=3774&nomeproduto=PARKER+51+VACUMATIC+PRETA,+TAMPA+DOURADA,+RARA

 

( I cannot post photos of it, so i am posting the link. it is in Portuguese (BR), but i'm realy interested in the image analysis.)

 

It has a common cap, accordingly to Ernesto's site (http://www.parker51.com/PenCaps.3.html ,second one), but i never saw one of these.

 

It costs (aprox.) U$264,29 (based on the dolar quotation of 12/21/2014. is the price fair?

Sorry for bothering you, FPNers. I am just beginning, so i have a lot of doubts, and i hope to learn many things with your experience.

Edited by jmarcoscp
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I would encourage you to continue to shop around. $250+ for a black Vac 51 is significantly higher than I would pay for that (or almost any) pen.

 

If you are new to the vintage world and really want a 51, might I suggest you find a less expensive Aerometric model to begin with? Inexpensive examples are plentiful and even unrestored ones will usually come back to life with a simple water flush.

 

Just a thought...

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Watch the FPN Classifieds & ebay. Parker 51s can go for sub $100 USD, albeit mostly unrestored. If you keep an eye out, you can nab one sub $50 USD.

 

Peyton Street Pens carries several restored 51s for reasonable prices.

http://www.peytonstreetpens.com/parker/parker-51.html

Edited by NinthSphere
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Let me try to be clearer (and possibly blunter) than some other people have been so far.

 

If you are buying your first Parker 51, and you think you know so little that you ask perfect strangers on an Internet forum whether one particular pen is properly priced, do not even consider buying a 51 for more than $200. Not even more than $150.

 

For less than $100 you can buy, here at FPN, from the sellers Farmersmums and PenFisher, who have been mentioned above, a 51 in excellent condition for less than $100. That is as valuable a 51 as you need.

 

For knowledgeable collectors, one particular 51 may be fairly priced at several thousand dollars; for you, no. You need to know in your own bones and muscles what you are buying, and why. On the subject of Parker 51s, you don't know. Yet. Three years from now, you may know.

 

It is also true that there are restorers, with Web sites, who will sell you pens in predictably good condition, no waiting, and for you the price may be right.

 

My first purchase, when fountain pen madness set in, in 2002, was from Mike McConnell, of mostlyparker51 or whatever his site is called. In 2002 it was wetinc.com. He has a good reputation. I do not at all begrudge spending a little more money than I might have spent elsewhere. I was buying the pen to replace (in my mind) the pen my favorite aunt gave me for my birthday in 1949. Much-loved aunt, dead, gave me much-loved pen, wrote with it for 36 years, those are considerations worth some extra dollars. (And Mike McConnell himself can sell you 51s for rather less than $200.)

 

Want to buy a good Parker 51, have no experience of Parker 51s, think about spending less money.

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You've received some really good advice here, so it looks like it was very sensible idea to come and post looking for guidance.

 

The pleasure from a P51 will initially come from the writing experience, so you should not have to spend more than $125 to get an attractive restored and guaranteed example that will let you determine if it's a good pen for you.

 

Teri

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Hats off to the experts above.

 

A 51 under $100 bucks can give you an unimagined level of pleasure by just writing with it. It seems unbelievable how a pen 60-70 years old can feel so solid and write so prefectly. It happenned in my case.

Mohammad Salahuddin Ayubi

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Another vote for just shooting farmersmums a message and asking what he has. Great restorer and great guy with great prices.

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IIRC that I haven't seen it for sale, earlier this year Farmersmums and I split a Fleabay deal I found. I got a near NOS P21 Super and Ryan got an India Black Vac 51 with a Lustraloy cap. It was already in pretty nice shape BEFORE I sent it to him.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited by OcalaFlGuy
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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for being absent for all that time. I have really being engaged in the research and i have found this little bargain:

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-PARKER-Fountain-Pen-1946-VACUMATIC-51-w-First-Year-Cap-RESTORED-/361177159793?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5417d61871

 

By now, it had only 4 bids, and it has the value of only 10 dollars and fifty cents by now. Now there are only 6 days left, and i would like to know a few things, if someone is able to say:

 

1: How much reputable is thisol*house? (i know he is top rated, but since i've read some reviews of bad "top sellers" of ebay here, i'm a bit afraid. Your experience is valuable)

2: Is this pen a good one, or i should ask for more pictures

3: If he is a honest seller, and the pen isn't a "franken" one how much long i should extend the bidding (actually, i pretend to bid in the very end of the auction, but if it surpasses an reasonable value, i don't pretend to do that)?

 

Again, sorry for the long hiatus, and thank you for all the knowledge you passed.

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You aren't likely to find much better pics very often on Fleabay.

 

I've seen the seller a lot but never paid much attention.

 

That one's a hard one to call. Black isn't a Desirable color but that one is in very nice shape. Xtra points for the full gold wash clutch.

Plus it's supposedly been serviced.

 

It'd be easier to call if it weren't in such nice shape.

 

At least $85, probably 110-120. If I really wanted it, I'd go $140. I'd guess about a 80% chance it'd go for less than $140.

 

It's a better than most listing, He has 100% good feedback and no hassle returns. Your "risk" is minimal.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

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That missing 20%?

 

About 10-15% is because on any given day on Fleabay, Any Kind of craziness can happen.

 

Were it Cedar Blue, in that shape, it'd have an even wider possible swing.

 

[EDIT] That seller has some pretty cool pens actually.

 

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited by OcalaFlGuy
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Edit: of the 32 pens listed, 31 have bids on day one. That's not going to end well for people looking for a good deal methinks.

 

Just an observation. Nothing more...

Edited by Cryptos
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