Do 51's all come with gold nibs? Difference in comparison with the 21?

I am new at this so please bare with me.

Thanks

Not all. The "51" Special often has a steel nib, but they are very good ones.

Here are some sites with additional info, or you can look through the older posts here for a lot of info:

http://www.parker51.com/

http://www.richardspens.com/ (go to the left column and look under "Reference" then Parker "51".

Thanks for the info, I will bid for a 51, lusteroy gold nib, I notice that on the e bay the prices range between 30 to 55 US dollars for fairly good specimens. Seem a reasonable price to you? I'm really keen on getting a nice model with a smooth write, I don't want to be surprised again with a pen possessing a scratchy experience (like my newly acquired streamline duofold off e-bay, 14 k m nib, go figure)!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for your advice

Dan

Parker "51" nibs are very good, but I'm afraid that when you buy an old pen you can never be *sure* of a smooth writer. Nibs can get damaged, and much more probably the tines can get out of alignment, as wimg explained. This can happen to pens of any age, and you can easily find a brand new pen with the tines misaligned. Some people don't even regard this as any big deal, even with very expensive new pens.

If you buy from a known good seller, either a hobbyist or a professional, you can ask how a pen writes, and expect to get quite nuanced answers. From ebay, it's a casino.

All that said, I think many people, including those who (perfectly correctly) regard the "51" as one of the greatest pens ever made, would say that they don't typically have the very smoothest nibs. Which is not to say they are scratchy, but they're not the butteriest, either. Nibs also get smoother the broader they are, and the wetter they write.

But the prices you're seeing on "51"s sound OK to me, and I'd suggest you go ahead.

Good luck

Michael

Dan,

Michael is correct about ebay having some risks. I have bought a dozen or so "51"s on ebay, and I think 9-10 of them wrote very well. The other few needed some work on the nibs.

One compromise you can do on ebay is to buy from recognized pen merchants who sell there. You are much more likely to get a very good pen. Look at their other items for sale and previous items; you can see that some only restore and sell pens and have sold hundreds. You will pay a little more, and won't get a real bargain, but is often cheaper than buying from a non-ebay professional pen seller. Parker "51"s also come up on the Marketplace here on FPN from time to time as well. That's another good place to get a good quality "51".

My limited experience does show that a good quality but not perfect run of the mill Parker "51" usually sells for between $30-50 on ebay. Certain colors and types go for more.

Good luck!

Ron

Parker "51"s are popular pens, so the question of where to buy one comes up frequently. Here's a quote from an earlier thread by Amin. He lists off some good sources of used, but reconditioned "51"s. Good luck!

TMann
A fellow "51" fan...

Thanks to all of you for sharing your experience with me. I have my mind made up and will go for it (sounds like I'm going to buy a house!). I am not sure this is common, but the gentlemen that sold me the duofold over the e-bay has sent me a 51 to try out (after he had heard that I was not satisfied with the nib of the duofold), if I like it I will come to an arrangement with him, send him back the duofold or something similar. That is really great service if you ask me!!!

Thanks to all and warm regards

Daniel