After reading so many good things about Vacumatics and seeing so many photos of these fine-looking pens, I started to want one. Earlier in the week, while cruising eBay, I saw one up for sale and couldn't resist. It's a honey pearl, 3rd generation with the stacked coin cap band and a fine semi-flex nib. It's also the first pen I've bought that is older than me. I guess that's a good definition for vintage. So far, I've really enjoyed writing with it. I hope it doesn't develop any problems; I'm not sure what to watch out for. Anyway, I'm a bit excited about finally adding one of these to my collection and I thought I'd share.

That is one nice example of a vac

Oh Dear! I'm afraid that you're doomed now.

You'll find that there's no 12-step program for this particular addiction and that there are way too many of us to enable you for you to ever quit on your own.

And in case I didn't mention it, you have a very pretty vac there.

-john

A very nice first Vacumatic.... Congrats...
The only thing I would consider was when it last had the filler unit restored... if the pen was not sold as recently restored, I would seriously look into having it done... A filler unit will self destruct at the most inopportune time

Very Nice!

That is probably my favorite color for Vacumatics.

I would have loved to have a "51" made with that color body and a Gold cap.

Emjoy!

Thanks, everyone. Some of the body is darker than other parts. I guess that's what is meant by ambering. But it doesn't seem to have any brassing, so I guess I did pretty good. Are all Vacumatic nibs gold? This one just says "Parker USA 2." Can I get a ballpark figure of what this is worth? I'm just wondering if I got a reasonably good deal on eBay. This pen really is a pleasure to write with. I filled it with Levenger Cocoa, which is a close enough match to the body.

I can't speak for eBay as the only ones I've bought have been at antique stores.
I typically pay around $50 for them, as high as $90 for one with a Star Clip.
I am not the biggest fan of the Vac so I usually sell them to my restorer, who tells me that he can get $150+ for them, depending on model, rarity, and condition of course.

Being no expert I believe they all have gold nibs.

The stacked coin band is nice. Adds a fair bit to the value of the pen.

Golden Pearl is one of the more desired colors of vacs. I personally think it is about #4 of the colors. Usually Burgundy, Azure, and Emerald trump it, but I do think a clean version of Golden Pearl is very classy. Black and Silver tend to lag behind in popularity. Why, who knows, I have seen some killer Silver Pearls of late.

You may find that the differences in the barrel color are due to ink residue on the bore of the barrel. A good cleaning with a test tube brush while the diaphragm is being swapped out is what is called for. Additionally, the breather tube should be checked and the section flushed to ensure continued good performance. I had a pen the other night that I assumed the breather tube was good on. It filled nicely, and the next day it started choking on Noodlers FPN ink. That stuff flows like crazy so I knew it had to be the breather tube. Sure enough, popped out the section and there was a big ball of ink gunge stuck in the end of it. I have restored about 65-70 Vacs now, and usually check this. Missed it because I was busy rushing to finish the job. It pays to be thorough with these pens.

All true Vacumatic nibs were Gold. I second the advice Griz passed on. If you haven't restored the filler, it needs to be done. I do it as a matter of course on all the Vacs that come across my desk. Its a nice insurance policy against a ruined shirt or briefcase.

Cheers,
SG