Did they make a sterling cap for the aero 51?
I saw a cap on eBay recently that looks like an aero arrow, but the pen with it was a vac filler. If the cap is indeed for an aero filler, is the clip sterling also, or silver plated steel?

Paul,

I know of several different silver (Ag) caps for 51s.

The most common is Sterling silver and has a chevron band at the bottom and a parallel lined pattern. These were Rhodium plated and almost always have some plating loss causing spots. They are also prone to denting since they are soft. These typically have a gold filled clip with the blue diamond.

There is a coin silver cap (also with Rh plating) and Au filled clips. If I remember correctly, these are distinguished from the above by a "missing" line in the pattern and no markings on the bottom edge. Same problems with condition as the above cap.

There are a number of different first year Sterling caps and all are considered rare. Hand hammered, Smooth sided and Sterling lined and marked cap. Never had the pleasure to own any of these but have seen one or two of the smooth sided ones.


The cap you show in the picture I would guess is Canadian in origin due to the different style clip. The clip on these caps was chrome plated. Same essentially as the first cap I mentioned. Same problems as the other caps.

Now that I've opened my mouth, the experts will let us both know what I've gotten wrong and what I've missed.

Nice seeing you a the PPPC!

Todd

Paul,

The only Silver Aero Cap I have seen is the Newhaven Rolled Silver cap that was made for only a few years. I have one on a Teal pen and with a Gold Plated clip, which is what I believe they all had.


Jim

Paul,

Should have done this yesterday (look at Ernesto's parker51.com) but I didn't think about it until now. The cap you picture is here along with all the ones I mentioned before and some I didn't.

Todd

What is rolled silver? Is it solid silver?

i but vaguely guess this is an earlier cap with later clip. the cap looks lined with deco-band at bottom. Very Vac-Fill pattern.

I don't insist.

d

Actually it's another cap I'm asking about.

What the heck is rolled silver ? Is it solid silver?

Rolled Silver or Rolled Gold are just other terms for Gold/Silver Filled as against Electroplated as I understand it, so you get a layer of precious metal sandwiched on top of the base metal, normally brass, of the cap.

This site might help Paul http://www.artisanplating.com/articles/goldfilled.html

Jim

Rolled siler is a layer of silver which is thicker than the standard silver plated.
It is thick enough to be engraved.
I have the following cap on an aero.

According to Griz, the silver caps are usually dented. That was certainly the case with one I bought on ebay and returned (the seller was cool about it - he hadn't seen the small dents).

I have three lined Sterling Silver capped "51"s and none are dented.
The rhodium is worn in spots (or more) on all of them.
But no dents.

I've seen (and have) gold filled caps with dents; both "51"s and "V.S."

You misquote me.... I said that denting can be a problem on most caps seen on eBay, that and loss of plating....
Finding a non dented cap on eBay is a treat, but expect to pay a premium for it...
The reason for seeing a lot more dented gold caps is the amount of gold caps made compared to the number of silver caps...
The silver caps were a premium item and I don't doubt better taken care of in general...

:|

Im not sure that the Silver caps were made in less volume than the gold filled ones. Maybe they were; but in terms of prices in 1941, the Gold caps retailed at $6.50, while the Silver was at $4.00.

But who really knows...

Here's a 51 w/ Sterling cap.
Is this cap original to the pen. I can't seem to find any like it. Though that could be due to my woeful lack of knowledge.
Thanks

It may be an original polished silver cap? What age is the pen

There is no date code. That I can find. It is marked Sterling.

So I wonder why did Parker stop making sterling caps?
That's what I'd like to get, a polished sterling cap. Dents and all, I think they are nice.

I think Parker made smooth sterling caps, but it had "Smooth Sterling" marked on it. Just going by my recollection seeing one that David I had. I believe it was not a common model when it came up in our discussion.

Alriel

It has vertical lines that are tough to pick up in the picture.
With the medium nib it has it writes very smoothly.
I see a lot with Fine or Extra Fine is medium that much harder to find?

I would guess that it is a lined cap that has been polished then, so not rare, but nice IMHO anyway.

As to nibs, most "51" Vacs seem to have F or XF nibs, M nibs are about, but harder to find. I have a couple of Vacs with generous M nibs, but only because I have swapped the nibs out with English Mediums that are far more plentiful, whereas in the UK F and XF nibs are rarer and harder to find.

Jim