I was visiting my parents this weekend. My Father gave me his Parker "51" fountain pen and pencil set from the 1950's. They are cocoa in color. I am over this moon with this gift. The pen is an aeromatic filler. I can't find any kind of date information on the barrel.

I don't think he cleaned it before putting it away. However, I am afraid to play around with it. I plan on sending the set out to be cleaned, adjusted, whatever they need. But I am not looking forward to the wait

I just had to share my good fortune.

Congratulations. What a beautiful gift and nice thought.

Enjoy!

- Mark

Congratulations! A nice "legacy" from your father.
Being an Aero, chances are good that all the 51 needs is a flushing. You can do this yourself with very little real risk to the pen. That way, you don't need to be without it while it is being serviced.
In the unlikely event that the pen needs work (won't fill/ nib problems) you can send it to a restorer after you give it a try.

Best regards, greg

Congratulations!!!!

Filling with water and flushing it out several times may be all the restoration it needs!

Try it you may be pleasantly surprised.

Provided the pen was cleaned thoroughly before being put away and it worked when it was, it should be fine. Fill & flush a few times just to be sure. If all goes well, fuel it up and go for a scribble. If not, send it off to the workshop for a tinker.

An excellent present!

Any photos?

Thanks to all .

I am going to take the plunge, pun intended, and give the pen a good cleaning. It may take a couple of days though. I've got some doctors appointments coming up.

Now, are you ready for this . . . since I left on Sunday, my dad has located an Esterbrook, and TWO Parker "21's". Are the "21's" as useable as "51's"? I am short on time today and don't have a lot of time to research them.

Thanks for all the help!

I don't think I will be able to provide photos. I am on a dial up connection and the last time I tried it was impossible

Apart from some cracking problems on the body plastic, the "21" is as time-insensitive as the "51", if not moreso (slightly less fiddly insides) and they're darn good for "cut rate" pens. As suggested above-- try filling with water, and if it fills, it's likely ready to rhumba.

edited to append expression of envy. Free cool pens!

Parker '21's were student-level pens and from what I've read, their plastic is prone to cracking, as Ernst has said. Check for any cracks in the barrels and caps. If there are no cracks, try not to cause any more!! Don't post the caps and don't screw the barrels onto the sections too tightly. Some plastics are amazingly fragile.

Wow I'd be in heaven to have a any pen that my dad used! What a wonderful gift!

To add to what Shangas said, make sure you check for cracks on the hood. The two P21s that I've had both gave me inky fingers on the first fill.

Yes, the pen gods have been good to me

And I am very happy to get some vintage pens and to have information about their histories.

I haven't had a chance to flush the "51" yet, but I will post my results.

Also, I would like to thank all of you for the information. I appreciate it.

The Parker 21 was not made as a "student level pen"..... it was made as a less expensive alternative to the Parker 51...
This is from Richard Binder's Profile of the Parker 21
"Parker’s own “riposte” to the success of the “51” was to find ways of producing a less costly version, and in the years following World War II several such pens came out of Janesville. The first was the Parker “21”, a mass-market model introduced in 1948 at the then-remarkable price of only $5.00.[1] The “21” was a hit, and it rapidly took over more than 60% of Parker’s market in pens priced at $5.00 or more. "

Lucky you.... I would love to have a pen my father used in his school days, or my great grandfather.... sadly my dad has a wonderful ability to lose his pens, so he does not have any left.

My father told me they used to take their pens and throw them in the ceiling like a dart. Needless to say I haven't received any from him... and I sure haven't let him touch mine!