I have gotten real interested in Parker pens made by the their factory Industria Argentina...
I currently have 3 Parker 51s including a very very nice Flighter with the original box...
According to Richard Binder that pen is worth more than a US made Flighter.... no doubt because fewer were made...
I found the Argentine Flighter to be a bit heavier than it's US cousin, but still very well balanced and a beautiful writing pen...
So when the following came up on eBay, I just had to try to grab it and I did... for a very very nice price...
So here it is.... an Argentine 61 MkII Flighter.... with the original box and in fantastic condition.
The frosting is still almost perfect. What is real interesting is that these pens do not have an arrow on the hood. They have two small metal studs instead...
The hood is a very nice burgundy, different from the burgundy normally seen on US pens...
But the real surprise is the filling system.... this pen has an aerometric filler exactly like the Parker 51
I have never seen anything like this on a 61 before... I am, of course, familiar with the capillary and c/c fillers, but this must have been strictly an Industria Argentina design.
OH, and the nib on this pen..... an oblique... the nib alone is worth a lot more than I paid for the pen and box...
Here are the pics... I just could not get the pic of the cap markings to come out right for some reason... The markings are 61 Parker MkII 61 on the front and Industria Argentina with the Parker logo on the back
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Hi,

Great looking pen, I have seen a few with the studs instead of the arrow before, but never a proper Aerometric, nice looking nib, I quite like oblique nibs, so ling as they aren't too broad.

Nice find.

Andy

Very nice - I bet that nib is pretty nice. And, the studs at least look a lot more durable than the infamous arrow insert - mine kept falling out on my flighter, and I just decided to retire it.

Add a writing sample?

I have one, a blue 61, but it is really a disguised 51 as such. 51 style shell etc, but 61 markings
Bought it from the family at the London Pen Show about 10 years ago, just to have one.
Glad to have it, and like just about all of my pens - never written with it!

I'm not a fan of those studs - it would have looked much cleaner and better finished without them.

They are not as bad as the pics make them look... they are only about 3/64" diameter... and not raised up high

I would disagree regarding the valuation of these pens in comparison to US or UK-made examples. Although certain models of Argentine Parkers are equal in quality to their equivalents produced elsewhere, this is emphatically not the case with the 51s and 61s. The materials used are not as good and the fit and finish are clearly inferior to US and UK production. Many of these pens also carry Octanium rather than gold nibs. Although total Argentine production of Flighters is surely lower than the figures for the USA, production there did last much longer, and it appears that there are many more new old stock examples floating around.

They had access to the machinery so they made due. Sometimes with antiques it is the repaired or fixed version that is valued higher.
K

The fit and finish on all 4 of my Industria Argentina Parker 51s and this 61 pen equals that of any US or English pen I have and all have gold nibs....
I have to disagree with your statement that the materials are inferior based on the pens I have in hand.... I have had about 25 or more pass through my hands and have seen no measurable difference between the US made ones in fit or finish....
I also did not say that all of the Argentine pens are worth more... only what Richard told me about one particular Industria Argentina pen that I have...

I dunno. I don't like the dots, they seem a little out of place. If I didn't know what this is, I'd consider this some Chinese fake.

Let me tell you that they are not Chinese fakes. They are authentic Argentinean Parkers. I bought recently a Parker Falcon Flighter made in Argentina and quality is as good as my Parker Frontier Flighter made in UK. There are plenty of Argentinean Parker models sold everyday in Argentina through local auctions sites.





This pen couldn't be smoother. It is like painting with watercolours.

Tom / Max

what years would you say your pens were made?

Based on the logo (oval with arrow) I would be after 1960 when that logo was adopted by Parker...

Yeah, I know it's straight and good, it just doesn't look all right. Whatever, just my personal problem

The falcon is sooo neat

Well I got mine in 98 or 99 I think and it was not old new stock so I'd ping it to the 90's.

If more 61's had the aerometric filling system, I would have more of them. That is just my personal prejudice.

I think this 61 is a great find. I think the studs are unique, and the nib looks great.