parker 51's narrowing the field

[Sparky]

I am looking to narrow my field of collecting parker 51's and I am trying to narrow the field as to what the best years for me would be. My definition of best would be things that are somewhat affordable, and parker 51's that are durable.

 

My thought would be that Parker 51's that were made in the 60's might be the best bet because they are not old enough to be too expensive and hard to find. But I am not sure? Any opinions. Also I do have a preference for gold nibs.....

 

I appreciate some suggestions!

[OldGriz]

Now this is only my opinion as a non-Parker collector.

I would say that because of the popularity of the 51, year will not be as much of a deciding factor as variations in cap and color. There were some very interesting variations in the cap plating and engraving that can bring big bucks to the price...

Also with 2 different filling systems, you will see some price varitations... I have yet to see an Aero that needed sac replacement, even my 1948 is still as good at the day it was made... Vac fillers will cost more if they are still in working order or have been restored.

So to put it mildly, I would say your price points are going to be decided by; cap, color, condition.... and probably not so much by date code.

Of course if you find a 1946 Aero prototype with a gold filled cap for $25.00 don't tell Jim, he might gag on his morning coffee

[kissing]

Now this is only my opinion as a non-Parker collector.

Dont deny it

 

You have lots of Parkers

[Apollo]

Tom is a Sheaffer man true and blue, but we all know that Parker pens are a guilty pleasure for him.

[OldGriz]

Now this is only my opinion as a non-Parker collector.

Dont deny it

 

You have lots of Parkers

Not as many as I have Sheaffers

 

In fact at this point I only own 6 Parkers... and yes they are a guilty pleasure....

BUT, I only buy them when I can get the kind of deal that makes Jim choke on his coffee

[JimStrutton]

I am looking to narrow my field of collecting parker 51's and I am trying to narrow the field as to what the best years for me would be.  My definition of best would be things that are somewhat affordable, and parker 51's that are durable.

 

My thought would be that Parker 51's that were made in the 60's might be the best bet because they are not old enough to be too expensive and hard to find.  But I am not sure?  Any opinions.  Also I do have a preference for gold nibs.....

 

I appreciate some suggestions!

Sparky,

 

Good questions. My suggestions for what they are worth are that expense of buying "51"s roughly starts with the Double Jewel Vacs, nice ones can go for $500 plus, but I would expect a very special pen and cap at that money. Next most expensive are the Single Jewel Vacs, you can pay less than $50 shipped for a nice example, but expect to have to either pay for some work or do some yourself.

 

You can get a very nice Aero for around $50 or less, but expect to pay a lot more for the Flighter, especially a good example. Aeros are about the most robust, often needing no more than a good soaking/flushing to get them back into good writing order. You may find that the later versions are more expensive as fewer were made, whereas Aeros from the 50's are more plentiful.

 

Colours too can affect the price, with Black being almost the standard, followed by Cedar Blue, Grey and Cordovan. There are a far wider choice of caps in the Vacs that were made for the Aero, I really like the Silver examples.

 

All of the main stream "51"s have Gold nibs, except for the Special and even a few of them were either fitted with Gold or had them swapped. Common nibs are Fine and Medium, expect to pay more for a pen with rare nib type. However, UK made pens have wider nibs in general, the most common being a Medium, but they have a really big tip as a base for grinding.

 

Basically you pays you money and takes your choice and hope that Old Griz does not Snipe you on the Auction. He does not collect Parkers by the way, he just hordes them

 

Jim