What Makes Parker 51 So Great?

[WhoCares1537]

I'm relatively new to fountain pens and even when I do look at them I usually don't look at vintage. The only two Parkers I have in my possession are the Parker Sonnet and IM, both of which have written very well and I adore them both quite a bit(it should be noted that I managed to get the IM for twenty dollars). But that said, there doesn't seem to be much love for modern Parker, so I can really only assume they must have had one great past that they just can't seem to live up to. The 51 seems to be the most popular Parker collectible so what's so great about it? It doesn't look particularly nice, I'm not a huge fan of that style of nib. Is it solely because of the time it was made, it's just a good collectible? Or maybe it just writes really smooth?

[Huxley]

Hmmm.... I'll take a stab at this (though my experience is limited to three aeromatics; I have no experience with the vacumatic version). The Parker 51 aeromatic has an extremely robust and easy to use filling system - all three of mine came to me used and with no known service history and no evidence that they had been used in years. All three filled and wrote "out of the box" when I took ownership. All have provided years of faithful service since, without any servicing. The Parker 51 looks great, is perfectly balanced in the hand (my hands are average in size and I have relatively short, fat fingers!) when writing, the nibs (I have F, M, and B versions; the M was my first and I inherited it from my grandfather 23 years ago) are wet and smooth, there's little to no mess in use because the feed and most of the nib are shielded, and I love them to bits! Actually, my 10 year old now uses the fine point and the broad point versions while I have retained possession of my grandfather's medium point. He really wants my P61 Flighter GT with capillary filling... I think I've created a monster. Certainly a mini-me!

[lisadan]

I was wondering myself what makes the 51 such a desirable pen? I understand that during the long time it was produced, it was considered a very good pen, and can understand owning various versions of it from the collectors' point of view, however; there are so many newer good pens can probably compete with the 51's quality as a daily writer.

Personally, I prefer the cartridge/converter filling system which in my opinion, is superior to the vacumatic and aeromatic systems used by the 51, but I know it's a touchy issue for those who are interested in vintage pens. I don't own a 51 and have not used one because I can't afford one. The closest thing I have is a Parker 21. I rather buy a new good Parker or Sheaffer model, than pay several times more for a vintage 51.

I guess it all depends on the personal preference of each individual user/collector.

[Oslowe]

It's like when you see a great Frank Lloyd Wright 'Prarie' house in Oak Park, IL, surrounded by homes built after it in Steamboat Gothic Victorian. Like a house from another planet.

[lisadan]

It's like when you see a great Frank Lloyd Wright 'Prarie' house in Oak Park, IL, surrounded by homes built after it in Steamboat Gothic Victorian. Like a house from another planet.

 

[bsenn]

I started off feeling the same way. Parker 51 - meh. At some point I bought one, just because, for grins and giggles, what-the-heck. Hey, know what - Feels good, writes well, rock solid performance, restores real nice (whether aero or vac), polishes to the nth degree (if that's your thing), a few colors to choose from, a few caps to collect (if that's your thing). Add in Kullock parts, Sumgais, plenty of repair and restoration parts available, and a great support community (yes, for pens in general, but especially for 51's. Okay, and Esties too) and you've really got something.

 

Try it, you'll like it.

 

Brian

[WhoCares1537]

Hm, well I suppose my collection won't be complete without one. One of these days I'll have to hunt one down and try it for myself. They normally sell for around $150, give or take twenty or so dollars, correct? You would think with the pen being so popular, Parker would bring it back. It would've gone over better than their 5th Gen nonsense.

[Cryptos]

It's possible that the current popularity is in part due to its icon status. Re-releasing it now, in the same form, may not generate enough sales beyond the curious few.

[WhoCares1537]

It's possible that the current popularity is in part due to its icon status. Re-releasing it now, in the same form, may not generate enough sales beyond the curious few.

I'm not sure. Parker seems renowned as a company that makes luxury workhorse pens. The Sonnet for instance, though it writes very well, also looks classy and versatile enough to be seen in many situations from a board meeting to a desk. As long as they market the new 51 as such and not the new Montblanc, I think it would sell fairly well, and it would likely be curious enough to get many collectors to take a chance on it.

 

But of course I could be wrong. I certainly see your point.

[kbrede]

I don't have one but I remember my Grandfather had a pen with a similarly shaped nib. From time to time I would get his fountain pens out of the drawer and look at them.

 

That's why I want one, they remind me of my Grandfather. The same reason I sometimes shave with a straight razor.

 

Kent

[Huxley]

Just to note - the only one of the three P51's that I have that I paid for, I paid about $20 USD for in an antique shop in Cambridge, UK. Of the other two, one was a gift and the other I inherited from my mother's father. It's one of two pens that I'll never part with (the other is a 1936 Oversize Vacumatic that my paternal grandfather gave me a couple of years before he passed away.

 

In my opinion, a clean and functional P51 is worth every penny of the $75 to $200 that they go for today.

Edited January 20, 2015 by Huxley

[pajaro]

What makes the 51 aerometric model so great is that you could buy one back in the day and use it your whole life without restoring or repairing it, provided you didn't mess with it inordinately. My one bought new is still in daily use after almost 45 years, July 1970 to date. Others from 1948 on that I have still write unrestored.

 

The vacumatic is another story, and you might have to restore one of those every twenty years or so for a new diaphragm. What makes a lot of the vacs more expensive, depending on condition, is that there were fewer of the Vac 51s made. Smaller production makes for greater rarity and a higher price. Still, I think $150 is exorbitant, and I don't think that is the usual price . . .yet.

 

A factor worth considering is that a lot of modern pens are C/C pens, and the nib units and converters are easily replaced. So, the whole guts of the pen can be easily renewed, reflecting a philosophy of making a pen where the pen can be user serviced. This is not the case with the older pens, where replacing the working parts took skill. It's really a fortuitous thing that the 51 aero lasts so long.

 

I know that taste in pens has changed since the 51s were current production. So, it's OK for people to hate the 51 or to think it's ugly, because the design is 1930s streamline. Perhaps such people do not deserve such a great pen anyway.

[prighello]

I like them because the shape is really nice in the hand and for long writing sessions I don't tire as quickly. Plus they are very forgiving to noobs. They retain their value so if you buy one and don't like it you can sell it and probably not lose much if any money on the deal. Also, you can get them for well under $150 if you shop around and don't need a fancy model.

[NABodie]

I didn't like them particularly at first, bought one because of all the 51 talk. It was an ok pen but I sold it to finance a nice vacumatic because they look so cool with all the stripes. Ended up with another and did the same thing I'd done with the first, sold it off for another pen. Somewhere around the 3 or 4th it finally clicked what awesome pens they were. Leave one sit for months and it starts writing as soon as the nib touched the page. Or leave it uncapped, some for an hour at a time and it writes like you just pulled the cap off of it. The feel of it is super, the design is stellar. I have ALWAYS got at least one inked and there is always one with me when I head out to the office.

Edited January 20, 2015 by NABodie

[OcalaFlGuy]

There is only one pen that has permanent placement in museums of design in NY and London.

 

The 51.

 

Parker already makes pens in China. The Hero 100 is Very Close to a 51 inside. I thoroughly believe if Parker were to announce a joint venture with Hero to reintro the 51, they could bring a near clone in for around $75 retail. The Hero 100 has 14 k nibs and are very nice, even Without adding "for a Chinese pen." I think they were/are $35 at Todd's pens. I'd say 2x that would bring in a 51 clone. Let Parker source the materials and give the plans for the pen and Magic Frosty Cap Machine. Let the Chinese build them.

 

But I'm the nut that told Mr. Franklin he should try to be the pen to the White House.

 

Bruce in Ocala, Fl

Edited January 20, 2015 by OcalaFlGuy

[pennut]

For all the reasons mentioned I am a 51 fanatic!! I have about 35 of them and would never let even one of them go. Feels better in the hand than any other pen.

[______Zaphod_Beeblebrox]

There is only one pen that has permanent placement in museums of design in NY and London.

 

The 51.

 

It's not call MAD for no reason! (Museum of Art Design)

[Cryptos]

That they can be made is not really the question I think - I assume that can be made? The real question is will people buy them? Given the wide choice of pens in general, and the still buoyant market in vintage 51s - especially given the simple fact that these have historical value. As a comparison, how well are the new Skylines doing when ranked alongside their illustrious forebears?** The market today is surely different to what it was 50 years ago?

 

 

**not knocking them, just comparing and asking.

[jmarcoscp]

I think that the Parker 51 phenomenon occurs because the people that projected it didn't want to make something that was flashy and unusable. They wanted to make a pen that worked perfectly every time, with an understated elegance that important and serious people (like executives and other rich people, their main target at principle), who needed to ensure their reputation, would love. In short, this pen had (and has) a highly spread hype, and earned it by its beauty and quality. Still, i don't believe that it is the best pen in the world, far from that. The best pen in the world is the one that you feel you could write with forever, the one you feel is your twin soul. Ok, i admit that i exaggerated a little bit, but i think you got my train of thought. If you buy or test one (assuming that you pretend to do that), and think that it is your ideal pen, then congratulations. But if you think is just one more pen, you don't need to think that you are wrong, because it is your taste that matters for you, and nothing else.

 

PS: Sorry for my little monologue. I tend to speak as minimum as possible, but when somebody starts an topic about one of my interests, i lose control of my word filter .

[FLZapped]

Hm, well I suppose my collection won't be complete without one. One of these days I'll have to hunt one down and try it for myself. They normally sell for around $150, give or take twenty or so dollars, correct? You would think with the pen being so popular, Parker would bring it back. It would've gone over better than their 5th Gen nonsense.

They did, sorta, it was the 100....It was expansive and didn't sell well, plus the nib construction was such that it couldn't be taken apart, so your only recourse was to send it back to Parker.....although Richard Binder eventually figured out a way to disassemble them.