What Colors Are The Most Valuable In The Parker 51?

[rizo]

The Parker 51 have many colors, but not all are equally valuable. What they are the most valuable and least valuable? Is that the more valuable the Plum but what about the others? For example, what it is more valuable the Nassau Green or Green Forest?

 

I want us to do a scale of all colors to leave the issue settled.

 

http://parkercollector.com/bilder/51--colour-collection.jpg

Edited November 23, 2015 by rizo

[ANM]

I am afraid you have just opened a can of worms.

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/can%20of%20worms_zpsv62kkrf2.jpg

 

Yes there are colors that are more uncommon than others and that affects value but it isn't easy to grade the value on color alone. P 51's came with many different caps. Some are common others are more collectible. A solid gold cap on a common color could be more valuable than an ordinary cap on a less common color. Jewels came in aluminum, silver and amber besides the regular color. A factor in value can be with the filling system. With the Vac, it might be aluminum or plastic. There were filling systems used besides the Aero too. Some people don't care for the Vac fillers so wouldn't buy them while others prefer the Vacs. Individual tastes determine the value person by person. There are some who would pay quite a bit for a Yellowstone while others would not want one at all.

 

Besides the colors you have listed, there were a lot of uncatalogued colors and those are more uncommon than even the most uncommon of the catalogued colors. Here is an example of an uncatalogued color with aluminum jewels and filler.

 

http://i262.photobucket.com/albums/ii101/matthewsno/DSCN0868_zpsdgkyp2yp.jpg

 

There are lots of other factors that affect value too. Condition is a factor. Year made is a factor. First year pens usually bring more that later ones. People sometimes are willing to pay more for a pen made during the year they were born. I might be willing to pay more for a Buckskin made in 1944, for example that would someone born in 1964.

 

There is controversy over just how rare is plum. Even though it was made only during one fiscal year, the color might have been so unpopular that most of them still survive in pretty good condition so that one color you would expect to be rare is not as rare as another uncommon color color that had a longer run but less of them survived to present day.

Edited November 23, 2015 by ANM

[dragos.mocanu]

Ironically, the most valuable colors now are the ones that didn't quite catch the attention of the general audience during the '40s-'50s; I'd say Buckskin, Mustard and Nassau for the Vac "51", Plum, Cocoa and Forest Green (the last two to a lesser extent than Plum) for the Aerometric "51"...humans are weird

Edited November 23, 2015 by Murky

[mmg122]

What makes the OP think that FPNers doing "a scale of all colors" will leave the issue settled?

 

I agree with ANM...value is in the eye of the buyer. Different strokes for different folks.

[Mauricio]

Perfectly said by ANM. In addition to all that criteria, the nib will also have an effect on its value. Most Parker 51s in the US came with XF and F nib. Factory original Mediums, Broads, and Stubs command a much higher value.

[jar]

To settle things, this is not only the most valuable color but the most valuable Parker "51" period.

 

a '41, "51" Sterling cap, aluminum jewels and filler.

http://www.fototime.com/8D0130FAF3257BF/large.jpg

It was my mom's.

[gregamckinney]

Well, if we wanted to do this in what I think is the spirit of what the OP intended, we could

* only include cataloged colors

* assume base caps for the period the colors were available

* assume a common F or M nib for pens

In other words, "all other things being equal, what colors are the most valuable...

ETA: that said, I agree that this thread will absolutely NOT leave the matter settled.

greg

Edited November 23, 2015 by gregamckinney

[mitto]

I prefer aerometric 51s and the colors I like the most are midnight blue , forest green , teal blue , navey blue and bloody Brit red. All other colors are acceptable too as long as the pen is a 51. As AMM said the nib sizes do matter. I have 51s with broad , medium and fine nibs. One of my 51s (1949), I suspect , has a stub nib. The medium and broad nibs are a real joy to write with. But my fine nibbed 51s are also very very smooth writers. I would buy any color 51 regardless of its color as long as the pen is in good condition or if the deal is a good one even if it is a part pen.

Edited November 23, 2015 by mitto

[rizo]

Thanks a lot to everybody, I am learning.

Really al is about than I have to ofert: One is a 51 Mk 2, black Aero fine nib good condición for About 90 dollars, or a 51 Mk2 (but older because I read That recomendthe special ink) with pencil included, good condition fine nib a both nassau green for About 145 dollars.

 

I am ownwe of a 51 mk2 un teal blue.

[rizo]

Any advice? Which One is best deal?

[ANM]

I don't think any Aero 51's were Nassau Green. That was a Vac color and usually fetch the higher prices.

[RalphP]

"I don't think any Aero 51's were Nassau Green. That was a Vac color and usually fetch the higher prices."

 

 

Many people believe that Nassau Green & Yellowstone were made in Aero 51s - for export markets. I doubt there is any catelog confirmation of this - but, they do seem to exist in very small numbers - & rather expensive when they are found.

 

There were also a number of other colors that were produced in small numbers & did not find their way into regular catalogs or advertisements.

 

In fact 1940's parts catalogs referenced "light red" for replacement barrels and shells and blind caps. Even stranger things may have come out of the repair department.

 

ralph prather

[rizo]

I don't think any Aero 51's were Nassau Green. That was a Vac color and usually fetch the higher prices.

I agree with you. I saw the 51 by a pic in internet and the colour looks like Nassau Green for me, but I asked to the seller and his answer is that really the color is like emerald green, and because of that I think maybe is Forest Green. I ask for new pics with better light.

 

The 51

 

http://fotos.subefotos.com/22ab2be8e442953ad1c3f3bb27d77582o.jpg

 

http://fotos.subefotos.com/68d4432b05bcfddcd8c2137ad9faa601o.jpg

Edited November 24, 2015 by rizo

[FarmBoy]

I've heard the 'nassau and yellowstone made for export only' story in many versions. This is the first I've heard it as the pens were made aero-fillers. Usually it is the SJ vac-fillers that were for export.

 

I've never found a SJ Nassau or Yellowstone pen outside of the US. I know of a fair number of both and none were found outside of the US that I recall. I have never seen an aero-barrel in Nassau or Yellowstone. The Navy Gray aero-filled pens are often stated to be Nassau as they are more common that most realize.

 

Pen above is a Navy Gray in my opinion

[pajaro]

I've heard the 'nassau and yellowstone made for export only' story in many versions. This is the first I've heard it as the pens were made aero-fillers. Usually it is the SJ vac-fillers that were for export.

 

I've never found a SJ Nassau or Yellowstone pen outside of the US. I know of a fair number of both and none were found outside of the US that I recall. I have never seen an aero-barrel in Nassau or Yellowstone. The Navy Gray aero-filled pens are often stated to be Nassau as they are more common that most realize.

 

Pen above is a Navy Gray in my opinion

 

So, the for export only stories are bogus. Well, that is good to know.

 

+1 on the pen above being navy gray. It is navy gray. I have seen a good many of the navy gray pens, but only a few nassau greens. The nassau greens are quite a bit different. Perhaps the poster will gain more experience like the rest of us have had to before we developed a good sense of the 51 colors.

 

I know the feeling. It must be green, a great rarity and one can put one's children through college with the proceeds. Until one tries to sell it, and marketplace reality materializes. Or until one presents it as a great rarity in a forum frequented by collectors who know the difference. Newbieitis.

[ANM]

"I don't think any Aero 51's were Nassau Green. That was a Vac color and usually fetch the higher prices."

 

 

Many people believe that Nassau Green & Yellowstone were made in Aero 51s - for export markets. I doubt there is any catelog confirmation of this - but, they do seem to exist in very small numbers - & rather expensive when they are found.

.

 

ralph prather

I think the misunderstanding about certain vac colors being made in Aero colors comes from misreading information like below which is talking about rare single jeweled vacs, NOT vac colors on aero 51's.

 

http://parker51.com/index.php/51s/51-versions/

In the case of Midnight Black, Dove Gray, Cedar Blue, and Cordovan Brown, the double jewel models are more desirable than the single jewel models. In the case of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green, the single jewel models are actually much rarer. This could be due to the fact that according to Parker internal literature of the time, the single jewel models of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green were available for export only. Of the single jewel models, the Buckskin Beige version is by far the hardest to locate.

[mitto]

Rizo, the pens look to be a bit discolored navey grey. And, I would advise you first buy a single FP 51. Afterward , you may go for the set(s).

[RalphP]

I think the misunderstanding about certain vac colors being made in Aero colors comes from misreading information like below which is talking about rare single jeweled vacs, NOT vac colors on aero 51's.

 

http://parker51.com/index.php/51s/51-versions/

In the case of Midnight Black, Dove Gray, Cedar Blue, and Cordovan Brown, the double jewel models are more desirable than the single jewel models. In the case of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green, the single jewel models are actually much rarer. This could be due to the fact that according to Parker internal literature of the time, the single jewel models of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green were available for export only. Of the single jewel models, the Buckskin Beige version is by far the hardest to locate.

 

 

My Bad! you are most correct & provide a short and to the point summary...

 

ralph

[KZ900]

Not to mention Vac pens in Aero Colors. Or the colors that some experts come up with explanations that sound credible. Like they no longer made a color and substituted a completely different color for the customer when work was needed to be done. I have heard that the Navy Grey parts replaced the Dove Gray ones because Dove was no longer made. If you put a Dove Grey blind cap on a Navy Grey it is not even close to the same color so I am not sure I accept this thought. Personally I think they made a few colors that were never advertised and they had that color available at the end of the Vac Pen line. Instead of trashing it they made some and never stamped them Parker. They may even have been made along the way and just sat in the warehouse. Then instead of trashing them they sent the parts to dealers at a good price and they could do what they wanted with them. The ones I have seen are a Brick Reddish color, A Navy Grey that is way more Green than Grey, and a strange Dark Plum Color. So I think runs of pens were made in small amounts with left over or colors that never got accepted during decision time. Or they were going to offer some new colors for the Vac line but decided to make the new Aero line instead. They would have been the Colors for the final year of the Vacumatics had they not gone to the Aerometric 51. Personally this is what I think happened.

I took a Navy Green that is way more Green than Grey to the Columbus Pen Show this year and got several different answers:

Two said they were non faded Nassau Green. Others said: teal, prototype green, battleship gray, sage, Navy Grey, and some foreign country only color. I do know it looks different in different lighting conditions. I have also seen Nassau Greens that were not even close to each other in color and shade.

Edited November 24, 2015 by KZ900

[rizo]

More of the set

 

http://fotos.subefotos.com/fc1dabe1589b2debc759cf92c6120c5do.jpg

 

http://fotos.subefotos.com/6f4016d5bd1d7e0d607049f9ba94b80fo.jpg

 

http://fotos.subefotos.com/92bf4dfe7a3bca1d1b4ba0e84c3dec99o.jpg

 

All the set is 112 $ .

 

Is a good deal for a set of "Forest Green" or"Navy grey? in this condition? Tell me, please.

Edited November 25, 2015 by rizo