Parker 51; Why Not Bring It Back?

[Desert Rider]

Newbie here, and I haven't posted much. But....I've been wondering for a while, why Parker doesn't re-issue the 51. Perhaps update it (blaspheme?), or keep it as it was.

It's such an iconic pen I don't see any downside to re-issuing a modernized version, keeping it stylistically retro and using today's materials and technology.

My dad had one or two back in the day and he gave me one, but of course it's long gone.

Thanks for your responses.

 

Lamy Safari

Sheaffer 300

Monteverde Invincia

[mitto]

A 'modernised' version of the 51 would not be a 51 even if they call/name it so. We need the real thing with the same materials and attire. We saw the fate of 51 SE model. Didn't we?

[pajaro]

If they issue a new "51" it will cost more than a NOS 51. There are plenty of Parker 51s in the marketplace. The originals are less costly than a reissue, which would not be the same pen at all. It would likely be a C/C pen with about the same performance as a Sonnet. Why bother?

[Desert Rider]

Got it. I can see the differences between an original, and a remake. Just wondered since there are so many pens on the market and there's a huge demand for the 51, that a re-issue could be successful. But I also understand that collectors wouldn't give it the same respect as the original.

Thanks for your responses.

[mitto]

If they issue a new "51" it will cost more than a NOS 51. There are plenty of Parker 51s in the marketplace. The originals are less costly than a reissue, which would not be the same pen at all. It would likely be a C/C pen with about the same performance as a Sonnet. Why bother?

+1

 

Just like they did with the modern Duofolds.

[Mangrove Jack]

Hero makes a copy. I have one which is more the size of a 61 which works well.

[icardoth]

Moreover, fountain pen users are a niche nowadays.

[Charles Rice]

Why not bring back the 1957 Chevy? How about the Zenith B&W TV. The list goes on. You start asking for the manufacturers to bring back your favorites, and they'll never have time to make the things that make them money. Besides, we all want something else brought back. Me, I want the Waterman Patrician of 1930. (Yup, and in exactly its original form)

 

Oh, and toss in the Targa for good measure.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Charles Rice

[mirosc]

there's a huge demand for the 51

 

not really, only among fountain pen enthusiasts - and they put their money where the real 51 can be found (not some imitation). And I outside of this target group I don't think there's too much love for this design these days. Modern pens tend to be fatter, bigger and overall different. As classic as the 51 is, it's still obvious that it's from another era.

[pensuponpens]

I recall that some years back this issue came up and the answer was simply that the cost of making the 51 these days would make it prohibitive. Parker did come out with the 51ish 100 for a few years, but it was not a commercial or artistic success, as it is at best a finicky writer. It may look like a bloated 51, but it sure doesn't write like one.

[Sasha Royale]

The contemporary fountain is "jewelry". Fountain pen enthusiasts appreciate "plain-looking" the Parker 51 as a superb tool of writing. There were between twenty and fifty million made. They are not difficult to find. I have no need for a "modern" Parker 51. The "modern" pen buyers would not be attracted to the utility of the traditional P51.

 

A non-FP example: Contemporary consumers think a Rolex watch is a big, gaudy, "everybody-look-at-me" monster. THIS is a precision time-piece that is a Rolex watch.

 

[Flounder]

The old 51s were made by an army of skilled machinists. The labour costs would be pretty steep, even assuming there was a ready market.

[Florida Blue]

As mitto mentioned, Parker released a modern recreation of the 51 as a special edition in 2002. It used injection modeled plastics and had a nib and feed similar to the one used on the MK1 Parker 21. It was a cartridge/converter filler.

 

Unfortunately, the pen retailed in the $300 range and the plastics had cracking issues. It got a mixed response from collectors.

 

As Flounder said, the cost of making a modern 51 would be cost prohibitive since the original plastics parts were made by hand on a lathe (to pretty exacting standards).

 

Personally, I like the modern Duofolds though, and I own a black International version.

[Buzz_130]

If Parker spent the time to update the "51" with a modern components, I'd definitely be interested in the product. I love my two dozen "51"s, and they are workhorses for my day-to-day writing. The problem would be the comparison to the original - the challenge would be to make the release enough like the original's best characteristics while providing an update worth spending money on.

 

I could use a car metaphor here. I love my Mustang, but I can also point out many years where the design (and execution) were simply terrible. But this production car (which also took some inspiration from the legendary P-51 Mustang) has a new revival with classic looks, engines that match different parts of the world's expectations, and new materials that makes the brand exciting. I'll keep my '09 for now, but I'm definitely interested in how the new body shapes up.

 

The "51" could have a similar revival.

 

Buzz

[Mangrove Jack]

There will probably be insufficient sales of the pen to make the effort worthwhile. Most people use non-fountain pens these days. When the 51 came out almost everyone used fountain pens.

[Flounder]

There will probably be insufficient sales of the pen to make the effort worthwhile. Most people use non-fountain pens these days. When the 51 came out almost everyone used fountain pens.

 

You know what I'd like to see? A special edition P51 ballpoint. That shouldn't be too difficult to knock up. Throw in a blue diamond clip to make it stand out a little from the old one, and the rest of the modern line-up. With a cleaner, more modern look than the slightly-stuffy Duofold ballpoints, I see that doing okay.

Edited February 13, 2016 by Flounder

[dcwaites]

The Parker 51 was mostly hand tooled. The barrel, hood and collector were all hand-cut on lathes. One of the features of the 51 is that the fins on the collector are much finer than in any modern pen. As well the assembly of the nib, feed, collector and hood onto the body of the pen has to be done very precisely, by hand.

 

You could do it now, after training up a skilled and highly motivated (and therefore expensive) workforce, or with a chain of modern robots, but the investment in either would be very high. You would be paying very high prices, possibly well over $1000. And the demand across the world would have to be high enough to keep the price down to that level.

[Freddy]

Ain't gonna happen....nor is silver coin....

 

Deja vu....

 

Fred

 

All the Lottery as you know goes to education

 

So the kids will be smart enough not to play

the Lottery....

[Desert Rider]

I could use a car metaphor here. I love my Mustang, but I can also point out many years where the design (and execution) were simply terrible. But this production car (which also took some inspiration from the legendary P-51 Mustang) has a new revival with classic looks, engines that match different parts of the world's expectations, and new materials that makes the brand exciting. I'll keep my '09 for now, but I'm definitely interested in how the new body shapes up.

The "51" could have a similar revival.

Buzz

 

Exactly.

I was thinking about the car comparison, after reading a few comments. It would be like Mercedes re-issuing a replica 190SL and expecting folks to cough up top dollar for a newer version of an older car. The Mustang example works better, though. They kept the model up-to-date year by year, with a few years when they went off the rails. And the fountain pen market being a very niche market, as Icardoth noted. I still think it would be cool, if Parker could re-introduce it at a competive price.

[penrivers]

^{If they reissue it they don't need new materials, the original is perfect.}