Jump to content

Parker 51 Honey Jewel Blue Diamond Cap - Help Id?


DoveGrey51

Recommended Posts

Hi everyone,

 

I picked up this gold-filled Parker 51 cap with a blue diamond and a honey jewel on a Parker 51 navy grey aerometric that needs work (so clearly the wrong cap as I was under the impression these were only on the early vacs?) - cap reads '1/10 16k Gold Filled Made in USA'. It has the four parallel lines and the spacing. I know it needs a bit of a clean, but other than that, it's in good condition. The jewel is slightly darker in reality, the pic makes it look a little lighter.

 

The pen itself has a nib which just reads 14 KR, and the barrel and hood are in good condition, but inside it needs everything re-done. It has the '6 times' inscription on the chrome. I'll try and have it repaired and find a more suitable cap for it!

 

I just wanted to ask when this gold cap dates from (I read all the information online but got very confused about 16k and the blue diamond honey jewel combo!), and what pen I should now be tracking down (I know a vac, but which time period?) to go with it ideally in your opinions? Are the honey jewels rare? I remember reading somewhere they were, but have no idea as very new to this. Can the cap be cleaned with a baking soda solution? Hugely appreciate any help.

 

Thanks!

 

post-136211-0-75054800-1492708118_thumb.jpeg

post-136211-0-62085700-1492708212_thumb.jpeg

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 15
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • DoveGrey51

    5

  • FarmBoy

    4

  • crescentfiller

    4

  • mitto

    2

Top Posters In This Topic

Posted Images

I have the same cap but with pearl jewel. The clip ring on mine is kind of higher and raised - double cartouche? (dont know the right term to use) compared to other caps on my vac 51s. I would be interested to know what 51 cap experts say about this cap.

Khan M. Ilyas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the same cap but with pearl jewel. The clip ring on mine is kind of higher and raised - double cartouche? (dont know the right term to use) compared to other caps on my vac 51s. I would be interested to know what 51 cap experts say about this cap.

 

Thanks! Yes, I'd like to know, too! Hopefully someone knows...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the same cap but with pearl jewel. The clip ring on mine is kind of higher and raised - double cartouche? (dont know the right term to use) compared to other caps on my vac 51s. I would be interested to know what 51 cap experts say about this cap.

 

Seems to be a mystery cap, then... anybody have any idea? Thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't read anything into the gold stamping and the jewel color. Best guess would be sometime between 1944 and 1947.

 

FB

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Don't read anything into the gold stamping and the jewel color. Best guess would be sometime between 1944 and 1947.

 

FB

 

Thanks very much!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, the honey jewel!

 

I am in search of a honey barrel/blind cap jewel for my favorite '51....

I have several NOS in a parts bag from Janseville. They are essentially crystallized and crumble when you look at them.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have several NOS in a parts bag from Janseville. They are essentially crystallized and crumble when you look at them.

 

I don't need a bagful, but I would like just one that you can still look at.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't need a bagful, but I would like just one that you can still look at.

I hear ya but unfortunately the ones I have are not usable. They were more of an interesting item than a repair part in the existing condition.

 

Blind cap jewels are a hard part to find, even harder than the correct 51 tassie.

 

T

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I hear ya but unfortunately the ones I have are not usable. They were more of an interesting item than a repair part in the existing condition.

 

Blind cap jewels are a hard part to find, even harder than the correct 51 tassie.

 

T

 

 

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean! I have an original shop-size box of petrified Conklin pencil erasers.

 

Todd, in the handful of '51s you've come across, have you noticed any pattern in regard to when (years) and where (colors) the honey jewels appear? The one I want to replace (broken in half) is on a Nassau Empire set. My Black Empire set from the same year has pearl jewels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Yeah, I know exactly what you mean! I have an original shop-size box of petrified Conklin pencil erasers.

 

Todd, in the handful of '51s you've come across, have you noticed any pattern in regard to when (years) and where (colors) the honey jewels appear? The one I want to replace (broken in half) is on a Nassau Empire set. My Black Empire set from the same year has pearl jewels.

There are some observations. I probed the collective and some of us (me) didn't really pay much attention early on so there is the potential for lost data but there are some trends. General consensus is they are intentional but no documentation has been revealed indicating why. Perhaps marketing had an idea or a war time materials issue.

 

Honey jewels seem to be found on gold caps only. They seem to be on pens from late 1944 and early 1945. The small sample size of DJ pens with honey jewels is they are all on cordovan colored pens.

 

This is only taking into account pens that we were fairly certain had not been messed with at some point.

 

Other data points would be welcome.

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

"Honey jewels seem to be found on gold caps only. They seem to be on pens from late 1944 and early 1945. The small sample size of DJ pens with honey jewels is they are all on cordovan colored pens.

This is only taking into account pens that we were fairly certain had not been messed with at some point."

Thanks. That's very interesting. My Empire Nassau DJ set was found in the wild and was definitely not messed with. How do I know? Well, I bought the set for $30 from a small shop that had just bought it from the original owner (the shop priced it; not me). Neither the original owner, nor the shop owner, knew the caps were 14K. Anyone swapping out jewels would have know what the set was, no? So, here is a Nassau set that almost certainly has original-to-the-set honey jewels. I will have to check the dates, but I want to say they are both 1946.

Oddly enough, I bought the Black set just about two weeks earlier, for the same price, but in another state. It has pearl jewels. So, here is a Nassau that almost certainly has original-to-the-set honey jewels.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are some observations. I probed the collective and some of us (me) didn't really pay much attention early on so there is the potential for lost data but there are some trends. General consensus is they are intentional but no documentation has been revealed indicating why. Perhaps marketing had an idea or a war time materials issue.

 

Honey jewels seem to be found on gold caps only. They seem to be on pens from late 1944 and early 1945. The small sample size of DJ pens with honey jewels is they are all on cordovan colored pens.

 

This is only taking into account pens that we were fairly certain had not been messed with at some point.

 

Other data points would be welcome.

 

Thank you, that's very interesting.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have almost 5-6 caps that have honey jewels and are mostly on aero caps exept one that is a 1945 cordovan vac. But I can't say the aero caps are not messed with. I myself have been replacing bad/shatterd jewels on good caps with good jewels from bad caps. So have now no idea what jewel was taken from what cap.

Khan M. Ilyas

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have the same cap on a 1945? Cedar Blue, but with a pearl tassie. Maybe it discolored like so many 51 Vac bodies?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now


  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33494
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26624
    5. jar
      jar
      26101
  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o
  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More
  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...