Parker 51 Grail?

[Tseg]

Over the course I've time I've accumulated many stereotypical "grail" pens... Montblanc (149, etc..), Visconti (HS, etc...), Sailor (KoP, etc...), Namiki (Urushi, etc...), Sheaffer (PFM, etc...), Lamy (2000, etc...), ST Dupont (Olympio XL, etc...), Pelikan (M1000, etc...), Geha (790, etc...), etc...

 

... but I've always heard one can't be a pen accumulator (I'm not really a collector) until one has a Parker 51. I actually know nothing about this pen, other then seeing random references on the forums that it is the quintessential collector's pen.

 

What Parker 51 attributes should I be wanting and looking out for. What should I stay away from? What makes it so special?

[pajaro]

My grail pen was a Parker 51 in the plum color. It took years to get one. The plum, 1948 and 1949, is aerometric. The Vacumatic 51s made the first year, 1941, year code "1" are worth seeking.

[Parker51]

The Parker51 is an iconic pen design. The early vacumatic models are very evocative of the US of the late 1930s, and early 1940s when they were designed and made. US made models tend to have fine nibs.

The nib should write effortlessly. The clip should be straight. The Blue Diamond should be intact. The cap be an unblemished gold filled one. There should be no dents or noticeable scratches in the cap or the pen body. That is a pen to keep, to admire, to use at one's leasure at a desk, in one's home, or for special events and formal occasions outside one's home.

Then there is the workhorse version. Same model pen, but with a steel or lustroy cap. No gold, except the nib, maybe the cap banged up a bit, and a few scratches on the barrel and blind cap, but still with the same great nib the luxury model had and a filler that will last for decades. A pen that you can take anywhere.

Edited March 10, 2019 by Parker51

[Glenn-SC]

What Parker 51 attributes should I be wanting and looking out for. What should I stay away from? What makes it so special?

 

I suggest that you review the meaning and intent of the term "Grail Pen".

 

The choice of a Grail Pen is individual and personal. Not some consensus standard.

Some of the pens that you have accumulated as your 'stereotypical "grail" pens' I wouldn't keep if you gave them to me. Why? Personal preference. I don't like them.

 

You need to investigate the pen's characteristics and options and find a "grail pen" for yourself.

[Tseg]

My grail pen was a Parker 51 in the plum color. It took years to get one. The plum, 1948 and 1949, is aerometric. The Vacumatic 51s made the first year, 1941, year code "1" are worth seeking.

Thanks pajaro, good summary of the most coveted, and your most coveted.

 

The Parker51 is an iconic pen design. The early vacumatic models are very evocative of the US of the late 1930s, and early 1940s when they were designed and made. US made models tend to have fine nibs.

The nib should write effortlessly. The clip should be straight. The Blue Diamond should be intact. The cap be an unblemished gold filled one. There should be no dents or noticeable scratches in the cap or the pen body. That is a pen to keep, to admire, to use at one's leasure at a desk, in one's home, or for special events and formal occasions outside one's home.

Then there is the workhorse version. Same model pen, but with a steel or lustroy cap. No gold, except the nib, maybe the cap banged up a bit, and a few scratches on the barrel and blind cap, but still with the same great nib the luxury model had and a filler that will last for decades. A pen that you can take anywhere.

 

Thanks Parker51, this was exactly the summary I was looking for to begin my research.

 

I suggest that you review the meaning and intent of the term "Grail Pen".

 

The choice of a Grail Pen is individual and personal. Not some consensus standard.

Some of the pens that you have accumulated as your 'stereotypical "grail" pens' I wouldn't keep if you gave them to me. Why? Personal preference. I don't like them.

 

You need to investigate the pen's characteristics and options and find a "grail pen" for yourself.

Thanks Glenn-SC for sharing your opinion.

[Tseg]

I’ve seen comments that an aeromatic is preferred by many/some to a vacumatic. What are the implications of each, good and bad? From my pedestrian knowledge I’m assuming the vacumatic can be more of a maintenance hassle and failure risk and the aeromatic is more functional but plain engineering concept. What else is there to each?

[PAKMAN]

Double jewel forest green, empire cap! Now there is a grail 51!

 

Sorry meant Nasau Green with empire cap!

Edited March 20, 2019 by PAKMAN

[Glenn-SC]

Double jewel forest green, empire cap! Now there is a grail 51!

 

I was not aware that there even was a double jewel "51" in "forest green".

[PhotoJim]

The Vacumatics are much harder to flush, and much more complex, but are very reliable. The aerometrics are much easier to service and much easier to flush, but a touch less reliable. I prefer the Vacs, but if you like to change your ink colour frequently in a given pen, you might prefer the Aerometrics. (My 51 Vac used to run Waterman Florida Blue, but now runs Diamine Majestic Blue. I won't give it different ink for a long time. Favourite ink; favourite pen!)

[mallymal1]

So, good question. What is the 51 grail? What is the most difficult to find / rarest of the 51's?

[Matlock]

So, good question. What is the 51 grail? What is the most difficult to find / rarest of the 51's?

 

No easy answer to that. I suppose it is the one that you always wanted but could never find and that could be different pens for different people. My most treasured is a 1941 Demonstrator. However if the OP just wants to try one out then there are many good Aerometrics at affordable prices.

[pajaro]

 

I was not aware that there even was a double jewel "51" in "forest green".

 

Possibly one of the aftermarket pens?

[Jerome Tarshis]

The aerometrics are much easier to service and much easier to flush, but a touch less reliable.

 

I hadn't been aware that people complain about the reliability of the Aero 51. Or even what "reliable" might mean here. But this is a very knowledgeable online community. Thanks for posting this.

[cellmatrix]

 

Possibly one of the aftermarket pens?

 

I've got a few p51's vac and aero and they are all great pens. My favorite, grail if you will, is an aftermarket flighter built like a tank with heavy duty stainless steel and it writes like a dream.

[CS388]

I'd agree that you should have a 51 in your collection. They are so reliable and unfussy that they soon grow on you.

I've had a few and have still got a couple. Always ready to write and never let me down. Great hard-working pens.

 

As you can see, from the threads in the Parker forum, many members have a specific variant of 51 they seek, so they can become addictive - or even a 'grail pen'. It hasn't happened to me (yet). I've always been content with a very ordinary 51 in my hand - and although I rarely buy pens these days, I never pass up on a reasonably priced 51.

 

I'd recommend you get a cheap 51 and try it out. See where it leads you.

 

Good luck.

[Tseg]

Thanks for all the things to think about. I go to an auction site and there are a gazillion different versions, in a wide range of condition and a wide range of price points. For my first (one? only?) I think I'll likely angle towards one identified as "restored"... maybe with writing sample inlcuded. Would that make sense?

[mallymal1]

Over the course I've time I've accumulated many stereotypical "grail" pens... Montblanc (149, etc..), Visconti (HS, etc...), Sailor (KoP, etc...), Namiki (Urushi, etc...), Sheaffer (PFM, etc...), Lamy (2000, etc...), ST Dupont (Olympio XL, etc...), Pelikan (M1000, etc...), Geha (790, etc...), etc...

 

... but I've always heard one can't be a pen accumulator (I'm not really a collector) until one has a Parker 51. I actually know nothing about this pen, other then seeing random references on the forums that it is the quintessential collector's pen.

 

What Parker 51 attributes should I be wanting and looking out for. What should I stay away from? What makes it so special?

 

 

It's a while since I used a 51, so I've just reacquainted myself with one of the classic (certainly), iconic (maybe) fountain pens.

 

All mine are aeros, have good flow, and are great writers. In fact, I'm asking myself why it's so long since I last picked one up!

 

I think you should simply pick one that you like the looks of, and has your preferred nib size. Make it an aerometric to start with...and take it from there. Watch out for the condition of the metal cap. Some of them have dings, or dents.

[christof]

My grail "51" ever has been the pen of the cover of the Parker "51" book, a DJ Mustard with empire cap. I had the luck to find one, even with my own initials (almost):

 

C.M.Z. von -C.M.Z-

 

C.

[ENewton]

My most cherished pen is a Parker 51 plum demi, aerometric filler. It is my ideal pen for size, for shape, for color, for smoothness, and for wetness, to the extent that whenever I use it, I feel like forsaking all other pens for it.

 

But is it like the Grail? Did I see it first from a distance and find myself too bemused to ask the necessary questions about it? And then, did I have to grow in sensitivity and insight for the chance to find it again? Yes to the first question, no to the others.

 

May I eventually grow worthy of my good fortune, in this and many other things.

[Tseg]

Sweet!

 

My grail "51" ever has been the pen of the cover of the Parker "51" book, a DJ Mustard with empire cap. I had the luck to find one, even with my own initials (almost):

C.M.Z. von -C.M.Z-

C.