Parker 51 Elusive Plum

[Tom Heath]

I will admit to being a Parker 51 Junkie , as well as Vintage Pens being a Generalist I really have to many to count with my Chinese Abacus

 

That said I am exposing here my two Parker 51, Fountain Pens being 2nd generation , aerometric Filler , probably made in 1948

They both have Aluminum Fillers with a single end jewel.

 

 

Printed on the Tube it says ," To Fill Press Ribbed Bar

Firmly 6 times

Use only Dry -Writing

Superchrome Ink

The Parker Pen Company

Made in USA

 

On both pens the filling information is the same

 

Just as in Real Setting Identifying THe Plum color often eludes the hunter. Over the years I have often been self duped only to get the pen home to find I have purchased another Wonderful version of Burgundy.

Yes I know better and that I should carry be good flash light for just such occasions.

Now I have enjoyed both Plum examples for many years.

The purpose of this essay is that about 6 weeks ago at an early Sunday Morning Flea market search I have finally acquired a matching Push cap activated pencil.. The early morning light tended to make me think it was a great example of Jet Black so for the purchase price of Five bucks,

I figured I'd take a chance ,right, I even asked the seller what color he thought it was... You can imagine how thrilled I was to find out later in the day

the color actually was my Elusive Plum..

 

You know I went back to find the merchant and give him another Fiver don't you

 

In the accompanying attachments I have done my level best to Bring to you the Vibrant Plum color , as you can see my lighting today did not allow that, ANY ADVISE welcome.

[inkstainedruth]

On my screen the pens all look black.

The best way to tell for sure is to take them outside in bright sunlight and compare them with Black and Burgundy 51s. But I've also read recently, in another thread, that a black light helps (I think it may be that it reflects the purple better than a regular flashlight, or else it's just that it's a brighter light to start with). I've discovered that in poor light, Forest Green and even Midnight Blue can appear as black (I ran into that at the estate sale where I got the Forest Green Aero a couple of years ago -- the lighting in the basement was terrible, and there was also a pen that I THOUGHT might be Plum, only to discover that when I got the barrel off and looked at the sac sleeve, it was a 51 Special.

If the set really is Plum, congratulations.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

 

ETA: Could you see a date code on the imprint? They only made those in the 1948-49 model year. So if it's got the "8" or "9" (possibly with up to 3 dots) you've got a better shot of it really being a Plummer.

Edited October 19, 2020 by inkstainedruth

[Estycollector]

Congratulations and thank you for sharing your good fortune.

[Estycollector]

I meant to add, thats plum nice.

[pen lady]

A simple LED el-cheapo dollar store flashlight will do the trick just fine if you want to identify plum from black or burgundy.

[thx1138]

I bought a set I thought was black or maybe very dark brown. A week later I thought to put an led torch onto them and I was stunned to see purple.

[pajaro]

Congratulations. I understand the hunt for plum, having tried for one for years until I sniped a plum set on ebay in the last few sections of an auction. That was after buying burgundy after butgundy and being outbid and outsniped again and again. I put the plum pen and pencil in a Venlo leather 5-pen case. There it stays. The hunt felt like a grail hunt. I don't think I would want to do it again. Beyond 51s I don't want any more pens.

[Glenn-SC]

ETA: Could you see a date code on the imprint? They only made those in the 1948-49 model year. So if it's got the "8" or "9" (possibly with up to 3 dots) you've got a better shot of it really being a Plummer.

My Plum is 3rd quarter '49 (i.e. 9 with one dot).

[Carguy]

I picked up a Demi Plum, but still long for the full-size version....

[pajaro]

I picked up a Demi Plum, but still long for the full-size version....

The asking prices for plum 51 pens alone appear to be pushing $300. They are not rare, apparently, just expensive unless you find a sleeper not identified as plum. I don't see the advantage to having the full size plum 51. unless the demi plum 51s are more common, or unless the full size plum is your preference. I don't use my full size plum, because I would go BS if something happened to it. '49, one dot, third quarter, must have been near the end of plum production. I think noting the production quarters is interesting. I like the ones from 48 one dot on. My lifetime.

[Tom Heath]

Plum 51 's are definitely scarce thus expensive.

 

I am a writing junkie and have been for over 30 years.

 

collecting interests are very broad, you name it I have either had it or still do, especially paper.

 

For years every weekend , begining Friday at noon it began chasing pens ending wit a nice dinner on Sunday night

thinking about what I passed over did I do the right thing.

 

In the early years I did 6 to 8 pen shows a year. Chased them down with the pest pen hunters at Brimfield , Mass

Traveled to London , did Bohmans ( sp )

could never afford the high value pens !

On occasion there were pens affordable which I bought and smiled all the way home

 

At this point I can say, meeting all the swell people along the way made it all worth the tens of thousands of miles spent

pursuing my endeavor

 

The Plum pen I will admit is special, perhaps because the color is so hard to nail down.

I will admit that I rarely have a Torch or a magnifier handy when the opportunity presents itself

I guess that is why I have only found 3 Plums pens. One was sold to a lovely man in New Zealand, where it can be found today

 

Enjoy the hunt.

[inkstainedruth]

I picked up a Demi Plum, but still long for the full-size version....

Me too, but I'm not going crazy over trying to get one. If it happens, it happens. If it doesn't? (Shrug -- I still have the Demi, and it's DEFINITELY Plum).

I didn't want it because it was "rare" -- I wanted it because "purple". And I didn't pay an arm and a leg for it -- it was user-grade, and that was perfectly okay with me, because I use it.

Of course I've never paid nose-bleed prices for ANY of my 51s. Ironically, I ended up paying more for the Midnight Blue one (which was my other "must have" for colors early on) and got it several years later, than I did for the Plum Demi -- who would have thought that Midnight Blue would be harder for me to get? I've paid as much as $120 US (for the English-made Navy Gray Aero) -- and there I was bidding on the nib as much as anything, and the price included the buyer's premium. And I've paid as little as two bucks (for the Forest Green Aero, a couple of years ago at an estate sale where I had to get up at "zero dark thirty" and drive an hour to get to the thing. But even with repairs on some of the 51 Vacs, I'm pretty sure I've never gone over $100 for any of the 51s -- either model -- except that Navy Gray one.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[JotterAddict62]

I'll find more 51Plums in the wild than plums on my two plum trees. If I recall the two 51Plums that I have I did not know they were plums until I was home and the price averaged out to $20 each. I do have one of each and still looking for a plum pencil.

Edited October 21, 2020 by JotterAddict62

[jchch1950]

I have to keep searching, maybe one day i will be lucky to find one.

[pajaro]

I have to keep searching, maybe one day i will be lucky to find one.

 

Maybe you'll be lucky and it will be a low-priced sleeper.

[Wahl]

When photographing pens, please use a white light source, it´s the only way we can see correct colors.

[Larry Barrieau]

"I will admit that I rarely have a Torch or a magnifier handy when the opportunity presents itself" Tom Heath

 

I have a lighted magnifier and a small tape measure in the glove compartment. If I pass a flea market or antique store, they come in with me.

(Unless I forget, and then walk out to get them, hoping no one jumps on what I just found.)

[SchaumburgSwan]

...

 

In the accompanying attachments I have done my level best to Bring to you the Vibrant Plum color , as you can see my lighting today did not allow that, ANY ADVISE welcome.

Hi,

 

gratulations on the plum!

 

To get it's color on the photo some suggestions:

 

If possible set the "white balance" setting of your camera to daylight,

step out on a sunny (hazy sunlight is fine) day,

put the pen onto a dark but not colored background,

play around with pen orientation and look for reflections.

Or even play white card boards to be placed outside the photo area for controlled reflections...

 

Best wishes

Jens

[pajaro]

Like this?

 

 

 

Tenth and eleventh from left.

Edited October 24, 2020 by pajaro

[SchaumburgSwan]

Like this?

 

 

 

Tenth and eleventh from left.

Yes, the colors come out fine. :-)

Tenth and twelveth, right?

Very nice collection btw...

 

Best

Jens