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Before I spend more money

OldGriz

By OldGriz
in Fountain & Dip Pens - First Stop

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OldGriz Donor Pen

OldGriz

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I am looking at a Parker 51 Vacumatic from a seller in England...

Here is the description...

"The barrel is in good condition and bears the inscription MADE IN USA and the number 7 under the clutch ring.

The cap is the push-on type and bears the inscription Parker 51 1/10 Gold filled. It has a pearlised jewel which is intact but has gone cloudy and shows crazing. A few tiny dings nothing major and there is wear to the gold plating around the cap top and the cap lip and one small wear mark by the end of the cap clip. Sounds worse than it actually looks.

It is a vac filler with a plastic plunger which works smoothly but pen will need a new diaphragm. Pen barrel just shows light surface wear – still nice and glossy, there is a 3mm surface crack /scratch just at the end of the pen barrel where the blind cap screws on. It would probably polish out or easily filled in as it is not deep – other than that everything looks fine.

Section is fine one more noticeable scratch otherwise just light surface wear. Nib lays downs a buttery smooth medium line. "

 

With any luck, I might be able to get for under $40US including shipping...

Should I jump on it.... or let it go....

The seller has a good rating and appears to be mostly a pen dealer...

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Karin Extremely Rare

Karin

Posted
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Hi Griz,

IMHO, if you really want to write with the pen, it might cost more to repair the pen than it's worth.

Lots of other 51's in the sea. If you're not a 51 purist B) you might want to buy an aeromatic filler. They will last for years and years and years.

 

 

 

Regards,

Karin

Fountain Pen Abundance

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ayjayar Near Mint

ayjayar

Posted
Posted
I am looking at a Parker 51 Vacumatic from a seller in England...

I have seen the pen and I passed bidding on it.

 

I have been collecting 51s for a while now and want to have one of each color for each period in which they were made. I also use at least one on a daily basis. Love them!

 

Whether this one is worth $40 depends what you want to do with it. If you don’t care much whether the condition is or is not flawless and all you want is a “working pen” then it may be a good deal. What I have found is that almost all of the vacumatics need some work. So, unless you can handle the diaphragm work yourself, it will cost you about $35 to put this one in good working condition. To also put it in “restored” condition, you will either have to spend another $18 to $35 condition, or do the work yourself, which can be fun if you have the proper materials and the time. So, that pen completely restored and working properly may end up costing you $110, IF the nib is as described – a bent and restrained nib may “write like butter.” If the nib is worn out or needs some “adjustment” it’s going to cost another $20-25. So now it is up to $130. The same pen can be had for about the same amount or less from one of our master restorers here on FPN and you will have a pen guaranteed to be exactly as described.

 

BTW, putting a new diaphragm into a 51 is not rocket-science, but it is not quite as simple as putting a new sac into an Esterbrook (for instance). I hope this helps.

http://www.rozsa.org/images/Img136.gif
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BobR Vintage

BobR

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Posted

From what I've seen, a Parker 51 vacumatic in decent working condition might run $40 to $60--more for really good specimens. I purchased one earlier this year for $42 shipped, some scuffs but working nicely. It has the steel cap--those with the gold-filled cap such as the one you described will cost more.

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OldGriz Donor Pen

OldGriz

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Thanks all.... from all the advise I got here I decided to pass on the 51 Vac...

 

I did however score a Black w/ Silver Cap 51 Aero for $25 with shipping... I figure worst case scenario I might have to resac it... but he seller said he had been writing with it and it was in good shape... the pictures looked real good....

 

I guess we will see... LOL

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Brian Anderson Collectors Item

Brian Anderson

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Just my two cents on 51 aeros, I don't think you'll have to worry much about resaccing them. I don't recall ever coming across a 51 aero that didn't fill out of the box, so to speak.

 

$25 sounds like a fair price, and if it's a medium width nib or bigger, even better, although many were fine nibbed.

 

Best-

Brian

www.esterbrook.net All Esterbrook, All the Time.
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