Solid Gold Parker 51's And 61's

[penpalace]

I have been doing some research on Parker's as of late and I am wondering which solid gold models were made in both the 51 and 61 models? From what I can tell through research on the web it appears they were made in 9ct and 18ct in England and 14kt in the USA. Are some models more scarce then others? Are they factory made or were they jeweler overlays? What should one look for if buying one?

 

Last of all value for the pieces in question. I have recently seen a 61 in 9ct sell for around $600 and a couple of 61 pencils in 9ct for around $300. As for 51's I have found a few 9ct models in the $1200-1500 range and Ernesto (parker51.com) recently sold a 14kt set for $3000.

 

Any information from any FPNer would be of help.

 

Thanks.

[richardandtracy]

They come up for sale so infrequently that the prices are all over the place, depending on the availability of a buyer and seller at the same time. I think in the UK I have seen 18K Presidential P61's for in the region of £900 to £1200 (US$1350-1800) - based on three in the last 2 years on E-Bay UK.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[rhr2010]

I bought a Parker 61 14kt gold about one year ago at the Boston Pen show. I do not remember the exact price, but it was around $300. Mine is solid gold 14kt, but there is no metal chasing/work such as a barley etc. that might add value to the pen. It is just plain smooth. I think the scrap value of the pen is about $300 considerin the weight of gold, therefore on top of that you have to add the supply/demand considerations for the specific pen.

[nxn96]

I can't speak to the 61 line, but as to the "51", there was both a 14k solid gold offering called the "Presidential", as well as a 1/10 14k gold filled version called the "Signet" (later known as "Insignia"). In terms of gold content in the different versions, use the 1/10 as your guide. I believe the Presidential had a smooth gold cap & barrel finish, whereas the Signet had a vertical line design on the cap/barrel. The UK versions were 18k and 9k Presidentials and a 9k rolled gold (i.e., gold filled) version.

 

Signets are not very common, but certainly far more common than Presidentials. The gold cap and barrel (whether solid or gold filled) was only offered in the Aerometric series as a regular production offering, not in the earlier Vacumatic line.

 

Hope this helps

[penpalace]

I appreciate the help from all of you. A 61 9ct pencil just sold for $300 or so on Ebay this past week. I have picked up a 61 18ct gold pencil that I will sell at somepoint either over the web or at a show. 18ct pieces I would have thought would be quite uncommon but I guess there are a few more out there then I originally thought. Anyone with interest is more then welcome to be in touch through PM.

 

I did also pick up a pen in 18ct but it's a 51. I am unsure what I might do with this piece as of yet...again to anyone who comes across this post thoughts on value etc are appreciated as I must admit I am a little out of my element when it comes to pens from the 50's-60's.

 

Thanks again.

[nxn96]

In terms of values of the particular pens you have, you might want to contact Ernesto Soler at Parker51.com for guidance. Not only is Ernesto a great resource in terms of Parker 51 history, he is very knowledgeable and helpful in terms of what the marketplace looks like at any given time.