Average Price of a Parker "51"?

[sentraser165]

Hey Everyone,

 

I have a question regarding the average price of a Parker "51": i.e., what is it? I have seen them go for 60 bucks on e-bay, for 100-250ish on FPN, and 400 at a pen store. What is the difference between one that is priced at 60 (the seller claims that it works and is in decent condition) versus the ones sold on FPN for, say 175? I'd like to buy one soon (i.e. when I have the money to spend on it), and an answer to this question would help greatly in me making an informed choice. Should vacuumatics or aerometrics be higher in price, or does it not matter? Also, what about a "51" special and/or flighter? How do either of those affect price? Thanks so much for your help!

 

Steve

[Woody]

The only way to answer your question is to send you to the following site:

 

http://www.parker51.com/

 

This site, by Ernesto, contains nearly everything there is to know about the Parker "51" pen.

 

The prices you see can vary wildly. That doesn't even take into account the oddball bidding habits of some you see on ebay. In terms of the "51," anything and everything can drive the price either up or down: color of barrel, cap material, barrel material, nib width/nib grind, single jewelled vs. double jewelled, filler mechanism, etc.

[penmanila]

it's very difficult to set an average price for a 51, because the 51 had so many variations (even more, i think, than vacumatics) in terms of cap and barrel material, color, jewels, etc. a double-jeweled mustard vac 51 in great shape can conceivably sell for 10x (or more) what a plain black 51 special would cost. as suggested above, a scan of the pens and prices on ernesto soler's site (and also the sold pens archive of (bleep).com) can give you a quick and reliable education on 51 prices.

[Ghost Writer]

This may be a little off topic; however, I hope it will help you. You indicated you would like to buy one soon so I am guessing you would like to know how much to spend on your first "51". I say "first" since most of us who love this pen ended up getting the first one and then adding more via buys/sells/trades. I would recommend that you get any aerometric filling "51" that you know is in good working condition that meets your standard for cosmetic quality. Good, perfectly functional, user grade pens can be had from reliable sellers here on FPN for $45-60. More pristine pens can be had for $70-90. I would suggest you just jump in and buy a User Grade after a little research as pointed out by the other replies to your post. Then buy/trade/sell until you get a feel for exactly what you like in the "51" -- such as color, cap material, nib size. The market for "51"s is robust and there is always plenty of inventory, buyers and sellers. Good luck and enjoy the journey! Welcome to Club "51"!

[sentraser165]

Thank you everyone for the excellent advice so far. I was doing some searching on e-bay, and I found a couple pens listed by the seller stylla_platz. Have any of you dealt with this seller in the past (or heard anything about him)? He always seems to have 51s up for sale every time I look. Thanks again!

[777]

I got my parker 51 aerometric for 80.00$ on the FPN

Here it is

 

[Shangas]

Prices on the '51' can vary WILDLY. The most expensive '51' I ever bought was $180.

 

The least expensive was $30.

 

And they both work.

 

What makes the price-difference, I think, is rarity, condition and whether or not the seller knows what he has. The 180 pen was a Parker 51 Flighter from a professional pen salesman. The 30 pen was from the flea-market from a dealer in odds and ends. And plus, it was a rather generic black and gold model which you could find in almost any vintage pen-shop.

[paulrbarnard]

I think the bottom is about to drop out of the market with the number of them being listed by Argeto

[DovR]

50-100 depending on color condition etc. The raRER colors caps stripes designs higher even to upper hundreds. .

 

Dont forget these pens were manufactured in the millions .

 

400 bloated, even the 175 ffered is high unless it's something very special. i have a superb gold filled signet going for 150 similar all gold would be 500-800. Flighters too somewhat higher than the run of the mill.

 

As the good book, seek and ye shall find. If you're really interested in P51's I thoroughly recomment you buy the book by David and Mark Shepherd http://www.booksaboutpens.com/catalog_en/index.asp?id=2763 at Uri's excellent d\finitive pen book site.

 

Here's david's site about the book and the pen : http://www.booksaboutpens.com/catalog_en/index.asp?id=2763

 

Some good P51 sites around too. Google search.

 

Good choice of pen, a real workhorse and will never let you down.

 

[framebaer]

rare caps/colors can bring much more than listed here so far, For example Empire caps can run as high as $2500+

[london]

A couple of years out of date now...I've seen prices increase, but I did a little analysis of 51 prices selling on ebay in the past.

 

You can find them on my blog http://www.pencollect.com/2008/03/parker-5...es-on-ebay.html

 

- Mark

 

[rhodes]

Ebay can be a crazy place (mislisted pens, visible damage, claims of "working condition", etc.), but can still be good for a general sense. As others have mentioned, there are so many differences in the 51's that have a huge difference in value. Another thing that actually affects the value is the seller. Here on FPN you know that the seller knows what they are talking about and knows how to check if a pen is really working or not, how to look for damage, etc, and so the price they get really reflects the value for such a pen. On ebay prices fluctuate according to how carefully the seller has listed the pen, checked it, and the pictures they have. I will say I got an Aerometric 51 in wonderful shape for under $30 a couple of years ago, so if you are careful, deals exist, and so do disappointments. Hence often the prices are lower, because of the uncertainty as to the actual condition.

 

Now, as to your valuation questions, I think a restored Vac 51 will be higher in price than a working Aero 51, simply because most Aero 51 are still working and so the priced for a working one is somewhat suppressed as it is expected (at least I've found this true on ebay). The 51 Special was a lower cost model (easiest ways to tell are that the nib is steel, cap jewel is black, and filler is different and says Special) without a gold nib at the time, and indeed goes for rather less today than the regular Aero 51's (although they are just as nice to use; a couple of years ago I got a great Special pen/pencil set for under $30 on ebay). The 51 Flighter (stainless steel cap and barrel) commands a good premium over the other normal Aero 51's, but is certainly a looker (I have a first year 51 Flighter and think it's the nicest of the three 51's I have). Hope that helps.

Edited June 5, 2009 by rhodes