Is This Really A Parker 61?

[joss]

I was inclined to rage red when seeing the rather bright red barrel colour on your second picture (showing the gold cap and a small portion of the barrel).

 

But it could be maroon too.

[richardandtracy]

Sorry, Burgundy == Maroon (the official name)

People quote Rage Red because it attracts a premium and more people to look at the advert. In the UK it is a vastly less common colour, and I've never seen a RR with a UK imprint - not to say they don't exist, just the only RR's I've seen have had US imprints. Probably seen 200 Maroon's in the flesh and 2 RR's here in the UK. Put the two next to each other (and I can't because I don't like RR, so haven't got one) and it's obvious how much more orange RR is.

 

In summary, if it has UK imprints, it is more likely to be Maroon than RR, especially if the pen doesn't have an orange tint.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

[joss]

In summary, if it has UK imprints, it is more likely to be Maroon than RR, especially if the pen doesn't have an orange tint.

 

I am not that much into P61 pens so I was not aware about the rarity of the rage red colour. Does that apply for both UK and US P61 pens? I am confused on your comment on the imprints: these are the imprints on the cap I guess but UK and US caps are readily interchangeable.

 

I will re-check my few brownish/reddish coloured P61 pens which I catalogued for myself as being rage red (most of theme are USA made) but they are more likely maroon then.

[Venemo]

To be honest, it is hard to capture the real color of this pen (almost as hard as the P51), on some pictures it appears much lighter and orangy than it actually is. I uploaded the ones that most closely match the real color, but on well lit photos it could be easily mistaken for an orange-y red too.

 

I also tried to make a photo of the crack on its barrel, but it is invisible on all photos... but very visible to the naked eye. Not sure why.

[richardandtracy]

I am not that much into P61 pens so I was not aware about the rarity of the rage red colour. Does that apply for both UK and US P61 pens? I am confused on your comment on the imprints: these are the imprints on the cap I guess but UK and US caps are readily interchangeable.

...

Yep, caps can be swapped. However... Aside from pen nuts like us, what percentage of the population have more than one example of a top of the range pen (as the P61 was), and so can swap caps? Possibly not that high, so I'm not convinced that this is likely to be widespread. I really don't know the percentage of Maroon vs RR, but all I can give is my experience, visiting a few pen shows in the UK indicates that RR is not as common as Maroon. Not sure that it could be called rare, just a fair bit less common.

 

Regards

 

Richard.

[Venemo]

If I were to sell this set, how much do you guys think it would be worth? I saw similar sets on ebay for $200+, but think that might be somewhat overstated.

[Venemo]

I've been in contact with a guy who sells 61 barrels, with the purpose of replacing the cracked barrel. According to him, the Maroon color was not available on the capillary filler, only on the C/C filler 61. So all red Parker 61s that have a capillary filler are Rage Red. (Unless you guys know better, of course.) Possible reason for the "orange-y" tint: according to the same guy, these barrels are prone to fading. Also the exact color is very hard to photograph and capture correctly, that is why they appear different in most photos.

[mitto]

I have a English made red C/C 61 and all I can say is the color is different from that of a Bloody British Burgundy P51 color. I don't have a red capilliary 61, though.

[joss]

I've been in contact with a guy who sells 61 barrels, with the purpose of replacing the cracked barrel. According to him, the Maroon color was not available on the capillary filler, only on the C/C filler 61. So all red Parker 61s that have a capillary filler are Rage Red. (Unless you guys know better, of course.) Possible reason for the "orange-y" tint: according to the same guy, these barrels are prone to fading. Also the exact color is very hard to photograph and capture correctly, that is why they appear different in most photos.

 

Interesting, I did not know that maroon was a later colour for the P61.

I just checked www.parkerpens.net/parker61.html and it indeed also mentions that maroon was introduced only in 1969, the year that the C/C filler saw the light.

Richard Binder's P61 website (www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/profiles/61.htm) mentions 1959-82 for maroon so maybe the 1959 must be 1969 here.

[Venemo]

I have a English made red C/C 61 and all I can say is the color is different from that of a Bloody British Burgundy P51 color. I don't have a red capilliary 61, though.

 

I don't have the C/C 61 to compare, but I have a capillary 61, and two burgundy 51s (both made in England, but one of them has the lighter color). All three pens have a different color! I suspect that the C/C 61 would be yet another hue of red.

 

 

Interesting, I did not know that maroon was a later colour for the P61.

I just checked www.parkerpens.net/parker61.html and it indeed also mentions that maroon was introduced only in 1969, the year that the C/C filler saw the light.

Richard Binder's P61 website (www.richardspens.com/?page=ref/profiles/61.htm) mentions 1959-82 for maroon so maybe the 1959 must be 1969 here.

 

That is my conclusion as well.