Parker 51 Photo Thread

[donnweinberg]

51 cap in red and green gold. Precursor to 61 Rainbow Cap

 

Wow!

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

8 hours ago, VacNut said:

Yes, sometimes it is all about the cap.

 

 

 

oh... oh my...

 

[Beechwood]

11 hours ago, VacNut said:

Yes, sometimes it is all about the cap.

 

 

 

 

 

 

That is remarkable, my first thought was that some jiggery-pokery was going on with a 61 cap, but there it is a test run in limited numbers that never saw production, unmarked and very, very special.

 

Last one went for sale at $1500, what you would do with it is anyone's guess but a piece of history.

 

 

 

[VacNut]

Given the rolled gold drawing process it is unlikely anyone will produce a similar cap. The 51 caps and 61 caps are not interchangeable. I am guessing a clever person could try, but it would be difficult without the modifications showing.

 

Maybe the pen market was larger in the past, so craftsmen (and craftswomen) had more resources to be innovative, but it seems vintage pen makers were more creative with metallurgy. It wasn’t just coming up with a new design, but also finding an economical way of manufacturing the pen.

 

IMHO, modern pens just seem to be conglomerations of different materials. They could be attractive designs, but they just don’t seem to be as well integrated.

 

Go vintage! Go to (London) pen shows! 

[VacNut]

2 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Given the rolled gold drawing process it is unlikely anyone will produce a similar cap. The 51 caps and 61 caps are not interchangeable. I am guessing a clever person could try, but it would be difficult without the modifications showing.

 

Maybe the pen market was larger in the past, so craftsmen (and craftswomen) had more resources to be innovative, but it seems vintage pen makers were more creative with metallurgy. It wasn’t just coming up with a new design, but also finding an economical way of manufacturing the pen.

 

IMHO, modern pens just seem to be conglomerations of different materials. They could be attractive designs, but they just don’t seem to be as well integrated.

 

Go vintage! Go to (London) pen shows! 

… and Baltimore, Ohio, and San Francisco…

[VacNut]

13 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Given the rolled gold drawing process it is unlikely anyone will produce a similar cap. The 51 caps and 61 caps are not interchangeable. I am guessing a clever person could try, but it would be difficult without the modifications showing.

 

Maybe the pen market was larger in the past, so craftsmen (and craftswomen) had more resources to be innovative, but it seems vintage pen makers were more creative with metallurgy. It wasn’t just coming up with a new design, but also finding an economical way of manufacturing the pen.

 

IMHO, modern pens just seem to be conglomerations of different materials. They could be attractive designs, but they just don’t seem to be as well integrated.

 

Go vintage! Go to (London) pen shows! 

…amalgamations may be a better choice of words..

[Beechwood]

27 minutes ago, VacNut said:

 

 

IMHO, modern pens just seem to be conglomerations of different materials. They could be attractive designs, but they just don’t seem to be as well integrated.

 

Go vintage! Go to (London) pen shows! 

 

Very true. There are YouTube reviewers of modern pens that seem to be focused on the most bizarre mixture of coloured materials and less to do with innovation or writing performance. Perhaps the reviewers should simply concentrate on rod stocks.

 

Interchangeability of caps, it is a long time since I have looked but didn't the final 51 run, the cartridge filled pen, have an interchangeable cap with the 61? Certainly had a 61 clip and an unmarked cap.

 

UK 51 51 buyers need to have some caution, there are 51s around that have been through one particular repairer who played fast and loose with repairing caps with non standard parts, a 51 standard cap with a Parker 17 gold clip for example.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

back to pictures:

[Glenn-SC]

2 hours ago, VacNut said:

Maybe the pen market was larger in the past, so craftsmen (and craftswomen) had more resources to be innovative, but it seems vintage pen makers were more creative with metallurgy. It wasn’t just coming up with a new design, but also finding an economical way of manufacturing the pen.

Metallurgy hasn’t been lost, in fact it has improved in the last 70 years.  I wonder what cap and barrel designs could be created using 3-D Printing, hydro-forming, and CNC manufacturing.
 

Perhaps it is the reality of economics and the need to turn a profit that has changed. 

[Estycollector]

The need/want/decision to turn a profit is an ancient practice. 

[donnweinberg]

1 hour ago, IThinkIHaveAProblem said:

back to pictures:

 

Another great photo creation.  Thanks.

[Glenn-SC]

2 hours ago, Estycollector said:

The need/want/decision to turn a profit is an ancient practice. 

It is. 
But with FPs losing popularity with the general public to the cheap and easy ballpoint pen, the cost of recouping investment in manufacturing expenses may inhibit innovation in unique designs unless a known LE market exists.  

[donnweinberg]

1 minute ago, Glenn-SC said:

But with FPs losing popularity with the general public to the cheap and easy ballpoint pen, the cost of recouping investment in manufacturing expenses may inhibit innovation in unique designs unless a known LE market exists.  

 

Agreed.  And unless a known market exists for the regular-issue pens, such as in the case of Montblanc, which markets heavily.

[VacNut]

Besides the caps, it’s also about the nibs. 51 Aerometric Test Pens. It is just a sample as I believe Parker had more nib options. I noticed there were regular and demi-sized samples.

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

3 minutes ago, VacNut said:

Besides the caps, it’s also about the nibs. 51 Aerometric Test Pens. It is just a sample as I believe Parker had more nib options. I noticed there were regular and demi-sized samples.

Nice. Jealous. 

[Estycollector]

40 minutes ago, donnweinberg said:

 

Agreed.  And unless a known market exists for the regular-issue pens, such as in the case of Montblanc, which markets heavily.

I must be looking in the wrong places; I never see an advertisement for any writing tools. I know MB is popular in our hobby here, of course. I would enjoy walking into a 1950's drug store and seeing an Esterbrook or Parker display sitting on a glass top display case with a demonstrator and nibs to try out. 

[donnweinberg]

Here are the YELLOW Kullok Parker 51s in my collection:

 

51 Vac, Double-Jewel (DJ), Gold-Plated (GP) Martel (hammered) Cap:

 

51 Vac, DJ, Regular Blue Diamond (BD) 51 Cap:

 

51 Vac: Yellow Hood, Black Barrel, Yellow Blind Cap (BC), Yellow & Pearlized Green Cap with GP Arrow Clip:

 

Bexley 51 Aero with Stub Nib, GP Cap with Arrow Clip.  This Yellow is not as bright as the other Yellows:

 

51 Aero: all Yellow externals and GP Arrow Clip:

 

51 Aero: Yellow & Stainless Steel Barrel, Black Hood, Lustraloy Cap with Arrow Clip:

 

 

 

 

[VacNut]

25 minutes ago, Estycollector said:

I must be looking in the wrong places; I never see an advertisement for any writing tools. I know MB is popular in our hobby here, of course. I would enjoy walking into a 1950's drug store and seeing an Esterbrook or Parker display sitting on a glass top display case with a demonstrator and nibs to try out. 

That’s exactly where I found the Test Set…not really 😂😂😂.

Maybe at sometime in the history of the test pen set, but the demonstrations tend to be at pen shows now.

[Estycollector]

1 minute ago, VacNut said:

That’s exactly where I found the Test Set…not really 😂😂😂.

Maybe at sometime in the history of the test pen set, but the demonstrations tend to be at pen shows now.

I found an Esterbrook "Deluxe" pen several years back with the original sac not having ever been used and the nib unit loose. I suspect it may have been used as a demonstrator where only the nib was dipped in ink to test. 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

48 minutes ago, donnweinberg said:

Here are the YELLOW Kullok Parker 51s in my collection:

 

51 Vac, Double-Jewel (DJ), Gold-Plated (GP) Martel (hammered) Cap:

 

51 Vac, DJ, Regular Blue Diamond (BD) 51 Cap:

 

51 Vac: Yellow Hood, Black Barrel, Yellow Blind Cap (BC), Yellow & Pearlized Green Cap with GP Arrow Clip:

 

Bexley 51 Aero with Stub Nib, GP Cap with Arrow Clip.  This Yellow is not as bright as the other Yellows:

 

51 Aero: all Yellow externals and GP Arrow Clip:

 

51 Aero: Yellow & Stainless Steel Barrel, Black Hood, Lustraloy Cap with Arrow Clip:

 

 

 

 

LOVE that yellow with the hammered cap…