51 Vacumatic Date Code Question

[adamz712003]

Just got this in from ebay today, and Im trying to decipher this date code. I know the 6 woth two dots would normally mean 1946, second quarter. But why would T6 mean?

[peterg]

There was an article on this. The conclusion was that it referred to Townsend Tractors. Parker's had bought their factory (to make ink, I think), but it was also used for making 51's for a couple of years (1947/8, I thought), when demand was very high.

[adamz712003]

Thank you for the info! Still fairly new to vintage pens, and Parkers in particular.

[PaulS]

I wouldn't question Peter's answers usually, since he is light years more experienced than me and vastly more knowledgeable, but ...........

for what it's worth 'the book' suggests that the letter T before the date code indicated these were pens that had been produced in the USA, and assembled in Toronto.

Whether this is fact or not I'm unable to say, but thought it worth mentioning - though it would be interesting if someone is able to discount the Toronto link.

[Glenn-SC]

There was an article on this.

 

Please provide a link to this article, I would like to read it.

[Ron Z]

IIRC it was in the PCA Pennant a year or two ago. Time does run away.

[crescentfiller]

According to a picture of the article posted on another pen site a week or so ago, it was in the Pennant Fall 2016 issue.

[Parker51]

Both are good explanations, but there is a third, mine and it is that the T Indicated the pen was subject to the excise tax on Fountain Pens. It is my understanding that in 1947 the excise tax on expensive high gold content fountain pens ended. I postulate some pens were made before the tax was set to end and some after and the T was put on the pen to let the dealer know if they needed to collect the excise tax or not. The problem is I don't have the time to adequately research the Congressional record to confirm this theory and identify the exact date in 1947 when the excise tax ended.

[FarmBoy]

Since I knew Saul, the person that came up with the T=Toronto explanation, and I know how the theory came to be, I can assure you it was incorrect then and it is incorrect now. This article can be found in the Spring 2002 issue of the Pennant.

 

Shepard referenced the Kitchener article in the Parker 51 book. Based on conversations regarding items in the Parker archive, there was no indication of T date codes being made in Toronto as originally suggested by Saul.

 

Since I know the person that found the paperwork proving Parker purchased the Townsend Tractor building to produce ink and later moved the ink production to Menomonie, WI, along with the all backup necessary to prove Parker set up a "51" assembly line there, I'm confident we now know what T really means.

 

Since most 'found in the wild "51"s' with T6 or T7 date codes have Lusterloy caps, the gold content of the cap can not really come into play.

 

The PCA does have limited copies of back issues of the Pennant available for purchase. You can contact membership @ pencollectorsofamerica.com if interested.