Parker 51 — what is the appeal?

[TheRedBeard]

9 minutes ago, Aysedasi said:

I had a Forest Green, but foolishly sold it, like my Cedar Blue...  I still have a Signet/Insignia, a Cordovan Brown 51 vac and a Teal Aero.  I prefer broad nibs as my hands are far too clumsy to write with fiddly fine nibs.....

Another good chance should come - I have no doubts

By the way, during last weeks I've  almost not seen P51s with Fine nib on sale, many ones with medium and a few broad...

[Aysedasi]

28 minutes ago, TheRedBeard said:

Another good chance should come - I have no doubts

By the way, during last weeks I've  almost not seen P51s with Fine nib on sale, many ones with medium and a few broad...

 

I've seen a few on eBay today.....

[TheRedBeard]

33 minutes ago, Aysedasi said:

 

I've seen a few on eBay today.....

thanks, I will check there again..

[es9]

2 hours ago, Aysedasi said:

 

As many have said, they can be picked up 'in the wild' for very little outlay and as Ruth says, with a good flush and refill, it will probably write perfectly. 

 

...

 

As others have said, they ... are relatively easy to swap nibs on.  

 

Two quick warnings:

 

(1) While the aerometric ones often need nothing other than a good flush, the vacumatic fillers almost certainly will need repairs that require a specialized wrench and a replacement diaphragm.  If you want the former, make sure to look for one without a removable blindcap.  Additionally, make sure you know whether you're buying/bidding on a full P51 vs. a P51 Special.  I love the octanium nibs on the Specials, but you may want a gold nib.  

 

(2) The nibs are interchangeable, but I am not sure I would say changing them is "relatively easy."  Getting to the nib requires safely removing the hood, for example.  Swapping the nibs on the P51 is certainly far easier than, say, swapping the nib on a normal Parker Vacumatic, but it still involves opening the pen, etc. 

 

[jchch1950]

Durable and easy to use.

[Aysedasi]

20 minutes ago, es9 said:

 

Two quick warnings:

 

(1) While the aerometric ones often need nothing other than a good flush, the vacumatic fillers almost certainly will need repairs that require a specialized wrench and a replacement diaphragm.  If you want the former, make sure to look for one without a removable blindcap.  Additionally, make sure you know whether you're buying/bidding on a full P51 vs. a P51 Special.  I love the octanium nibs on the Specials, but you may want a gold nib.  

 

(2) The nibs are interchangeable, but I am not sure I would say changing them is "relatively easy."  Getting to the nib requires safely removing the hood, for example.  Swapping the nibs on the P51 is certainly far easier than, say, swapping the nib on a normal Parker Vacumatic, but it still involves opening the pen, etc. 

 

 Agreed on both counts.  I was a bit glib about the nib swap bit, I guess because I've done it a fair few times, but I can still remember finding it fairly straight forward first time around, having done a bit of essential research here and elsewhere.  

[FarmBoy]

What's not to like?

[Aysedasi]

Supremely elegant pens, quite aside from their ease of use and writing ability......   

[vicpen123]

On 1/30/2021 at 6:42 AM, TheRedBeard said:

P51 is a very rare combination of genius design, technological perfection, high reliability/performance and... unbeatable elegance - all in one pen.

 

I don't think you could find all that under one  hood in any other pen..

+1. The definition of timeless elegance and excellence.

 

Everything about it is understated so that it does not attract immediate attention. But its appeal grows over time through use.

[inkstainedruth]

14 hours ago, TheRedBeard said:

Uuhhh! You are so lucky

A few days ago I stupidly failed (being outbid during last 10 seconds) to purchase a P51 Forest Green in near mint condition ...

Though it was with medium nib, while I wanted a fine one...

Really?  IME, it's much easier to find 51s with F or even EF nibs than wider ones.  The bulk of mine are Fs, with a couple of EFs; I only have a two that are mediums (the Plum Demi and the Midnight Blue Aero) and the only really exotic nib is the OB nib on the English-made Navy Gray Aero (which, not surprisingly, was the most expensive one of the bunch -- the surprising part was that I *didn't* get outbid on it, especially since it was a live auction at a pen show).  

Maybe the other bidders that night took pity on me because my husband was squirming so badly (he managed to make it through Friday, and then only was there for the Saturday evening dessert party and then the auction).  Or maybe he was a good luck charm -- the only other show I ever got him to was the last year DCSS was in the old site in Tysons Corners, and that was the show where I got the Red Shadow Wave Vac in the Saturday night auction).

Forest Green is supposed to be one of the rarer colors.  A medium nib and near mint condition?  Yeah, I'm sure I would have gotten outbid on it it as well.  I got super lucky on mine, which is an EF.

The fact that I DIDN'T get outbid on the Plum Demi I ended up with never ceases to amaze me -- I was sure I'd get outbid because of how high the previous one I'd bid on went for (and I watched the flurry of snipe bids in the last few seconds).  But mine?  Apparently it was a case of "best poker face EVAH" -- because I never got outbid, and never hit my intermediate maximum bid (let alone the top one).   I started at a reasonable price (someone had bid the minimum) and put the initial maximum at something semi-reasonable) -- but I upped the maximum a couple of times from nerves, and still expected to be outbid (and I mean as in "What is this 'snipe' of which you speak?  That'll happen to someone else after I can't afford to go higher... just like the previous one where I dropped out in the low $70s US."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[peroride]

On 1/29/2021 at 8:24 AM, Turquoise88 said:

Was it historically innovative? Was the design new and different? Does it perform substantially better than other pens of the period? How does it compare with other Parker models? 

Yesses. I like them and Parker Duofolds too.

 

They writes good. 😂

 

Usage instructions: Pull. Write. 

 

Purdy, purdy too.

 

This nice video from pier gustafson is thoughtful

 

[TheRedBeard]

7 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Really?  IME, it's much easier to find 51s with F or even EF nibs than wider ones.  The bulk of mine are Fs, with a couple of EFs; I only have a two that are mediums (the Plum Demi and the Midnight Blue Aero) and the only really exotic nib is the OB nib on the English-made Navy Gray Aero (which, not surprisingly, was the most expensive one of the bunch -- the surprising part was that I *didn't* get outbid on it, especially since it was a live auction at a pen show).  

Maybe the other bidders that night took pity on me because my husband was squirming so badly (he managed to make it through Friday, and then only was there for the Saturday evening dessert party and then the auction).  Or maybe he was a good luck charm -- the only other show I ever got him to was the last year DCSS was in the old site in Tysons Corners, and that was the show where I got the Red Shadow Wave Vac in the Saturday night auction).

Forest Green is supposed to be one of the rarer colors.  A medium nib and near mint condition?  Yeah, I'm sure I would have gotten outbid on it it as well.  I got super lucky on mine, which is an EF.

The fact that I DIDN'T get outbid on the Plum Demi I ended up with never ceases to amaze me -- I was sure I'd get outbid because of how high the previous one I'd bid on went for (and I watched the flurry of snipe bids in the last few seconds).  But mine?  Apparently it was a case of "best poker face EVAH" -- because I never got outbid, and never hit my intermediate maximum bid (let alone the top one).   I started at a reasonable price (someone had bid the minimum) and put the initial maximum at something semi-reasonable) -- but I upped the maximum a couple of times from nerves, and still expected to be outbid (and I mean as in "What is this 'snipe' of which you speak?  That'll happen to someone else after I can't afford to go higher... just like the previous one where I dropped out in the low $70s US."

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

May be I was unlucky... But due to long-lasting lockdown here in the UK and no access to "live" shops I've checked availability only online and not found much offers with F nibs, though I have looked for 51s Aero in either near mint or excellent condition.

[gyasko]

Medium and broad nibs are more common in the made in England 51s.  Americans preferred narrower nibs.  Fines are far more common in the USA.

[TheRedBeard]

18 minutes ago, gyasko said:

Medium and broad nibs are more common in the made in England 51s.  Americans preferred narrower nibs.  Fines are far more common in the USA.

I agree... and that's exactly a problem for me now here in England ...

I bought almost all my vintage Parkers with Fine nibs from American sellers.

[es9]

26 minutes ago, gyasko said:

Medium and broad nibs are more common in the made in England 51s.  Americans preferred narrower nibs.  Fines are far more common in the USA.

 

Fascinating.  I wonder why that was.  

[JotterAddict62]

On 1/31/2021 at 12:19 PM, FarmBoy said:

What's not to like?

Show off. I will not even enter the contest. Nice group of pens.

[es9]

51 minutes ago, JotterAddict62 said:

Show off. I will not even enter the contest. Nice group of pens.

 

+1.  Love the hammered cap!

[FarmBoy]

2 hours ago, JotterAddict62 said:

Show off. I will not even enter the contest. Nice group of pens.

Catherine is a bit special.

Thanks all.

[es9]

6 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Catherine is a bit special.

 

Is that a plum first year and a cap with a raised band?

[PithyProlix]

I am not a collector (though I am tempted to dive into collecting early Parker 45s ...) but a user. The Parker 51 is probably my favorite pen model. While I much prefer pens that have a minimal, non-blingy design, like the P51, for me, P51's don't look particularly good (or bad) but are charmingly reminiscent of circa 1940, American design (think cars, WWII aircraft). And, for me, it's a workaday look that matches the pen's utilitarian functionality - that combination has some appeal in and of itself. My P51s (includes regular and Specials - all aeromatic - never had a vacumatic) are all robust, sturdy, reliable, always start without hesitation, never skip, feel better to write with than any of my other pens, and write as good or better than any. After my father died I found his stash of fountain pens - mostly very used and sitting, with dried-out ink, for about 40 years - and all I had to do was flush them out, ink them up and they worked perfectly. I had to tinker with his other pens - Sheaffers (all snorkels) and Esterbrooks (Js) (though both good pens in their own right) - to get them working, if I was able to get them working at all.