Parker 51 — what is the appeal?

[Beechwood]

The appeal to me is that it is a piece of history, a radical departure from all other pens at the time.

 

Very well made, expertly designed and uses the best available materials.

 

No other pen is still talked about quite so much 50 years after its production.

 

The value increases steadily year on year, one of the few inflation proof purchases that you can make and enjoy using it at the same time.

[FarmBoy]

7 hours ago, es9 said:

 

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

Catherine is a Cordovan first year with a matte finish gold filled cap with polished band.  Definitely fits the rare cap description. Certainly is among the least well known. Usually worn smooth. This one was refrosted after dent removal. 

[Charles Rice]

I've said it before - I bought mine new near the end of their run.  One of my least favorite pens.

[joss]

On 1/31/2021 at 7:19 PM, FarmBoy said:

What's not to like?

 

Very very nice. Also the pen in the middle seems a bit special. Is that a single jewel Nassau green?

[Beechwood]

This special 51 was given by Eisenhower to Andrew Cunningham for his WW2 service

 

[joss]

52 minutes ago, Beechwood said:

This special 51 was given by Eisenhower to Andrew Cunningham for his WW2 service

 

 

Whaauw, that is a great find!

I remember previous FPN discussions on the possible "unique" colour of these gift pens. Is the colour of this pen Yellowstone or Buckskin or is it something else indeed?  

 

[Beechwood]

25 minutes ago, joss said:

 

Whaauw, that is a great find!

I remember previous FPN discussions on the possible "unique" colour of these gift pens. Is the colour of this pen Yellowstone or Buckskin or is it something else indeed?  

 

There was an extensive thread on the Eisenhower 51s on FPN with documentation from the Eisenhower Museum, the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and letters to and from Kenneth Parker.

 

I think that there were eight pens in all and all given by Ike to people who made a significant contribution to the War effort, one of who was Andrew Cunningham, I forget his precise title, something to the effect of Commander in Chief for Allied Forces in the Mediterranean. If anyone has some insight  I would like to know who the other Parker 51 recipients might have been.

 

The pens have an inscription, not done by Parker as I recall, if the other pens can be tracked down I would like to think that the inscription has been retained,

 

It was said that the color was unique, I am not sure if that is accurate as opposed to limited.  The color, I think Farmboy made the comment, changed considerably over the years. I have seen the Cunningham pen and in daylight looks to be every inch a cocoa  aero, especially as I could not see an end cap,  even from 12 inches away.

 

This pic came from the NMM, with the end cap removed.

[Estycollector]

The OP might want to just know why, but is already interested.

 

I chose a Wing Sung 601 for $19 first before deciding on a vintage 51. 
 

Another option is finding a nice 21.

[amk]

Lots of truth above. Parker 51 is a classic for its looks. It's a fantastically engineered machine, the collector in particular being a piece of genius and the clutch system a really good way of keeping a slide-on top tight (many of my Waterman 1980s pens and Lamy Safaris are getting a bit loose). It just feels quality - even a pen with a few dings, the Lucite is great material, it feels satisfying heavy in the land, the caps will take punishment - it's a workhorse, but one built with aerodynamic looks.

 

And another thing I love about it is that there are lots of custom mods on the market, from Kullock's lurid acrylic bodies and hammered silver caps to Bexley beauties and other custom jobs. 

 

Plus if anything does go wrong, there are so many 51s about that you can get spares easily.

 

Downside? I'm one of those people who manages to rotate pens in my fingers, and the hidden nib can be a pest just occasionally. And too many come with M nibs for my liking... Not exactly a deal breaker, but I am waiting for a nice stub to turn up.

[FarmBoy]

Ike’s pens were buckskin single jewels as far as we know. A configuration almost never seen. 

[FarmBoy]

4 minutes ago, amk said:

Lots of truth above. Parker 51 is a classic for its looks. It's a fantastically engineered machine, the collector in particular being a piece of genius and the clutch system a really good way of keeping a slide-on top tight (many of my Waterman 1980s pens and Lamy Safaris are getting a bit loose). It just feels quality - even a pen with a few dings, the Lucite is great material, it feels satisfying heavy in the land, the caps will take punishment - it's a workhorse, but one built with aerodynamic looks.

 

And another thing I love about it is that there are lots of custom mods on the market, from Kullock's lurid acrylic bodies and hammered silver caps to Bexley beauties and other custom jobs. 

 

Plus if anything does go wrong, there are so many 51s about that you can get spares easily.

 

Downside? I'm one of those people who manages to rotate pens in my fingers, and the hidden nib can be a pest just occasionally. And too many come with M nibs for my liking... Not exactly a deal breaker, but I am waiting for a nice stub to turn up.

Buy a retipped  nib. 

[Beechwood]

1 hour ago, FarmBoy said:

Ike’s pens were buckskin single jewels as far as we know. A configuration almost never seen. 

 

A letter from Kenneth Parker in describing the special pens for Ike says 'These pens, by the way, like the set made for you, would be in a special Ike Eisenhower color (a khaki tan) and that color restricted afterwards'.

 

Nine pens were sent to Ike and the intended recipients included Cunningham, General Alexander, Air Chief Marshall Tedder, General Patton, General Bradley, General Spaatz plus others.

 

The pens arrived in their own leather cases, the one that I have seen looked to be similar to the regular P51 case to which  a small brass plaque has been attached, this may not have been contemporary to the pen as it was presented , Ike talks about the inscription on the pen but nothing as regards a plaque on the box.  Ike also sent a bottle of ink with each pen.

 

In March 1944 another set of pens and pencils was sent by Parker to Ike which appears to have been unsolicited, in fact a surprise. The color of these pens was not recorded in Ike's letters.

 

The original question was, what is the appeal of the 51, QED

 

 

[amk]

1 hour ago, FarmBoy said:

Buy a retipped  nib. 

I might. I remember  51 that had a fantastic nib, it looked like Bugs Bunny's teeth for crying out loud... and I missed out on it on eBay. Damn!!!!

[es9]

1 hour ago, Beechwood said:

Ike also sent a bottle of ink with each pen.

 

...hopefully not Superchrome...

[Beechwood]

13 minutes ago, es9 said:

 

...hopefully not Superchrome...

 

 

He didn't say other than 'here is a bottle of ink which is particularly suited to the 51', so it probably was Superchrome.

[Turquoise88]

23 hours 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.

That’s interesting — I think it’s the case with other vintage pens as well.  I have had a harder time finding medium nibs on American-made vintage pens than I have on European-made vintage pens.  

[Steveg58]

I used them when I was at school. We used to get a lot of my stationary from the auctions of things left on the busses. I found them hard to clean and impossible to adjust. Back then I would have given my eye teeth for a modern twist converter. By the time I was in university all my 51's had been binned and I was using only cartridge pens, Rotring technical drawing pens and ball points. To be honest, I always found the fountain pens more reliable than ball points and Rotring technical drawing pens more reliable than either. Pity none of them survived through all the moves in the 80s and 90s.

[Checklist]

On 1/29/2021 at 10:24 AM, Turquoise88 said:

I’d enjoy hearing from 51 devotees regarding what makes this pen so special

 

I wouldn't consider myself a devotee, as I prefer the 61, but my 51 is one of my favorite pens for several reasons.  First and foremost is the quality of the writing.  It has a medium nib and is very smooth.  Writes immediately with no skipping or hard starts (unless it is low on ink).  It is not very flexible, due to the hood, but it was designed to be a reliable, high quality writing instrument, not an art tool. 

 

Second, it is a very reliable pen.  Mine is later in the series (1960s, I think), and the Aerometric filler is just as good as the day it came out of the factory.  It also is very similar to a converter, so it is easy to learn to use and to clean, an advantage it has over the 61.  Just be aware that the earlier Vacummatics will probably require professional restoration at some point as the diaphragm deteriorates.

 

It also holds a lot of ink relative to modern pens.  Something on the order of 50-100% more than your typical converter.  It will write for a while.

 

Finally, yes, the design is understated, which is what we call plain when we like it.  I much prefer the 61's design myself, but I have come to appreciate the 51's looks as well.  However, you really have to hold it to understand its quality.  After 50+ years, it still feels higher quality than some modern pens I have had. 

 

So, in summary, it is enjoyable to write with, reliable, holds a lot of ink, and has a great feel in the hand.  You can get one or most of those qualities from a single pen, but can you get it for $80?  That's what my pen and pencil set cost this summer at That Worldwide Garage Sale (apologies to Weird Al).  Eight decades after initial introduction, and it still hits that sweet spot.  Hard to have a better recommendation than that.

[corgicoupe]

I am rather surprised that the Parker VS is so rarely mentioned as an alternative to the Parker 51. Before pulling the cap off, most would identify the VS as a 51 unless they noticed the blind cap for the button filler. After removing the cap, there is negligible difference in the hand between the 51 and the VS, and it's a pleasure to see that open nib.

[FarmBoy]

5 hours ago, corgicoupe said:

I am rather surprised that the Parker VS is so rarely mentioned as an alternative to the Parker 51. Before pulling the cap off, most would identify the VS as a 51 unless they noticed the blind cap for the button filler. After removing the cap, there is negligible difference in the hand between the 51 and the VS, and it's a pleasure to see that open nib.

Yeah but some of the colors channel bad things...