Jump to content

Parker 51 (original) Prices in 2021 :)

TheRedBeard

By TheRedBeard
in Parker

 Share

Recommended Posts

inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

Posted
Posted

I agree with what Parker51 said.  They were the flagship line for Parker for something like 20 years, and they apparently stopped counting how many they made after the 12 MILLIONTH one rolled off the assembly line.  

There are probably a LOT of collectors out there who just put theirs into display cases and don't use them.  I have about a dozen or so but mine do get used.  Someday I'd like to be able to afford a full sized Plum Aero, and maybe one of the Yellowstone 51 Vacs.  But am not going stir-crazy in the meantime, due to the prices that are being asked at this point (even the Plum Demi I found on eBay a number of years ago, and which was-- then -- a decent price, and which is probably my favorite pen, would not be that inexpensive now).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • Replies 110
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • TheRedBeard

    36

  • Carguy

    18

  • Glenn-SC

    11

  • inkstainedruth

    9

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Posted Images

TheRedBeard Vintage

TheRedBeard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
15 minutes ago, Parker51 said:

I believe there are still a large amount of later Parker 51s in the wild and typically the prices for them are quite reasonable, but early ones have for the most part left their original owners possession. Thus the early 51s one finds in the wild are pens inherited from older relatives, unwanted and perhaps having sat unused for half a century or more. I am seeing this less and less often, but prices for them can be quite reasonable.

 

However, early Parker 51s that are in dealer and collectors possession are not low priced at this point. This appears to be despite them existing in very large quantities. It is my understanding that many dealers and most collectors are simply keeping prices at what they believe is a reasonable level based in part on comparative value of other pens, cost of having obtained said pens, cost associated with restoration and the cost of replacement.


The reason I believe that the price of early Parker 51s holding their value and in some cases increasing in value despite there being plentiful as apparently violating the laws of supply and demand is due to a misunderstanding of the laws of supply and demand. 
 

The laws of supply and demand work most perfectly with regard to commodities and products which act like commodities. As such one needs to think of not just early Parker 51s, but all comparable pens. The net supply of comparable pens such as these is actually decreasing as some of Parker’s competitors made fine pens out of materials that means they have literally have fallen apart and honestly, even the material early 51s were made of is starting to show its age and loose its thermoplastic capabilities. And while any given national market may be decreasing, the size and mass of Fountain Pens lend themselves to easy and comparatively low cost movement from market to market and the global market is increasing for Fountain Pens, including vintage ones. 
 

Also, one needs to consider the cost of new Fountain Pens, which in many cases is higher than early Parker 51s, including the currently made new Parker 51. 
 

This all creates a situation where marketers of early Parker 51s can continue to sell them at their current price levels without dropping prices, and since replacement pens can’t be obtained at low (wholesale) cost, the pens will only be marked down a little and only as the entire market decreases in value. 

 

Thank you, Parker51. Very good and accurate observation I am inclined to agree with :) 

Your mentioning of supply and demand law working for commodities perhaps  reelects the real situation with original rare P51s which are not commodities but collectables instead, and thus, prices for them are actually  controlled by collectors...

The most collectors I have ever met are pretty reasonable people and know very well what is a real price for any particular 51 of particular condition today. 

The bigger problems is amateurs and dilettanti who may cause distorting or inflate prices quite often... and it is the case not only for 51s but for other vintage Parker models. 

 

 

All the best is only beginning now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 months later...
TheRedBeard Vintage

TheRedBeard

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Earlier this night Parker 51 rolled-silver cap+barrel with a bit unusual burgundy section has been sold on UK eBay for £820 :) 

It seems it is absolute record of the prices paid for P51s on UK eBay...

Do anyone need any more proof that P51 is the best FP even designed and made??? ;) 

And will you buy to buy a rubbish NG51 after that??? ;) 

 

All the best is only beginning now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
FarmBoy Museum Piece

FarmBoy

Posted
Posted

I don’t think that is a record price for a 51 on eBay. 

San Francisco International Pen Show - The next “Funnest Pen Show” is on schedule for August 23-24-25, 2024.  Watch the show website for registration details. 
 

My PM box is usually full. Just email me: my last name at the google mail address.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Glenn-SC Donor Pen

Glenn-SC

Posted
Posted
3 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

I don’t think that is a record price for a 51 on eBay. 

+1

And the price someone pays for any single item (and there may be numerous reasons someone is willing to pay an incredibly high price for any pen, from it’s just like the pen Grandpa had to it’s the missing color in their collection to they were drunk and hate to lose auctions) does not necessarily make it “better” functionally or a better value than any other pen available. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheRedBeard Vintage

TheRedBeard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
7 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

I don’t think that is a record price for a 51 on eBay. 

In 2022 so far, I mean ... ;) 

All the best is only beginning now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Bristol24 Vintage

Bristol24

Posted
Posted

I have 7 Parker 51s, 4 of which could be said to be "collection worthy."  I keep at least two inked at any given time, even though I have dozens of conventional fountain pens from which to choose.  The Parker 51 was an "expensive" pen when it was introduced in 1941 at $12.50 which in today's dollars (which are losing value as I type this) would be about $256 and that was for the basic, unadorned "51."  The price of a vintage "51" will continue to climb.  There's no question of that. I believe that it still represents the pinnacle of fountain pen design, especially the Aerometric.  King Charles would be much happier with a regally adorned Aerometric "51", I'm sure.  If he is seen with one at his next signing we can expect collector values to bump.

 

Cliff

“The only thing most people do better than anyone else is read their own handwriting.”  John Adams

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Carguy Vintage

Carguy

Posted
Posted

I have been stalking a set with rolled silver caps today, but I think it will be over $200 when it ends later today, and I can’t justify that. A full rolled silver 51, which I’ve never seen before, went for close to $1000 yesterday.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
TheRedBeard Vintage

TheRedBeard

Posted
  • Author
Posted
20 minutes ago, Carguy said:

..... A full rolled silver 51, which I’ve never seen before, went for close to $1000 yesterday.

Yes, it was the one I mentioned above: sold for £820 on eBay UK. 

All the best is only beginning now...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Carguy Vintage

Carguy

Posted
Posted
18 minutes ago, TheRedBeard said:

Yes, it was the one I mentioned above: sold for £820 on eBay UK. 

It was sure pretty, but my lust stopped at $300

Link to comment
Share on other sites
inkstainedruth Ancient Artifact

inkstainedruth

Posted
Posted

My lust would have ended WAY before $300.  The most I EVER paid was about $120 US (including the buyers' premium) at an auction at a pen show a few years ago -- UK production Navy Gray Aero, and I was bidding on the OB nib as much as anything).  The low end was the Forest Green Aero with the EF nib -- two bucks at an estate sale, and it wasn't until I went on the Parker Forum going "I've just out-sumgai'd MYSELF that I found it was one of the rarer colors.  Most of the rest of the stash were in the $50-80 range, including repairs on a couple of the 51 Vacs.  But then, I'm also NOT a c-worder....  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Most Contributions

    1. amberleadavis
      amberleadavis
      43844
    2. PAKMAN
      PAKMAN
      33583
    3. Ghost Plane
      Ghost Plane
      28220
    4. inkstainedruth
      inkstainedruth
      26772
    5. jar
      jar
      26105

  • Upcoming Events

  • Blog Comments

    • Shanghai Knife Dude
      Links to web pages or articles about Chinese typesetting, signwriting, etc.

      By Shanghai Knife Dude · Posted

      I have the Sailor Naginata and some fancy blade nibs coming after 2022 by a number of new workshop from China.  With all my respect, IMHO, they are all (bleep) in doing chinese characters.  Go use a bush, or at least a bush pen. 
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      It is the reason why I'm so keen on the idea of a personal library — of pens, nibs, inks, paper products, etc. — and spent so much money, as well as time and effort, to “build” it for myself (because I can't simply remember everything, especially as I'm getting older fast) and my wife, so that we can “know”; and, instead of just disposing of what displeased us, or even just not good enough to be “given the time of day” against competition from >500 other pens and >500 other inks for our at
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      Agreed.  And I think it’s good to be aware of this early on and think about at the point of buying rather than rationalizing a purchase..
    • A Smug Dill
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By A Smug Dill · Posted

      Alas, one cannot know “good” without some idea of “bad” against which to contrast; and, as one of my former bosses (back when I was in my twenties) used to say, “on the scale of good to bad…”, it's a spectrum, not a dichotomy. Whereas subjectively acceptable (or tolerable) and unacceptable may well be a dichotomy to someone, and finding whether the threshold or cusp between them lies takes experiencing many degrees of less-than-ideal, especially if the decision is somehow influenced by factors o
    • adamselene
      Skeleton of a primer for a budding hobbyist

      By adamselene · Posted

      I got my first real fountain pen on my 60th birthday and many hundreds of pens later I’ve often thought of what I should’ve known in the beginning. I have many pens, the majority of which have some objectionable feature. If they are too delicate, or can’t be posted, or they are too precious to face losing , still they are users, but only in very limited environments..  I have a big disliking for pens that have the cap jump into the air and fly off. I object to Pens that dry out, or leave blobs o

  • Chatbox

    You don't have permission to chat.
    Load More

  • Files






×
×
  • Create New...