Parker P51- WOW

[awarrenj]

Thanks for the tips on getting my vintage Parker 51; Got it from Parker51.com. I know I am saying what all of you have known for years but this pen writes beautifully. I have been collecting new pens, some rather pricey but this 51 writes better than most of them. I have been reluctant to buy on Ebay since I am new to the 51's but some of you may have had good experiences with sellers there and if so I would appreciate that info. 

While I have heard that these pens were great, I now have experienced it and intend to move further.

[Barry Gabay]

Hello Kentucky, 

 

Welcome to the club. It's a mighty large & happy one. There is nothing quite like a Parker 51, a brilliantly designed piece of functional beauty.  You have discovered a truth which many people are delighted to learn: that nibs made when nearly every writer used a fountain pen are generally superior to many current nibs. Those pens and their nibs were meant to be used daily, not collected and admired. Congratulations again on your happy discovery.

 

Happy Holidays.

Best wishes, 

Barry

[TheRedBeard]

9 hours ago, awarrenj said:

Thanks for the tips on getting my vintage Parker 51; Got it from Parker51.com. I know I am saying what all of you have known for years but this pen writes beautifully. I have been collecting new pens, some rather pricey but this 51 writes better than most of them. I have been reluctant to buy on Ebay since I am new to the 51's but some of you may have had good experiences with sellers there and if so I would appreciate that info. 

While I have heard that these pens were great, I now have experienced it and intend to move further.

Congratulations and welcome to the club!  

I totally agree with Barry (above) on all points  

And I have no doubts your love to P51 will keep growing over time...

P51 is one of my daily pens, always inked...

 

[inkstainedruth]

When I first got on FPN (more than a decade ago) I found that there were a lot of raves for vintage 51s.  I have to thank OcalaFLGuy  (who hasn't been on here for awhile -- hope he's okay) who walked me through what questions to ask sellers on eBay about condition (such as closeup pix of the nibs and tipping, and whether there was any other damage) and scoped out some for me, giving me his opinion of what specific pens SHOULD go for price wise.  While I did end up getting my first couple on my own (including a Plum Demi) for decent prices, his assistance was invaluable to a newbie like I was).  

@awarrenj-- So what did you get?  An Aerometric or a 51 Vac?  And what's the nib on it?  My first one was a Teal 51 Aero,F nib, with a rolled gold cap, and after writing with it?  I was absolutely hooked on 51s.   

The great thing about 51 Aeros in particular, is that a very good percentage of the time they just need a good flushing out -- check out the pinned thread "So You've Found your First 51 in the Wild" (and I've found that information to be invaluable for other vintage pens as well).  And I've gotten very lucky over the years and have found some at estate sales and antiques shops for really great prices.

Now if I could just find one with a B nib, or a full-size Plummer (probably too much to hope for both on one pen), that didn't cost me an arm and a leg and another arm.... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[es9]

Welcome indeed! I don’t always have one inked, but I personally believe the 51 Aero is the best designed FP of all time. 

[amk]

The Parker 51 is a lovely pen, isn't it? I have found a few bargains in my time - like a perfect grey aero for one euro which turned out to have a lovely fat nib - and I now have a little posse of customized 51's as well. I think no other fountain pen has so many customized versions and it's not just the availability of lots of spares that is responsible for that, it's the classic nature of the pen. They are just solid quality, nib to barrel end, and they are *so* ergonomic, so comfortable in the hand. So welcome to the club and enjoy your Parker 51!

[peroride]

22 hours ago, awarrenj said:

I know I am saying what all of you have known for years but this pen writes beautifully.

Seriously, right!

 

I have a ton of pens and prefer modern over vintage, but Parker 51 is just a pure home run classic and I say this as a former unimpressed lurker. That cliche that everyone has to own a P51 is really true. Pull the cap and write, classic good looks, tool that grows down the generations, zero maintenance, etc.  It was only when I too got my first one at a pen show that I realized the gravity of difference and I had already owed the modern clone, Wing Sung 601.

 

Write on, vintage Parker 51! 

[awarrenj]

Thanks for all your comments. I am now using my P51 on a daily basis, I didn't intend to but it is such a great writer I couldn't resist. I am moving on seeking to expand my collection of P51's. Thanks again!!!

[TheRedBeard]

On 12/27/2022 at 3:47 AM, es9 said:

Welcome indeed! I don’t always have one inked, but I personally believe the 51 Aero is the best designed FP of all time. 

+1. Absolutely agree. 

[stoen]

Hello, everybody,

Initially, I didn’t believe I’d join the club, since all the 51s I’ve tried over the last 30+ years had been somewhat unresponsive writers for my taste, no matter how huge my technological admiration for the model and its inventors had been (I mean, where was MB back in 1939, just to compare?).

 

Then it all changed overnight. Here’s my P51 story:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223983-youve-got-your-first-found-in-the-wild-parker-51-in-your-hand-now-what/page/15/#comment-4578877

 

And now, I also became a proud owner of the most famous pen ever!

 

Congratulations and enjoy many years of writing pleasure, @awarrenj.

🙂

 

 

[Estycollector]

16 minutes ago, stoen said:

Hello, everybody,

Initially, I didn’t believe I’d join the club, since all the 51s I’ve tried over the last 30+ years had been somewhat unresponsive writers for my taste, no matter how huge my technological admiration for the model and its inventors had been (I mean, where was MB back in 1939, just to compare?).

 

Then it all changed overnight. Here’s my P51 story:

 

https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/223983-youve-got-your-first-found-in-the-wild-parker-51-in-your-hand-now-what/page/15/#comment-4578877

 

And now, I also became a proud owner of the most famous pen ever!

 

Congratulations and enjoy many years of writing pleasure, @awarrenj.

🙂

 

 

I read once that Ann Frank used a Montblanc, "“My fountain pen was always one of my most prized possessions; I valued it highly, especially because it had a thick nib, and I can only write neatly with thick nibs. It has led a long and interesting fountain-pen life”

[stoen]

1 hour ago, Estycollector said:

I read once that Ann Frank used a Montblanc, "“My fountain pen was always one of my most prized possessions; I valued it highly, especially because it had a thick nib, and I can only write neatly with thick nibs. It has led a long and interesting fountain-pen life”

Thanks for your remark. Not Anne Frank only, but Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy, John Paul II and many true heroes of our times have written with a MB in their most challenging moments. 

 

Like many of us, I also write with a MB149 as my preferred pen since my high school days. It has a great thick architect-grind nib. But this is not what my comparison was all about. It was about substantial technological research and development that no one but Parker dared to risk back then in ‘39. MontBlancs of that period have basically borrowed much of their technology from Pelikan, eventually taking it just one step further (telescopic piston filler). But P51 was the first FP (after 1929 Pelikan 100) reinvented from the ground up, and it historically paid off. No air travel issues too. Today it still looks and behaves modern. Back in 39, it must have looked as if from another planet.