Parker "51" retail display case

[geoduc]

The following are photographs of a Parker retail display case that I purchased back in 1988. At the time, I was not particularly interested in fountain pens. The case was owned by a rock and mineral shop in a small town in eastern Washington state - they were going out of business and selling off everything in the store. The display case was very dirty and the top glass was badly scratched, but the price was right and I thought it would be perfect for displaying some of my other (non pen related) collections. It came home with me, and after a new piece of glass on the top and some cleanup work, it turned into a very nice piece:

 

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Front view

 

 

The display case is made from oak with a lacquered brass top frame and is quite large: 6 feet (183 cm) long, 40 inches (100 cm) tall, and 24 inches (60 cm) deep. It has a fluorescent light tube in the front of the case, five drawers in the back, and five hinged sections that open from the back to allow access to the case contents.

 

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Rear view

 

 

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Top view showing one of the hinged sections open. Quite an ingenious design.

 

 

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The Parker logo is etched into the glass and lights up quite nicely when the fluorescent tube is turned on. You can see a series of holes on the front of the trays (red arrow) - under the right lighting, a very faint impression of 'Parker "51"' is visible. I assume there were metal pieces spelling this out that were inserted into these holes, but unfortunately they were gone before I acquired the case.

 

 

The gray part of the trays is painted with the following slogans:

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Some previous owner had apparently glued something onto the trays in the past and there is still glue residue present. I have tried gently cleaning it off, but it doesn't remove easily and I don't want to damage it further so I have covered the trays in a non-permanent manner for my uses.

 

There is also a manufacturer's logo on the back of the case indicating that it was made by the Columbus Showcase Company in Columbus, Ohio. Soon after I acquired the case, I contacted them to see what they could tell me about the history of the piece. I was put in touch with a very helpful gentleman who had been with the company for a long time. He asked me to send him photos and from them was able to tell me that the case was made in the 1940's. Surprisingly, he even had a set of keys and a couple of spare locks that he was kind enough to send me.

 

Anyway, I thought some of you might enjoy seeing a bit of Parker history. My pen collection will never be large enough to use it for its intended purpose (although I did buy a 1948 Parker 51 fountain pen that I keep in the drawers). I plan to continue to use and preserve the case for many years, at which point it will probably be passed down to my son. He is a regular fountain pen user and I trust will keep the case in good condition.

 

If anyone on the forum can provide further information about the history of this or similar retail showcases, I'd love to hear it.

[Juicyjones]

That thing is awesome. I guess that's a bit impractical to display your pens in your office?

[geoduc]

That thing is awesome. I guess that's a bit impractical to display your pens in your office?

 

Thanks!

 

The case is pretty impractical, especially since it needs to be set away from the wall to allow access to the back. Even so, it's a fun piece and I enjoy using it.

[johnboz]

What an amazing case! I love the fact that it still has the trays and slogans. Consider me envious!