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I recently acquired an emerald pearl streamlined standard second generation vacumatic. At first I thought the blindcap jewel was black, but on a closer look it’s machined from the emerald pearl celluloid, but not in the usual orientation. Is this a common thing? I'll attach some photos, but it’s difficult to capture and it’s visible only from a shallow angle.

... and doing my 51 homework. After losing nearly 15 Fleabay auctions due largely to the fear of making a poor auction decision, I developed some testicularity and assured myself of my worst fears ... perhaps. I simply could not wait any longer, to own a vintage 51, albeit a modest one. My auction yielded a 51 Special set (with pencil), described as Burgundy. 1st question: Does it ever come to pass that a burgundy turns out to be a plum? I absolutely love the color of these two pieces, but they are awfully dark .... The photo quality is of little help, as are most of course. Were specials ever turned out in plum (48 - 49, right?). Does the black jewel of this pen place it in 1950? It does not have the gold nib, perhaps makimg it an early Special? Also, have been reading the debate about whether to first disassemble a vintage 51 sold unrestored or first soaking and flushing the pen aggressively as a first step. I've chosen the latter as I'm still waiting for some orange shellac in the mail. The pen is flushing a fair quanity of blue-black ink, but the sac is supple and responsive. Another question, under magnification, the barrel shows absolutely no stamps. Is it possible they are worn away? The color match between the pencil and the pen barrel are exact, but the pencil yields "Parker. Made in U.S.A." The pen's cap offers the same, but there is nothing embossed anywhere on the barrel. Lastly, the pencil is the twist fill mechanism. The eraser was slightly used and the pen was full of 0.09mm Hard led, and made me GIDDY when I unwrapped it and wrote with it. I think no matter the outcome, I'm overjoyed to finally own a vintage 51, and will try to ink it up after an overnight soak. I'm very curious as to what condition the breather tube is in and hoping it doesnt quite need to be replaced, just sayin... Many thanks in advance for your collective expertises ... (Staying positive, I'm flushing my Meisterstuck 146 tonight with the hopes that the 51 can give it a siesta for a while) 👀. 🙏