The Parker 51 Colors Survey

[diplomat]

Hello everybody,

Just for fun, I'd like to make a survey between our members to see which P51 color is more represented in FPN and which color is the one you like best for the two ranges (Vac and Aero).

 

• 
   
  
• The first list is intended to collect data for the "owned" colors: you can have multiple choice here of course. If you have more than one specimen in a given color, that cannot be registered, sorry. For the list I considered all the colors made in the Vac and MkI Aero, even mantaining the two blacks and including the UK only colors. You don't have to stick to the full size 51 only: Specials and Demis are welcomed as well.
  
• For the "preferred" colors I gave one choice only per range. With "preferred" I want to know just your personal preference, with no relation to cachet or market desiderability of the colors. Clearly you don't have to own a color to make it your "preferred".
  

 

As benchmark I used the Binder's table.

 

As for myself, I do have Cedar and Cordovan from the vac era and the Cocoa from the aeros. But I think I love the Mustard Yellow best (Cocoa is still ahead in the Aero range).

 

Plus, I have one question regarding colors: I wonder why the 1948 catalogue correctly reports the 8 available colors, while the 1941 catalog only lists the first four (Black, Blue, Gray, Brown). Were the others colors available from the first year as well as stated by Binders and others? Why they are not catalogued?

 

Thanks and have fun.

 

Andre

[sumgaikid]

In the Parker 51 book,David Sheperd indicates that the last three colors

of the beginning P51 spectrum--Buckskin Beige,Mustard and Nassau Green--

were rarely ever seen in advertising. That gives me the impression that

1)They weren't made until later,but well before 1948(my guess is 1944 or

1945). 2)There was the interruption of WW2 when Parker went to making war

materiels. Parker advertising during that time indicated that the production

of P51's would be cut back out of necessity. 3)Most P51's in those three

colors were made between 1945 and 1948(If someone has a P51 in any of those

three colors made after 1942 but before 1945,then I stand corrected.).

By this time the US was winning the war on both fronts. Parker could start

to increase production of the 51 again. Consider also that most examples

of these three colors are seen with date codes of 1945,1946,1947 and 1948.

 

 

John

[richardandtracy]

I have a British Bloody Burgundy & love it.

I would like a Plum, as the colour is beautiful, but nonetheless I prefer the Burgundy. The other colours are all a bit so-so.

 

Regards,

 

Richard.

[gregamckinney]

I have all the US colors except for Nassau Green. The NG is my favorite color, but I limited my vote to pens I own, so Mustard for vacs and Flighter for aero.

Overall favorite, by far is the Flighter.

 

My flighter currently is wearing the green ripple section from one of the Bexley after-market aero 51 shells. My Flighter also has a broad stub on it (retip by Greg Minuskin.)

 

Regards, greg

[gyasko]

The Flighter is my favourite 51, but i don't consider the Flighter a colour. I voted for Cedar & Midnight blue.

[Bill Smith]

You mean I have to choose? In my vac 51's I have India Black, two cedar blues, one Dove Grey and one Cordovon. On the Aerometric side of the collection, I have one black, two midnight blue, two Navy Grey (North America), one burgundy set, one Dark Green, and a UK Teal MKIII.

 

I do want to get my hands on a Nassau Green Vac, and Plum, UK Bloody Burgundy,UK Navy Grey and a Flighter.

[argonavis]

I have four 51s. They are all grey. If (when?) I get a fifth, it will be grey. I like my coffee black, and my 51s grey.

[skybird]

Got a spectrum, I s'pose, but my real favourite looker is the demo vacu.

Granted it is a Kullock, but if I had a real McCoy it would NOT be in my pocket ;-)))

 

So this "colour" is left off the poll unless I missed it.

[diplomat]

In the Parker 51 book,David Sheperd indicates that the last three colors of the beginning P51 spectrum--Buckskin Beige,Mustard and Nassau Green--

were rarely ever seen in advertising. That gives me the impression that

1)They weren't made until later,but well before 1948(my guess is 1944 or 1945).

2)There was the interruption of WW2 when Parker went to making war materiels. Parker advertising during that time indicated that the production of P51's would be cut back out of necessity.

3)Most P51's in those three colors were made between 1945 and 1948(If someone has a P51 in any of those three colors made after 1942 but before 1945,then I stand corrected.).

 

By this time the US was winning the war on both fronts. Parker could start to increase production of the 51 again.

Consider also that most examples of these three colors are seen with date codes of 1945,1946,1947 and 1948.

 

 

John

 

John, thank you very much indeed, that was the info I was looking for.

This makes much more sense to me than the "plain" 1941-48 production stated elsewere.

I need to get a copy of the 51 book, it should be a fine reading.

 

Cheers,

A.

[diplomat]

I just read a post in Pentrace where an hypothesis is made that the Plum color could have been in production for two years only (1948-1949).

Can someone comment on this? Does anybody have a Plum with later (or no) datecode?

 

Thanks,

[piembi]

I like my burgundy P51s and the teal P51 with the silver cap was growing on me, too.

But I really hope to find a Midnight Blue P51 one day!

[Dlpens]

I just read a post in Pentrace where an hypothesis is made that the Plum color could have been in production for two years only (1948-1949).

Can someone comment on this? Does anybody have a Plum with later (or no) datecode?

 

Thanks,

 

I have never seen a Parker plum with a date code other than 1948 or 1949. Mine are dated 1948. Plum is a very unusual color and many pens on Ebay are often referred to a Plums but in reality are cordovan. In fact just the other night I was with a collector who produced 2 plum like 51s. I had to view them under an Ott light to really determine the color because the color really looked like plum until examined under the right lighting. I purchased a plum 51 this summer at an outdoor flea market and had no qualms about it being a plum - in direct sunlight the color just popped out. So try to use the date code as another indicator. Don

[Glenn-SC]

The date codes on my pens are:

 

Plum - 3rd Qtr 1949

 

Buckskin Beige - 2nd Qtr 1944

 

Yellowstone - 4th Qtr 1945

[adyf]

My 51's are:

 

Black Vac

 

Midnight blue aerometric with lustraloy cap

 

Black aerometric with lustraloy cap

 

Black aerometric with custom cap

 

Plum aerometric with lustraloy cap and matching pencil (boxed)

 

Plum aerometric with custom cap

 

Signet

 

Flighter

[Aysedasi]

I have 5:-

 

Midnight Blue Aerometric (set with pencil) - curretly awaiting nib transplant!

 

Burgundy Vac - medium nib

 

Burgundy Aerometric - Broad nib

 

Black Aerometric - Left oblique broad (steel) nib

 

Black Vac - Broken nib butchered to smooth writing stub nib

[Desfeuilles]

Voting for my favorite reminds me that I cannot afford a Nassau Green '51.'

 

That said, I love my '51' in Forest Green, with a .4mm stub from Mr. Binder. At some point, I'd also like to have a nice Cedar Blue Vac with a smooth fine nib. The Nassau Green may never happen. Arrggh!

 

Christian

[Garageboy]

I like Mustard Yellow, but too much of a grail for me. My favorite combo is Lustraloy cap, and Teal or Cedar blue

[diplomat]

I want to thank the community for such impressive response: until today 70 members participated to the poll and 441 "51" were assessed, I think we have here a pretty representative sample of the "surviving" 51s (yes, I know they were millions...).

 

Just to sum up the results so far:

- Everyone has at least one black 51s.
- The Vacs colors are pretty much splitted between the "normal" colors (which occupy four out of the first five positions) and the "rare" colors, (again four of the last five positions) which are all more rare than the Plum itself.
- Within the Aero Colors, with the exception of the Black and the Plum, all of them are almost equally represented (with numbers from 20 to 28).
- The metal pens rate like a "less common" Aero Color.

Finally, the rarest of them all is the (in) famous "Bloody" British Burgundy.

Here are the standings so far:

Total FPN Members "51"	T	441	100%
India Black	V	41	9,3%
Black	A	40	9,1%
Blue Cedar	V	38	8,6%
Dove Gray	V	37	8,4%
Cordovan Brown	V	30	6,8%
Burgundy	A	28	6,4%
Teal Blue	A	28	6,4%
Navy Gray	A	26	5,9%
Midnight Blue	A	25	5,7%
Forest Green	A	22	5,0%
Cocoa	A	20	4,5%
Flighter	A	20	4,5%
Signet	A	19	4,3%
Plum	A	15	3,4%
Buckskin Beige	V	13	3,0%
Mustard Yellow	V	11	2,5%
Navy Gray (UK)	V	11	2,5%
Nassau Green	V	9	2,0%
Bloody Burgundy	A	8	1,8%

 

If you did not partecipate yet, cast your vote to make the survey even more accurate.

Cheers,

A.

[Glenn-SC]

I want to thank the community for such impressive response: until today <B>70</B> members participated to the poll and <B>441</B> "51" were assessed, I think we have here a pretty representative sample of the "surviving" 51s (yes, I know they were millions...).

Not to muddy things, but how did you arrive at the 441 value?

You asked if we "had a pen of each specific color", not "how many pens we had of each specific color".

I have 55 "51"s by myself.

If you asked "how many pens we had of each specific color" I would guess you'd derive a MUCH HIGHER number of pens.

 

But interesting poll.

[karmakoda]

I am fortunate to have two Parker 51's- Aerometric Black with Lustraloy Cap made in England

- Aerometric Navy Gray Special with Lustraloy Cap US made

 

I am not 100% certain of the colour of my second pen. It is a green, to my eye, but a military grayish green. Is there a source for seeing the colours? I should probably read all the replies; perhaps this is a redundant question.

My son has a P51 Special in Black and Lustraloy, extra mint and beautiful.

Looks like I am in the main stream when saying I would like to aquire a Cedar Blue.