Parker 51 Comeback 2020?

[ZeroDukE]

3 minutes ago, Mike B said:

Absolutely.

 

If Parker is smart and introduces Forest Green and Flighter models, then we have an entirely new way to complete our collections!

 

I do agree with you!

[Ferocity]

2 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Okay, lovely sentiment, but Parker really ISN'T a US company anymore -- and hasn't been for a while.  It's a French company owned by a conglomerate that's best known for making trashcans and plastic storage tubs. 

Parker doesn't even have the Newhaven plant in the UK anymore (which was torn down a few years ago -- there was a big discussion about it at the time in another thread).  Which is kinda too bad, because I think my French re-issue Vector, while nice, is not as good as the UK production Vectors.

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

interesting... You gave me the idea to compare my USA made 51 vs. my England made 51 vs. this modern French made 51. It'll never be a true comparison though because of so many variables being so different. Nib size, date of manufacture, color, age, etc... the list goes on & on, but Thank youuuuu~!

[como]

Over the years I never grew tired of reading such articles and watching related videos. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/parker-pens-ended-world-war-ii

 

I wish Parker had made a commemorative Parker 51 similar to what they did with the Parker Duofold Douglas MacArthur pen. I imagine that it would be expensive, still I would buy it. The Duofolds and 51s are true classics, with so many stories behind them.

[Estycollector]

Woulda, coulda, shoulda......

[corniche]

1 hour ago, como said:

Over the years I never grew tired of reading such articles and watching related videos. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/parker-pens-ended-world-war-ii

 

I wish Parker had made a commemorative Parker 51 similar to what they did with the Parker Duofold Douglas MacArthur pen. I imagine that it would be expensive, still I would buy it. The Duofolds and 51s are true classics, with so many stories behind them.

 

Definitely, Como. 👍

 

- Sean 

[como]

15 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

Yeah, you'd think this was the MB forum or something.... 

No kidding, Ruth! I know that you don’t like Montblanc, but if you go out and buy a fake Montblanc, we really can’t be friends any more 😉. You know what I noticed is that in the MB forum at least not many who bought the fake stuff came to the forum and bragged about it 😀.

[como]

12 hours ago, corniche said:

 

Definitely, Como. 👍

 

- Sean 

Thank you, Sean. When things are good again, I would like to go to a pen show and find a rolled gold cap 51 like the one used by Eisenhower. The cap on the Eisenhower pen is quite special so I don't expect to find exactly that. The colour, I am not sure if it is Mustard Yellow, or Buckskin Beige, or something else. Also the cap seems to be with a Blue Diamond clip, so I assume that it was a Vacumatic, not Aerometric. Hard to tell in the photo if there was a blind cap or not, though I would assume it was a Vac, not Aero.  Would much appreciate if a knowledgeable member can point out.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/parker-pens-ended-world-war-ii

https://www.thepenmarket.com/vintage-pens-blog/2018/08/vive-la-france-the-eisenhower-pen-mystery-continues/

[welch]

22 hours ago, Ferocity said:

believe me I knowwwww where you're coming from. Truly ❤️ I agree with you... there is no reason to turn down a perfectly good object, just because of where it was made. If someone gave me this jinhao as a gift I would accept it, use it, treasure it, take good care of it and hold on to it for as long as possible, but I would never buy one with money. 

 

If someone wants to buy this new Parker 51 but all they can afford is the jinhao, then... compromise and save up for a vintage made in the USA Parker 51 from someone in America, or purchase it second hand from an American mom&pops store or online seller in The United States so your money stays in the country as much as possible. Even if, let's say you want to purchase the jinhao just for comparing; then purchase it second hand from an American mom&pops store or online seller in The United States so your money stays in the country as much as possible👍I personally would not buy it though, BECAUSE I won't feel good about it. All i want is to help America, and if my logic is not flawless as a result then so be it 💔 yes I understand that my logic for why is completely flawed on so many levels. I just don't feel good promoting Chinese made products or buying them. At the end of the day, the reason why is: I am thinking with my heart and not with my brain. I'm a very logical human, so understand that "to think with my heart," is something I rarely do. The fact of the matter is though regardless of where it's made I would much rather have few things that are well-made to last a long time as opposed to a whole bunch of things that are just going to break and contaminate the planet as waste AND IF I CAN HELP THE AMERICAN ECONOMY WHILE DOING SO THEN HE!!YEAH🤷🏻‍♂️ that's why I agree with you. If it's made in China and it's well made, then what the heck right?

 

Yes I understand this Parker 51 is made in France, but as far as I know France is respectful to the America economy ❤️I want to help the economy of America as much as possible and buying Chinese made products, to me, is not directly helping America, and it may even be hurting us honestly. Sorry for the rambling, but I must point out that nothing I said was at all political, and it is 100% on topic with this discussion❤️❤️👍❤️❤️span widget

 

When I was buying Parker 51s -- about fifteen years ago -- I discovered that the best, at least for my favorite sort of mediums, came from Parker England. I hunted EBay UK. Parker England seemed to have made their P51 nibs a smidgen wider than Parker US. Having said that: I was searching for the perfect fountain pen. My two favorite pens are, first, a P51 US medium tuned by Greg Minuskin, and a P-51 Special, medium, found as-is on EBay. I peeled off a sticker when I bought it around 2009, so it might have been NOS or it might have belonged to someone who didn't bother with stickers. 

 

Sean "Corniche", how does the steel-nibbed new model 51 compare to  any of your 51 Specials?

[corniche]

9 hours ago, welch said:

Sean "Corniche", how does the steel-nibbed new model 51 compare to  any of your 51 Specials?

 

Hi Welch,

 

A very interesting question; that I cannot answer. 

 

I do not have any "octanium" (steel alloy) nibs. I never bought any 21 Supers or 51 "Specials."  So, I cant say. 

 

But I'm intrigued enough by the question that I've begun looking around for a 51S.

 

- Sean 

[FarmBoy]

17 hours ago, como said:

Thank you, Sean. When things are good again, I would like to go to a pen show and find a rolled gold cap 51 like the one used by Eisenhower. The cap on the Eisenhower pen is quite special so I don't expect to find exactly that. The colour, I am not sure if it is Mustard Yellow, or Buckskin Beige, or something else. Also the cap seems to be with a Blue Diamond clip, so I assume that it was a Vacumatic, not Aerometric. Hard to tell in the photo if there was a blind cap or not, though I would assume it was a Vac, not Aero.  Would much appreciate if a knowledgeable member can point out.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/parker-pens-ended-world-war-ii

https://www.thepenmarket.com/vintage-pens-blog/2018/08/vive-la-france-the-eisenhower-pen-mystery-continues/

Ike’s pen in the link is a Buckskin Beige single jewel pen and pencil with a Coronet cap. 
 

The cap is solid 14K gold and somewhat hard to find and would be on the high end of the 51 price range. 
 

 

[corniche]

3 hours ago, corniche said:

 

Hi Welch,

 

A very interesting question; that I cannot answer. 

 

I do not have any "octanium" (steel alloy) nibs. I never bought any 21 Supers or 51 "Specials."  So, I cant say. 

 

But I'm intrigued enough by the question that I've begun looking around for a 51S.

 

- Sean 

 

12 hours ago, welch said:

Sean "Corniche", how does the steel-nibbed new model 51 compare to  any of your 51 Specials?

 

Hi Welch,

 

After trolling several sites, I happened to come across a nice NOS 21 DeLuxe pen/pencil set on fleabay.

 

Finding a medium nib proved to be the biggest challenge. As previously discussed here; fine nibs seem to have been a mainstay on this side of the Pond, but I hate them with a white hot all consuming passion... not that theres anything wrong with them...

 

At any rate, I'll be able to give you my 2 cents on the subject in a few days. Its an interesting question. 

 

- Sean 

[corniche]

18 hours ago, como said:

Thank you, Sean. When things are good again, I would like to go to a pen show and find a rolled gold cap 51 like the one used by Eisenhower. The cap on the Eisenhower pen is quite special so I don't expect to find exactly that. The colour, I am not sure if it is Mustard Yellow, or Buckskin Beige, or something else. Also the cap seems to be with a Blue Diamond clip, so I assume that it was a Vacumatic, not Aerometric. Hard to tell in the photo if there was a blind cap or not, though I would assume it was a Vac, not Aero.  Would much appreciate if a knowledgeable member can point out.

https://www.nationalww2museum.org/war/articles/parker-pens-ended-world-war-ii

https://www.thepenmarket.com/vintage-pens-blog/2018/08/vive-la-france-the-eisenhower-pen-mystery-continues/

 

Hi Como,

 

You're welcome.  Yeah, it would be a great conversation piece to have a matching (or similar) set(s) of your own; especially for history buffs.

 

48 minutes ago, FarmBoy said:

Ike’s pen in the link is a Buckskin Beige single jewel pen and pencil with a Coronet cap. 
 

The cap is solid 14K gold and somewhat hard to find and would be on the high end of the 51 price range. 
 

 

 

Thanks for the clarification on the colors and caps, FB. Even though it was impossible, the one picture looked like Cocoa to me.

 

- Sean 

[FarmBoy]

Buckskin is probably the hardest to find single jewel production color. The Coronet cap isn’t the hardest to find but I’d guesstimate it is the near the top on value. 

[como]

6 hours ago, FarmBoy said:

Ike’s pen in the link is a Buckskin Beige single jewel pen and pencil with a Coronet cap. 
 

The cap is solid 14K gold and somewhat hard to find and would be on the high end of the 51 price range. 
 

 

@FarmBoyAmazing, thank you very much!! The good news is that thanks to you, I just learned a lot more about these different caps. http://parker51.com/index.php/caps-home/caps-page-2/ The bad news is that I didn't realise how rare it is 😞 On this website it's categorised as "Extremely Rare Caps", plus being solid 14k gold: Even if I manage to find one, it will cost! 

@corniche @FarmBoyThis is the best I got out of this thread. Thank you! Meanwhile I still don't know if I would get the new 51, it definitely rekindled my interest in the original 51. I owned an Aerometric in Burgundy with Lustralloy cap and sold a while ago. I didn't like hooded nibs, but now I can appreciate the design more as I realised that it was part of the streamlined design. Parker Senior flat-top single raised band Duofold ("Big Red") is my favourite Parker model. I now also have the MacArthur commemorative Parker, which I cherish.

[corniche]

6 hours ago, como said:

 

@corniche @FarmBoyThis is the best I got out of this thread. Thank you! Meanwhile I still don't know if I would get the new 51, it definitely rekindled my interest in the original 51. I owned an Aerometric in Burgundy with Lustralloy cap and sold a while ago. I didn't like hooded nibs, but now I can appreciate the design more as I realised that it was part of the streamlined design.

 

Hi Como,

 

I hit it off with the P51 right away. I think it's the only non c/c or piston fill pen that i can say that about. I've never been that crazy about vintage filling systems and all their complexities, but the 51 Aerometric is fairly simple to clean and it's bulletproof  - and the pen fits and feels like an English tailored glove. 

 

- Sean  

[Audog]

The 3 "51's" in daily rotation. 1940's, early 2000's, new 51. I have a number (around 20) of the original 51's, but this one is my favorite writer.

[Aysedasi]

12 hours ago, corniche said:

As previously discussed here; fine nibs seem to have been a mainstay on this side of the Pond, but I hate them with a white hot all consuming passion... not that theres anything wrong with them...

 

 

I'm delighted to find that it's not just me then...... 

[Barkingpig]

+1, making three of us that prefers broad nibs!

 

I spent a few years ago what seemed like a lot of money to order a double broad oblique nib from England to replace the useless (for me) "needle nosed" nibs on some 51s.  It was probably a year or more before I had collected the Kullock replacement bodies I wanted before I sent the lot away to be installed.

 

The replacement nib graces a Forest Green aero which is using an incorrect (Yes, I know but prefer it) hammered sterling blue diamond clipped cap & is now the Parker 51 that is my favorite of the lot.  The Kullocks all have broad nibs but the formerly expensive OBB nib, whose cost I have long forgotten brings me the most joy.

[Glenn-SC]

21 minutes ago, Barkingpig said:

+1, making three of us that prefers broad nibs!

 

[corniche]

Hi Aysedasi, BarkingPig & Glenn,

 

I'm glad I'm not the only one, too. Sometimes, reading the threads here and elsewhere; I begin to think I am.

 

We should join forces and become the BNC: the Broad Nib Coalition.  (Which would include stubs, of course). 

 

- Sean