Numbers on Parker 51 Clip Ring

[mitto]

I have a faint memory reading about it in this forum. But can't recall as to what explanations were offered. 

 

Here is the cap with '3' inscribed on the back of the clip ring. 

 

Any ideas as to what do these numbers mean? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

[inkstainedruth]

No idea.  But you know, I never noticed if any of mine have those numbers.  Now you've got me curious....

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Paul-in-SF]

Ditto. I've just checked mine, and none of them has a number on the clip ring. 

[IThinkIHaveAProblem]

... the only number I've ever heard of being in that location is 14k, indicating a solid gold clip...

 

[readytotalk]

14 hours ago, mitto said:

I have a faint memory reading about it in this forum. But can't recall as to what explanations were offered. 

 

Here is the cap with '3' inscribed on the back of the clip ring. 

 

Any ideas as to what do these numbers mean? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

Is it solid 14K gold or gold-plated/rolled cap? 

[baz666]

No definitive answer has yet come to light, as far as I am aware.
The 3 stamp has also been noted on Parker 61 / International Jotter and Parker 45 clips / tassies. Are there others?

 

 

 

 

Paul.

[Glenn-SC]

None of mine have anything other than the (rare) "14K" gold marking.

[readytotalk]

I`ve seen this "3" twice on 14K solid gold caps. Both of them were imported in Soviet Union. And I happen to think it`s not number 3, it may be Russian letter "З", and abbreviation of "Золото" (Gold). This is just a guess, of course.

    

[Sheptonian]

Here are some images of the rear of the clip rings of a Parker VP Standard set (pen and pencil caps stamped Made in U.S.A., Christian Olsen barrel imprints) together with the clip ring of a Janesville Parker 51 Mk II Classic. All the clip rings are marked with the number 3 to the rear.  I also have a USA Parker 61 pen and pencil set where each component is marked in the same way.
 

It occurred to me that the number might have something to do with sets but I have also owned two other Parker 61 Customs – another pencil and a mid-60s Mk II fountain pen - with the same marking to the rear of the clip ring. This time both were English production. They were acquired from different sources and so far as I know neither the pencil nor the pen belonged to sets. Of course that does not mean necessarily that both were not sold that way originally. 

 

None of the pens or pencils in various other Parker 61 sets that I have owned have had the imprint to the rear of the clip ring so perhaps the number 3 signifies something more specific than membership of a set.  I have four further Parker 51s with the unusual marking.  All are USA Custom models from the mid-1960s and were acquired individually.

I am not sure if this gets us any further forward in terms of the purpose of the number 3 stamped to the rear of the clip ring but all of the examples that I own or have owned date from the early to mid-1960s, and the existence of the mark in question on the back of a stainless steel clip ring shows that the imprint was not used exclusively on clips with a gold content.

 

Someone somewhere must know the answer…

[mitto]

Interesting. 

Yes, someone somewhere must know the answer. 

Let us wait for that someone to chime in.