On the new Parker 51s, are all of them screw-on caps or...

[T.D. Rabbit]

Was in a stationery store, saw a really nice 51, but it's a snap-on. I know it's genuine, good store. But I thought all of the new ones were screw-on caps? The stationer is usually very knowledgeable,  and told me that this is, indeed, the new one... And it looked new, and felt plasticky- Not how I'd imagine the beauties of old feeling.

 

God, I love stationery stores, though.

[Mr Gutsy]

That sounds like the seller is mixing them up. Every new 51 I've encountered has been a screw cap rather than a snap cap which has been a common point of contention when comparing them to the original pens. They may have came across a really well looked after new old stock 51 perhaps?

[T.D. Rabbit]

1 hour ago, Mr Gutsy said:

That sounds like the seller is mixing them up. Every new 51 I've encountered has been a screw cap rather than a snap cap which has been a common point of contention when comparing them to the original pens. They may have came across a really well looked after new old stock 51 perhaps?

Whoa. Possible indeed, then... It's a squeeze convertor with a sac that looks... Old.

..How possible would it be for me to ask him to reserve the pen for, ah... A few years...?

[jchch1950]

The pen may be a copy. But the possibility that Parker came out with a new version of the 51 is fascinating, maybe they are correcting one of the main criticisms of the new version of the pen( wishful thinking).

[Karmachanic]

3 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

maybe they are correcting one of the main criticisms of the new version of the pen

 

That would be the vacumatic Wingsung 601

[T.D. Rabbit]

5 hours ago, jchch1950 said:

The pen may be a copy. But the possibility that Parker came out with a new version of the 51 is fascinating, maybe they are correcting one of the main criticisms of the new version of the pen( wishful thinking).

It was a wonderful snap on. There was actual feedback, like the pen was purring happily to get to rest.

 

I doubt he'd keep a copy, or even if he did, he wouldn't sell it as genuine... I mean, if you have a wall and a cupboard or two full of pens of the finer kind, why sell a fake? 

It's possible, of course.

 

I'll be going there again in a few months (Maybe I'll buy something nice!), so a couple of questions

 

If it's a fake, what should I look out for? Any marks, or lack of marks, so to say? 

 

Same for, if it's vintage?

[Mercian]

On 8/18/2024 at 3:07 PM, T.D. Rabbit said:

If it's a fake, what should I look out for? Any marks, or lack of marks, so to say? 

 

Same for, if it's vintage?

I personally have not yet seen any fakes of the new (launched in 2020) Parker 51 (but do bear in mind that my own personal ignorance doesn’t prove that fakes don’t exist).

The new 51 is a c/c pen, and it has a screw-on cap.

For good photographs of the various colours/trim-levels in which that pen is made, you should have a look at the official Parker website.
The section for the 51 on Parker’s UK version of it is at:
https://www.parkerpen.co.uk/parker-51-pens.html

 

Alternatively, for less than the recommended retail price of that new 51, you could instead buy a ‘mint’-condition, or a fully-refurbished, vintage Parker “51” (please note that those quotation marks are part of the trademarked name of the vintage pen).

I personally would recommend one from the late-1940s or the 1950s, with the built-in ‘aerometric’ squeeze-filler.

The ‘pli-glass’ sac on those pens seems to last indefinitely - many of those pens are still perfectly usable today.
This is not true for the rubber sacs on the earlier version of the “51”, which had the built-in ‘Vacumatic’ filler.
The sacs on those eventually deteriorate, and they have to be replaced.
Some people prefer the vacumatics because they hold slightly more ink, or because they prefer the appearance of the earlier model.

 

Another reason why I prefer the “51” from the 1940s & 1950s, and not the “51”s that were produced in the 1960s and 1970s, is that the bodies of the earlier pens were machined out of solid pieces of ‘Lucite’.
The later pens have bodies that are made of injection-moulded polystyrene. The Lucite bodies are stronger and more-durable than are the polystyrene bodies.

 

The “51” was made in several versions down the years - with many different cap-designs; in versions of different sizes; in versions with gold nibs or with steel nibs, and; in versions that had different housings for the sac.
The caps can of course be swapped between the pens, and there have also been some companies that have made ‘aftermarket’ types of cap, and bodies in different colours, than Parker ever made itself. These companies often fitted their bodies/caps onto fillers, feeds, and nibs that were taken from genuine vintage Parker “51”s.
One such company was run by a father and son from Argentina, whose family name is Kullock.

 

Two good sources of information about the original/vintage Parker “51” are…

https://parkerpens.net/parker51.html

 

…and especially…

https://parker51.com

And there are of course many, many threads here on FPN about the various types of Parker “51”, about the modified versions sold e.g. by Kullock, and about the new 51 c/c pen.

Reading through those two websites and the threads here on FPN should enable you to decide which type/model of 51 or “51” that you would most like to buy, and also how to spot a genuine edition of it.
Enjoy!

 

Slàinte,
M.

[T.D. Rabbit]

7 hours ago, Mercian said:

I personally have not yet seen any fakes of the new (launched in 2020) Parker 51 (but do bear in mind that my own personal ignorance doesn’t prove that fakes don’t exist).

The new 51 is a c/c pen, and it has a screw-on cap.

For good photographs of the various colours/trim-levels in which that pen is made, you should have a look at the official Parker website.
The section for the 51 on Parker’s UK version of it is at:
https://www.parkerpen.co.uk/parker-51-pens.html

 

Alternatively, for less than the recommended retail price of that new 51, you could instead buy a ‘mint’-condition, or a fully-refurbished, vintage Parker “51” (please note that those quotation marks are part of the trademarked name of the vintage pen).

I personally would recommend one from the late-1940s or the 1950s, with the built-in ‘aerometric’ squeeze-filler.

The ‘pli-glass’ sac on those pens seems to last indefinitely - many of those pens are still perfectly usable today.
This is not true for the rubber sacs on the earlier version of the “51”, which had the built-in ‘Vacumatic’ filler.
The sacs on those eventually deteriorate, and they have to be replaced.
Some people prefer the vacumatics because they hold slightly more ink, or because they prefer the appearance of the earlier model.

 

Another reason why I prefer the “51” from the 1940s & 1950s, and not the “51”s that were produced in the 1960s and 1970s, is that the bodies of the earlier pens were machined out of solid pieces of ‘Lucite’.
The later pens have bodies that are made of injection-moulded polystyrene. The Lucite bodies are stronger and more-durable than are the polystyrene bodies.

 

The “51” was made in several versions down the years - with many different cap-designs; in versions of different sizes; in versions with gold nibs or with steel nibs, and; in versions that had different housings for the sac.
The caps can of course be swapped between the pens, and there have also been some companies that have made ‘aftermarket’ types of cap, and bodies in different colours, than Parker ever made itself. These companies often fitted their bodies/caps onto fillers, feeds, and nibs that were taken from genuine vintage Parker “51”s.
One such company was run by a father and son from Argentina, whose family name is Kullock.

 

Two good sources of information about the original/vintage Parker “51” are…

https://parkerpens.net/parker51.html

 

…and especially…

https://parker51.com

And there are of course many, many threads here on FPN about the various types of Parker “51”, about the modified versions sold e.g. by Kullock, and about the new 51 c/c pen.

Reading through those two websites and the threads here on FPN should enable you to decide which type/model of 51 or “51” that you would most like to buy, and also how to spot a genuine edition of it.
Enjoy!

 

Slàinte,
M.

Whoa. This is very, very helpful, thank you so much! 

Well, I'm let to the conclusion that the pen I looked at was a vintage parker "51" with a squeeze-filler. Must've landed up in the shop somehow. The sac looked somewhat sad and blotchy, though- but by no means deficient. As for the texture and the 'plasticky' feel I mentioned, well, I'm terrible with textures in general, so that's probably error on my part. It was being sold for 15000 rs, approximately $ 181.

 

I will, certainly, go through everything and decide which one, if any, I would like to buy- But in the end, I'd like to buy the pen in a brick-and-mortar store... Anything more than a preppy, and I'd like to go to a shop. I understand that's not always possible, but still..

 

The modified ones by Kullock are so pretty!

 

Also, yeah, I remember reading parker used to manufacture extra caps for their pens, some so that people could wear the caps on other pens and claim they had a parker 51... Such was the esteem the pen was held  in.

 

I should come up with a signature sign-off.

[thx1138]

I have many 51's, both original and NG. I absolutely love the original 51's as well as the NG's.

 

The deluxe plum with 18k nib is a great pen and does not seem to suffer premature drying issues.

 

The only complaint I have of the NG's is that the nib range is confined to fine or medium. It really wouldn't be that hard for them to make, say, broad and a couple of italic sizes.

[Karmachanic]

1 hour ago, thx1138 said:

It really wouldn't be that hard for them to make, say, broad and a couple of italic sizes.

 

Demand does not justify production cost.

[KAC]

I appreciate Parker's fealty to the classic, gorgeous "form follows function" design in the updated version of the 51. The screw-on cap is a nice addition and the colors are complementary, too. Even the "upscale" version with its gold cap though the sliver one appeals to me more. Nice job on these by Parker!