Parker 51 Aerometric color

[John T]

I found this 51 on FB marketplace advertised as a Nassau Green, I knew as soon as I saw the pictures it could not be. In the pictures that were posted the lighting wasn't the greatest and all I could think was Forest Green. Now that I have it in hand I think it is Navy Grey? 

 

Parked it next to my Dove Grey Vac and Burgundy and Blue Aerometric 51's

[Carguy]

Definitely Navy Grey

[mitto]

Navy GREY. 

[John T]

Ughhh, I love the pen but I inked it this morning and it is a wet B... now to find a F or VF nib to put in it..

[VacNut]

To the best of my knowledge they did not make Nassau Aerometrics. There are double-jewel and single jewel Nassau Pens with the Vacumatic filler. 
 

A broad nib 51? Sounds interesting….

[John T]

14 minutes ago, VacNut said:

To the best of my knowledge they did not make Nassau Aerometrics. There are double-jewel and single jewel Nassau Pens with the Vacumatic filler. 
 

A broad nib 51? Sounds interesting….

 

That is my understanding also. I purchased it knowing it wasn't, and the amount I paid was for what I got. Not for what a real Nassau Green would be worth..

[VacNut]

The double jewel Nassau is one of the harder uncommon colors to find for a good price, but at least they don’t suffer as much from cracked or stained barrels  as the Yellowstone.

 

The single jewel Buckskin would be the most difficult to find.

 

I am sure there are several of each in the Mitto Archives

 

Good Luck.

[mitto]

5 hours ago, VacNut said:

I am sure there are several of each in the Mitto Archives

 

Good Luck.

😀

[inkstainedruth]

Why is this thread now making think of the one a few years ago when there was talk of storming the moat around Nathan Tardif's house?  

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[John T]

5 hours ago, VacNut said:

The double jewel Nassau is one of the harder uncommon colors to find for a good price, but at least they don’t suffer as much from cracked or stained barrels  as the Yellowstone.

 

The single jewel Buckskin would be the most difficult to find.

 

I am sure there are several of each in the Mitto Archives

 

Good Luck.

I would just like to own one of each color they made... I have no idea what I would do with 1700 of them...

[inkstainedruth]

I don't even want one of each color.  There's a couple of colors I'd still like to get my hands on (like "British Bloody Burgundy", and maybe Yellowstone).  And I'd dearly love to be able to afford a full sized Plum Aerometric -- but in the meantime am mostly content with the demi-sized one I got off of eBay a number of years ago (it's got a medium nib and is SUCH a lovely writer).  But I don't do the Pokemon "Gotta get 'em all!" mentality.  For the most part, I have the colors I want (and one or two in colors I don't particularly want, like Navy Grey (which is just really sort of an ugly color).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[VacNut]

3 hours ago, John T said:

I would just like to own one of each color they made... I have no idea what I would do with 1700 of them...

One of each color and in each style? What about the model year? What about the different caps? I think it all adds up 1701 pens if you have one of each. 😂😂😂😂

[Beechwood]

On 8/27/2024 at 2:28 PM, John T said:

Ughhh, I love the pen but I inked it this morning and it is a wet B... now to find a F or VF nib to put in it..

 

To each their own but a Broad nibbed 51 is a desirable and premium pen to many. If not for you then personally I would leave it as it is and buy the 51 that is right for you.  

[Carguy]

I have finally obtained a Nassau Green DJ, along with burgundy and midnight blue. Still don’t have mustard or buckskin (and not sure I want them). I have too many Kullock fantasy colors so I am trying to pare down to only M and B nibs. I simply don’t like F nibs on the 51.

[John T]

1 hour ago, Carguy said:

I have finally obtained a Nassau Green DJ, along with burgundy and midnight blue. Still don’t have mustard or buckskin (and not sure I want them). I have too many Kullock fantasy colors so I am trying to pare down to only M and B nibs. I simply don’t like F nibs on the 51.

Congratulations! 

[Armo]

I believe this (middle) is a nassau green aerometric. Very difficult to get good colour rendition but it is very close to the teal blue, definitely green but not forest. It is English so I suspect that it may fall into the same catagory as the blood red in that perhaps it may not have been made in the USA. Pic shows navy grey, nassau, teal.

 

 

I know I'm going to be knocked down in flames but there you have it - I believe.

[mitto]

Nassau and aerometric? 

The teal came in two different shades. 

[Armo]

Thought this might be a more creative way to show what I'm talking about. Colours not shades, like cordovan brown is to burgundy.

[theredfalcon]

Hi Armo,

 

As Mitto says, there are two distinct colours/versions of "Teal" although only one is shown on the chart (the darker "bluer" one). Your pens are made from the two different versions of "Teal". Are they both English made pens? In the UK, Parker Newhaven made changes to the colours they used around early 1952.

 

Newhaven started production of the Aerometric "51" at the start of 1950. They listed the four colours available in UK adverts of the time -these were "Black, Teal-Blue, Navy-Grey and Burgundy". These are identical in colour to the North American pens, as Newhaven would have been using lucite obtained from USA/Canada.

 

Around the beginning of 1952, Newhaven changed the colours they were using. Adverts of the time refer to the "51" being available in four colours which were no longer named, although, in later UK brochures they are called "Black, Maroon, Blue & Grey". (i.e. Maroon replaced Burgundy & Blue replaced Teal-Blue). I would hazard a guess that, as production numbers increased, it would have made economic sense to source the lucite in the UK. At the same time, Newhaven would have got to choose some "brighter" colours, I guess based on sales data from the first two years of Aerometric "51" production in the UK & also sales of the Aerometric Duofolds (production started in early 1951).

 

So Newhaven colours were:

 

• Black
• Navy-Grey (later on just called Grey)
• Burgundy (dark USA/Canada version until early 1952 so relatively uncommon in UK pens)
• Teal (darker version from USA/Canada-probably same time frame as Burgundy so relatively uncommon in UK pens)
• Maroon (this is the colour often called Blood Red or British Bloody Burgundy-made from early 1952 on, so most English made "Burgundies" are this colour)
• Blue (from 1952-this is the lighter & greener! version of Teal-Blue used for most English made "Teal" pens)
• Forest Green-seems just a few were made in this colour-I've got one dated 1952 Q2 & have seen others with the same date. (I suspect Newhaven just used up a batch of Forest Green lucite that had been delivered from USA/Canada. it could have been delivered when Newhaven was choosing colours before the start of Aerometric production in 1950 or when they were considering new colours in 1952).

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Armo]

@theredfalcon Thanks, fascinating info and all new to me. Have to say it's so very Parker to make a green pen and call it blue. Parker is forever surprising me. 😲 

I've seen pens advertised as maroon but just thought them misnamed blood red.