The "51" was introduced in 1941. The name apparently comes from
the anniversary of the Parker company, rather than the same urge that
caused a lot of consumer junk in the early 1990s to have a "2000" stuck
into its name. Of course, the advertising didn't ignore the
futuristic potential of both name and design. If you look at the
chonological lineup
of my collection, this is a pretty radical
departure from the norm in pen design at that time. It was not
just a new shell, either-- there were all sorts of new things going on
under that hood that hides the point-- primarily a large, finned
"collector" that kept a supply of ink right by the point for instant
use. I've got a picture of this pen reduced to its components, which is usefully compared to the "normal" pen at the top of the HOW PENS WORK page.
One thing that makes me less of a fan of the "51" is the stiffness of
the point. The point is tubular, and thus stiffness is somewhat
unavoidable, and there are certain advantages in the area of
reliability which for many people make up for this failing, but I quite
like some flex in my pens.
This set is from 1950. This is still before Parker gave up on
date codes, so one can tell the pen was made in 1950 just by looking at
the writing on the barrel. The pencil was actually made the year
before, so there is some chance that the set was recomposed at a later
date into its strangely round-bottomed case--
although during the repair process I found that the point was also made
in 1949, so it may also be a case of more pens than pencils leaving the
factory.
Earlier models used Vacumatic fillers, but this one is fitted
with the Aerometric filler (and, in fact, was the pen for which the
filler was invented). The cap jewel is extremely pretty, being a pearlescent object rather then a black one as is found in the Vacumatic or the 51 Special. This is likely a less expensive model, given the silver clip.
Specifications:
Extra-fine gold point. Aerometric filler. The pencil
uses a three-finger clutch mechanism like most modern mechanical
pencils (as opposed to the more common vintage twist mechanism). 13.7cm long capped, 15.2cm capped.
Condition:
Substantial wear on the body and cap, to the point that the
impressions are apt to be lost if the wear is polished away. The
cap has an
unfortunately popular problem for the steel-cap "51"-- a little
wipe-mark polished onto the metal by the clip.
Repairs: Pen entirely dismantled to replace broken connector. Collector cleaned before resealing hood. Some polishing of body below the impressions.
Location: My collection.
For sale?: Not likely, given the state of the body, and certainly not unless I get another "51" into the pack.
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