When Parker introduced the "51"
in 1941, they caused a bit of an upset in a lot of other pen
makers. Since the stuff under the hood of the "51" wasn't visible
to the average pen user (without help from Parker's advertising), those
other pen makers didn't have to reproduce the interior innovations, but
just the new, sleek profile. The Taperite line was Waterman's
entry in the chase-- the initial offering in 1945 was two models, which
had grown to seven by the 1947 catalogue. While slick, the
innards were nothing more than a scaled-down version of the same feeds
and points which the company had been making pretty much since the
start of the century. The Citation was in at the beginning, its
huge band being a step down from the Stateleigh's all-metal gold-filled
cap. Most incarnations of Waterman's pens in this era were still
available in the old open-point
style, which shows that Waterman was still having a little trouble
committing to innovation-- they were one of the last major makers to
give up on hard rubber bodies, too.
This example is from 1949, which I cleverly divine from the huge
inscribed date on the next unlined space on the band; for whatever
reason W.H. Carr got this nice pen, he (probably, although conceivably
she) got it in 1949. He treated it kindly, too, as there was
little wrong with it when it came into my hands. The 1947
catalogue indicates that this line had the lamentable and
disintegrating celluloid "gum drop" on the tail, which has happily been
done away with in this later model. Unlike the fully hooded
Parker point, the Taperite's partial exposure allows for a fair degree
of flex in the tines. This was offered in the catalogue and it is
evident in this particular pen.
Amongst pen fanciers, there is frequent urge to compare the "51" to the
still-current Lamy 2000, which is to my
way of thinking much like comparing apples to potatoes-- both are put
to the same general purpose, but are of entirely different natures.
This pen is much more like the Lamy in it's performance, although
I should invert that order for chronological correctness. I
suppose the usual urge to comparison stems from the production dates of
the "51" and the 2000 overlapping, while the Taperite line was a
distant memory by the 1960s.
Specifications: Fine semi-flex
14k gold
point (I've not had it apart to look for a hallmark, but the catalogue
claims it). Lever filler. 13.3 cm long capped, 15.7 cm
posted.
Condition: Scuffing from the cap around the joint, but not the
tail. Body otherwise in good condition but for the two small pits
ahead of the lever visible in the picture. The scuffing on the
gold is somewhat exaggerated by the flash. Very positive action
on the cap clutch.
Repairs: Replaced sac.
Prolonged cleaning.
Location: My collection.
For sale?: No.
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