"Like a pen from another planet"........"So unique and so beautiful there is nothing to compare to it--so good it cannot be improved by any known method!"
The iconic Parker "51"
It is probably the most successful pen ever produced. Parker stopped counting how many after they hit 20 Million.
In a poll by the Illinois Institute of Technology, it was voted the fourth best industrial design of the twentieth century. The Parker "51" was a revolutionary design when it debuted, advertised as "Ten Years Ahead" of its time. It had a gold nib that was fitted inside a hood to "trap any overflow and traps it inside-makes this a Pen that won't flood, leak or sweat-yet keeps the point surrounded by ink, thus makes it a split second starter!". Made of 14kt gold, the nib required more gold than the average fountain pen nib. The body was sleek and the material used was Lucite, a very stable and durable plastic material needed to withstand the high acidity of the special Parker "51" ink uniquely developed for this pen.
Development of the Parker "51" was completed in 1939, the 51st anniversary of the Parker Pen Company, thus its name.
The first pens were double jeweled with the jewel on the cap and on the end of the barrel. The filler was Vacumatic with the familiar plunger.
In 1948, Parker introduced its redesigned Parker "51" with its new "Foto-fill Filler", later renamed to the "Aerometric Filler". It announced a series of 15 different improvements, including the capability to be carried at high altitudes. The filler was now a sac made out of "Pli-glass", advertised to last at least 30 years. These sacs are still going strong after more than 60 years, and one seldom finds a bad one.
Kenneth G. Parker, son of company founder George S. Parker and longtime CEO, was fascinated by aircraft and flying. The 1946 purchase of a new corporate plane, inspired Kenneth to ask his designers for an airplane-like pen design. The result, a pen with its workings tweaked for better performance at high altitudes, was the famous stainless-steel Flighter, introduced in October 1949:
Often duplicated........ the Hero 616 was made (is made) at the old Parker plant in Shanghai
A few pics;
A 1950 flighter ...my Grandfathers pen with a factory crisp italic nib.
A 1948 "Plum" colored set.."Plum": a standard (but scarce) Parker 51 color
There has been a truly astonishing amount of misinformation about the 51 color, “plum”. A deep, dark purple, plum was a regular production color for Aerometric-series Parker 51s in both regular and Demi sizes. It is listed in Parker’s official catalogs, parts lists, and repair manuals of the era, as well as in the original production records preserved in the Parker company archives.
For whatever reason, plum did not prove popular, so 51s in that color are scarce today. The color did remain in production for a number of years, but was discontinued well before the 51 itself. Not all Parker 51 literature of the 1950s mentions plum, but it would be absurd to argue that this is indicative of anything other than the color’s relative unpopularity and, as a result, its increasingly marginal status in the 51 line.
Plum is easily confused with the much more common burgundy in normal indoor light. In sunlight or under direct lamplight, however, the difference is obvious: plum is clearly and unapologetically purple, while burgundy is red-brown. Despite what some have claimed, the range of variation in these colors is minimal, and in no way brings them anywhere close enough for confusion
A couple of Vacumatics..
A coin silver cap
A gold Cap
This is not even close to a all encompassing post with all the different models of the "51"... please feel free to add!!!!!!
The iconic Parker "51"
It is probably the most successful pen ever produced. Parker stopped counting how many after they hit 20 Million.
In a poll by the Illinois Institute of Technology, it was voted the fourth best industrial design of the twentieth century. The Parker "51" was a revolutionary design when it debuted, advertised as "Ten Years Ahead" of its time. It had a gold nib that was fitted inside a hood to "trap any overflow and traps it inside-makes this a Pen that won't flood, leak or sweat-yet keeps the point surrounded by ink, thus makes it a split second starter!". Made of 14kt gold, the nib required more gold than the average fountain pen nib. The body was sleek and the material used was Lucite, a very stable and durable plastic material needed to withstand the high acidity of the special Parker "51" ink uniquely developed for this pen.
Development of the Parker "51" was completed in 1939, the 51st anniversary of the Parker Pen Company, thus its name.
The first pens were double jeweled with the jewel on the cap and on the end of the barrel. The filler was Vacumatic with the familiar plunger.
In 1948, Parker introduced its redesigned Parker "51" with its new "Foto-fill Filler", later renamed to the "Aerometric Filler". It announced a series of 15 different improvements, including the capability to be carried at high altitudes. The filler was now a sac made out of "Pli-glass", advertised to last at least 30 years. These sacs are still going strong after more than 60 years, and one seldom finds a bad one.
Kenneth G. Parker, son of company founder George S. Parker and longtime CEO, was fascinated by aircraft and flying. The 1946 purchase of a new corporate plane, inspired Kenneth to ask his designers for an airplane-like pen design. The result, a pen with its workings tweaked for better performance at high altitudes, was the famous stainless-steel Flighter, introduced in October 1949:
Often duplicated........ the Hero 616 was made (is made) at the old Parker plant in Shanghai
A few pics;
A 1950 flighter ...my Grandfathers pen with a factory crisp italic nib.
A 1948 "Plum" colored set.."Plum": a standard (but scarce) Parker 51 color
There has been a truly astonishing amount of misinformation about the 51 color, “plum”. A deep, dark purple, plum was a regular production color for Aerometric-series Parker 51s in both regular and Demi sizes. It is listed in Parker’s official catalogs, parts lists, and repair manuals of the era, as well as in the original production records preserved in the Parker company archives.
For whatever reason, plum did not prove popular, so 51s in that color are scarce today. The color did remain in production for a number of years, but was discontinued well before the 51 itself. Not all Parker 51 literature of the 1950s mentions plum, but it would be absurd to argue that this is indicative of anything other than the color’s relative unpopularity and, as a result, its increasingly marginal status in the 51 line.
Plum is easily confused with the much more common burgundy in normal indoor light. In sunlight or under direct lamplight, however, the difference is obvious: plum is clearly and unapologetically purple, while burgundy is red-brown. Despite what some have claimed, the range of variation in these colors is minimal, and in no way brings them anywhere close enough for confusion
A couple of Vacumatics..
A coin silver cap
A gold Cap
This is not even close to a all encompassing post with all the different models of the "51"... please feel free to add!!!!!!
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