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Parker vac-fill 51 Bombshell: Uncatalogued color (a new one!)


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#1 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 06:44 AM

Greetings:

I know John Danza (FPB Advisor with focus on very early Parker pens) was just dying to see some threads on Parker's "51". ;)

Parker "51" is amongst the most collected old pens out there. You likely know that the early (1941-1948) pens with Vacumatic filling system are "known" in 7 colors:

Common colors:

  • India Black
  • Dove Gray
  • Cordovan
  • Cedar Blue
Uncommon colors:
  • Buckskin Beige
  • Yellowstone Yellow (Mustard)
  • Nassau Green.
Of course, that does not explain this really uncommon pen, a single jewel vac-fill "51" done in the later Aerometric color Navy Gray, a more "elephant" greenish-gray than the more desaturated Dove Gray of the vac era. This one lasted about ten minutes when I'd posted it in the "Parker 51 Insanity" update December 2008. As with all I've seen so far like this, this pen lacks an imprint by the clutch ring. Speculation suggests Parker ran a few pens around the cusp of the filler change to Aerometric in this "new" cp;pr, but with old filler style, making these 1948 pens. One text calls Navy Gray vac-filler pens "prototype" but that is somewhat ambiguous, to say the least.

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So...

Would anyone care that I've now seen my first vac-fil "51" in another Aerometric color... Burgundy?



regards

David



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#2 Readymade

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 07:23 AM

Oh you tease. Photos pls? :)
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#3 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 07:46 AM

Oh you tease. Photos pls? :)


Well, first I hafta learn how to use a camera ;)

Oh, no worries, pictures should... happen.

But, I need some sleep and access to a high speed modem. I'm chilling in the mountains on vacation for couple days. Should pop into town tomorrow to toss a few choice images up.

regards

david
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#4 Richard

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 11:37 AM

Oh you tease. Photos pls? :)

Hokay, Since you asked so nicely... :)

(This is the only other U.S.-made Burgundy Vac "51" I know of -- David bought his first, but I beat him to this one.)

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#5 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 12:01 PM

Hokay, Since you asked so nicely... :)

(This is the only other U.S.-made Burgundy Vac "51" I know of -- David bought his first, but I beat him to this one.)


Ahhh, muh friend Richard sees the world in such violent, competitive terms :lol:

"beat him to it", indeed, sniff.

Howzabout... Evil David shared with Richard the source of the two pens on the market, and discussed with that source that Richard could have the second pen if it really mattered to hiim (and if he'd pay the freight), because, after all, I don't need to have all the weird pens.

That said, the pen is most interesting. Here then are my Navy Gray and Burgundy (both "Aerometric" colors) in Vac-fill style. Notice the pleasing lighting on the pen ;)

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The next question, is, i suppose, should I share the killer provenance that goes with these pens? I believe there are no other online images out there of this killer provenance


regards

-david
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#6 tbickiii

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 12:33 PM

Re the Navy Gray 51 Vac, I have one in my collection with the "coin" cap. When I received the pen, it had receipt for repair with it that denoted a navy gray replacement. I have long assumed it was a replacement to include the barrel, nose cone, and blind cap??? The barrel on mine has no date code either.

#7 George

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 01:43 PM

Wow! That duo is a really special one. It seems that these types of pens are being found because collectors are now (semi?) aware of their existence.
And David, please tell us of the pen's origin.

Regards
George

#8 John Danza

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 04:09 PM

I know John Danza (FPB Advisor with focus on very early Parker pens) was just dying to see some threads on Parker's "51". ;)



Oh, no!!!! :o :o


Just kidding. I know a lot of people like the Parker 51. I can't for the life of me figure out why though. :D

John Danza


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#9 Joel

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 04:19 PM

You'll have to take my word for it as was not able to take pictures of the pen - nope - pen parts that would make a vac filling pen in "teal" blue. Unfortunately the gentleman wants to sell his entire collection at ??? His comment was specifically, "I ain't giving it away!" My impression was that he wanted in excess of $200K and there weren't enough pens or parts to support the price - even if I had Gates/Oprah's/Buffett's $$. Oh, well. My guess is that the sale will occur shortly after his demise assuming that his wife doesn't put a match to it.

Joel

#10 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 04:45 PM

Re the Navy Gray 51 Vac, I have one in my collection with the "coin" cap. When I received the pen, it had receipt for repair with it that denoted a navy gray replacement. I have long assumed it was a replacement to include the barrel, nose cone, and blind cap??? The barrel on mine has no date code either.


Useful information, if it is clear on this point. Whether that was the only use of Navy (vs Dove) Gray vac-fill (vs. Aero) 51... ???

Don't suppose you have that receipt on hand for a quick photo? That would be special.

regards

David




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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#11 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 04:48 PM

You'll have to take my word for it as was not able to take pictures of the pen - nope - pen parts that would make a vac filling pen in "teal" blue. Unfortunately the gentleman wants to sell his entire collection at ??? His comment was specifically, "I ain't giving it away!" My impression was that he wanted in excess of $200K and there weren't enough pens or parts to support the price - even if I had Gates/Oprah's/Buffett's $. Oh, well. My guess is that the sale will occur shortly after his demise assuming that his wife doesn't put a match to it.

Joel




I take your word for it. Of interest, I have some Parker provenance now for the Navy Gray and Burg vac-fill pens. Teal was not mentioned... which means little of course, as the context for the Teal simply could be a bit different from the information shared with me by a Parker connected collector.

I know the "ain't giving it away" trope. More power to him if it works. I've seen plenty "stolen" post demise, after some would not "give away" (meaning, really, "not getting quite as much as I paid or imagine it is worth") while around. Sad, sort of.

-d




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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#12 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 04:49 PM

Wow! That duo is a really special one. It seems that these types of pens are being found because collectors are now (semi?) aware of their existence.
And David, please tell us of the pen's origin.

Regards
George


We believe it came from Parker ;) What other legit origin could it have?Posted Image

-d




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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#13 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 05:13 PM

Ok. Some provenance for this Burg (and the Navy) vac-fill "51".

A large pile of cards-- spanning a significant time range,-- were rescued from dumpster trip at Parker by an employee, who passed them to a well known WI-based Parker collector, who shared a peek with me. Yah, I know the caveats. I believe this is wholly original.

Quite a powerful item, IMHO.

-david

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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#14 Richard

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 07:02 PM

Howzabout... Evil David shared with Richard the source of the two pens on the market, and discussed with that source that Richard could have the second pen if it really mattered to hiim (and if he'd pay the freight), because, after all, I don't need to have all the weird pens.

Close but no Kewpie doll. (Sad, isn't it, that the fresh young kid's memory is failing so early in his career...)

Said source, whom David had not named to me whilst crowing about his having acquired a burgundy Vac "51", came to me and said that a second pen was available to me (but without including any statement implying David's participation in the source's decision to offer the pen to me) if I could pay the freight and that the option would pass to David if I declined it. So naturally I bought it. Can't let David have ALL the exotic pens, y'know.

And here's my Navy Gray Vac "51":

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This pen is also unusual in that it has no Blue Diamond on its clip, which David Shepherd agrees is most probably one made for the Latin American test market before the pen made its début in the U.S.A.

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#15 david i

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 07:47 PM

Or the clip is from a Vacufold 1942-3 ;)

See if i ever let you get any of the nice pens again :)

d
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Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#16 George

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Posted 01 July 2010 - 07:54 PM

Richard,

So the pen and cap are anachronistic relative to the clip???

A Vacufold clip sure fits the bill of a pre-pro 51 clip, unless the metal content is visibly different ;)

Regards
George

#17 alioscha

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Posted 15 October 2010 - 10:39 AM

I also have a Parker 51 Vacumatic in Navy Gray made in England with full English imprints on the barrel. Very lucky.

#18 David Nishimura

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Posted 18 October 2010 - 03:27 PM

A bunch of the Vac-filler 51 barrel assemblies in the Aerometric grey came out of Parker's parts store at the closure of Janesville.  I got several of them, all consisting of the barrel, blind cap, and filler unit, all assembled and ready to go, unimprinted.  Silly me -- sold a few of them cheap before realizing they were the "wrong" grey.

#19 alioscha

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Posted 21 October 2010 - 10:11 AM

A bunch of the Vac-filler 51 barrel assemblies in the Aerometric grey came out of Parker's parts store at the closure of Janesville. I got several of them, all consisting of the barrel, blind cap, and filler unit, all assembled and ready to go, unimprinted. Silly me -- sold a few of them cheap before realizing they were the "wrong" grey.



The one I have has sharp and correct English imprints on the barrel by the clutch ring. I see most of the 51s in Navy Gray have no imprint, and I desire to know how many Navy Gray with imprints have you seen or heared of?

Thank you so much!:)

#20 david i

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Posted 21 October 2010 - 11:13 AM

The one I have has sharp and correct English imprints on the barrel by the clutch ring. I see most of the 51s in Navy Gray have no imprint, and I desire to know how many Navy Gray with imprints have you seen or heared of?

Thank you so much!:)


Hi,

I might have seen one English imprinted Navy vac-fill 51. Cannot insist. Most (or all) I've seen lack any barrel imprint and seem to turn up with USA metal. Parker in England at times did do things differently from Parker USA. I will for now avoid debate as to whether (or which) English anomalies represent simply routine English variants (found, obviously, in smaller numbers than most USA-made pens) or instead true off-catalogue surprises.

-d
David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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