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Uncle Bud
January 17th, 2014, 03:00 PM
I've always fancied a Parker 51 cc pen, but I have never even seen one let alone have a chance to purchase one. Apart from the 2002 le version that was cc, were they only made for a short period? Or some other reason why they seem to be so rare?

If anyone has one, could you please post a photo, coz I've never even seen an original 51 cc, I've seen the 2002, but never an original.

Cheers,

Bud :help:

Jeph
January 17th, 2014, 03:23 PM
From here http://www.parkerpens.net/parker51.html near the bottom of the page.

"In 1958 Parker tried a the cartridge/converter filling system on some Parker "51's" but this didn't sell well at all so it was discontinued around 1960, making these pens rather hard to find."

Uncle Bud
January 17th, 2014, 03:26 PM
From here http://www.parkerpens.net/parker51.html near the bottom of the page.

"In 1958 Parker tried a the cartridge/converter filling system on some Parker "51's" but this didn't sell well at all so it was discontinued around 1960, making these pens rather hard to find."

Well that explains why I've never even seen one. Thanks Jeph.

That's a really good source of info. Thanks!

Jeph
January 17th, 2014, 03:31 PM
As far as I have been able to find, that is THE Parker resource on the interwebs. There are others with also good info, like http://www.vacumania.com/ and of course Richard Binder's site has information of all kinds of pens http://www.richardspens.com/

Uncle Bud
January 17th, 2014, 03:54 PM
I'm sorry if I'm asking questions that have been asked a thousand times before, my only defence is I'm a relative newbie, and I'm still finding my feet, and learning the areas that I am really interested in, so I'm searching in the dark mostly. Having 'sort of' restored my first 51 aerometric, I find myself drawn to them. This combined with my need to swap inks constantly points me in the direction of a cc 51.

I really like the balance and look of the 51, but in my day job, I don't really write extensively, but still enjoy the FP feel, so I think my ideal pen would be a cc 51, because of the relatively pain free cleaning etc. I think I'm in for a long wait eh!

Thanks.

Jeph
January 17th, 2014, 04:27 PM
Bah, I still ask questions that have been asked a hundred times. That is how I found the answers, and that is why I provide them now when I can.

I think you are looking at it wrong. Instead of getting a C/C 51, just get a 51 for every ink!!!!! (I am kidding) ((mostly))

You could try the Parker 45. They are not quite 51's, but they are nice, write well, are generally undervalued because they aren't 51's and were literaly made for decades, and are C/C pens. I liked the first one so much I gave it to my father for Christmas and then just recently bought myself another one. The only real problem is that you will start looking for specific colors and trim and then it can get a little crazy.

Some pens (and sellers) can command a premium for them, but if you keep your eyes open you can find them very reasonably priced.

ac12
January 17th, 2014, 09:39 PM
I second the recommendation for a P45.

Even with a C/C 51, cleaning the old ink out of the collector of a P51 is a PiA. It is just plan difficult to get all the old ink out of the collector, because the collector is out of the flow of the ink channels, so you cannot flush clean the collector.

The P45 on the other hand is easy to clean. You can take the pen completely apart to clean the section, feed and nib. It is the easiest pen to clean, that I have found...so far.

Better yet, the P45 is generally much cheaper than a P51 (especially a c/c 51), so you can indeed afford to have multiple P45s each inked with a different ink.
I have 3; one with red ink, another with turquoise ink and a 3rd with green ink.

welch
January 17th, 2014, 10:14 PM
I suggest:

(1) Don't worry about flushing every last spec of ink from the aerometric 51. I put a pen under a faucet, run water while pumping about five minutes, let it soak in a tissue. If I'm in the mood, I'll then let the pen soak overnight in plain water. This works well enough unless the pen has been filled with a wacky-doodle ink that contains magic ingredients to water-proof, snow-proof, freeze-proof, or bomb-proof the ink. If your ink has an off-beat additive, consider using a less-finicky ink.

(2) While Parker made the P51 c/c for only a few years (yes, I saw one on Ebay...briefly), the 51's replacement, the Parker 61, was made as a c/c for several years. Look at EBay UK, because English Parkers had great nibs. Thick. Lush. I think Parker UK shifted to the c/c about 1969, but make sure the pen you're bidding on does not have the capillary. Those are easy to spot...look like nothing in this world or any other (to play with Parker's advertising slogan). The 61 is shaped like a more elegant, more slender, 51...otherwise, they are close. The c/c 61 would have been just the right next step, or evolution, from the 51...except that people were shifting to ballpoints in the 1960s.

ps:

- Don't worry if you find a P61 without its hood arrow. They tend to loosen and fall off, but they're just decoration
- The 61 has a reputation for being a bit fragile. I've never cracked one, but I'm more careful with a 61 than the lasts-forever P51.

Uncle Bud
February 1st, 2014, 02:58 PM
Well guys, Jeph and ac12, you were right. I picked up a cheap £10 fighter 45 with 14K gold medium nib, love it! Well balanced writes smooth and easily taken apart for cleaning, just brilliant.

You were also right about collecting. I've got another blue TX, also great, a burgundy plastic one (with a screw cap?) and another couple on the way, all with gold nibs and all write great. What I don't understand though, is with prices so cheap (the most I've paid is £15) why isn't everyone buying these. They are great writers, post well, easy to clean and inexpensive. The TX is by far my favorite, metal body so is well balanced and the nib has a bit of flex.

What I would say though is the metal ones, flighter and TX are probably a bit more balanced than the plastic ones, but they are great too. Thanks for the suggestion, they are a great everyday pen, well balanced and good writer, but cheap enough that it's not the end of the world if you lose it. Thanks guys.

ac12
February 1st, 2014, 08:44 PM
Bud
You have better prices on your side of the pond for many Parkers.
But the shipping to the US many times kills that advantage.

Mags
February 2nd, 2014, 05:16 AM
Yes the prices must be better as I don't see many 45's for $20 or $30 Canadian ....in fact I don't see many Canadian sales either on EBay.

Uncle Bud
February 2nd, 2014, 05:38 AM
So how much do they go for in the US and Canada. They are really good value over here. I suppose the cost of shipping is something to consider, it's a pity coz they are great little writers.

Mags
February 2nd, 2014, 05:47 AM
Shipping and handling of $20 from the US and then priced at $30-40 after EBay bids if gold nib. I can't say I am an authority on pricing Uncle Bud but that's been my experience.

Uncle Bud
February 2nd, 2014, 06:59 AM
Wow, that is a big difference.

pajaro
February 4th, 2014, 07:10 PM
If any of you remember Old Griz of FPN, he had a 51 C/C version on his web site for sale at about $300. The 51 C/C version had some flow problems and wasn't as good a pen as the aerometric.

welch
February 4th, 2014, 09:08 PM
Parker 45 prices have increased in the last two or three years, at least on US EBay. I've read complaints that pen prices -- in general -- are down on UK EBay. I look for Parker 51s and 61s, so the shipping doesn't bother me as much when I consider that Parker UK made luscious nibs. Like riding in a 1966 Lincoln Continental: utterly smooth.

Another "hurrah" for the Parker 45: my second pen and the one I kept for six years. In those days, we filled every morning with Sheaffer or Parker ink, the same ink, and nobody thought we needed two or three fountain pens. A genuine workhorse, a great "school pen", and maybe the one FP that did not lose sales as ballpoints swallowed the world. Tony Fischier says that Parker sold 75 million units over 20 years, generating $140 million. The 45 is hard to kill, since almost every component can be unscrewed and replaced.

Another view, though: through twenty years of sales, Parker 45 was a best-selling pen but only generated $140 million in revenue. That's about $7 million a year...a smallish business, much smnaller than the $450 million a year the Parker family got when they bought a temporary employment agency.