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Thread: 51 Special

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    Default 51 Special

    I recently acquired what is supposedly a 51 which I believe is a "Special" but have been told it is an MK1. Blue gray or,,,,,,,Navy Gray, stainless cap with black cone shaped jewel, steel(?) nib. However, I thought "Specials" said "Special" on the converter. This one only says " "Parker "51" ". Also, the number of times to squeeze the bar on the converter is 4. I heard that us one way to help date it as well.
    Last edited by RayCornett; February 10th, 2015 at 09:01 PM.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    The black jewel is a feature of the Special, the nib is either alloy ( can't remember what Parker called it !!) or occasionally gold. The filler is different to the standard 51 with a "hoop" style the same as used in the English Duofolds. I can't remember if Special was on the filler either....

    Regards
    Hugh

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    I have done more research and also talk to a pen restorer who told me after seeing some photos that it is a 51 MK1. There is no imprint on the barrel. Not even Parker made in u.s.a., so either it is after the mid 1950s or it has been worn off due to use or over-polishing. "Special" should be on the 51 Specials. Directly below Parker 51 from what I have see.

    I just disassembled it. The nib, which upon further inspection and slight cleaning seems to be gold. It is soaking right now but has Made in USA 195. It seems the last digit in the year is missing. I saw somewhere that this does happen. I saw one where the 1 was missing but had the last 3 digits. There is a pair of 2 letter abbreviations on the other side of the notch on the nib. RU-PL which I see now means Ruthinium Plathenium. The odd thing is, the Parker 51 website says nibs with this designation on it were changed to just RU in 1947 but this pen seems to be made after the mid 1950s according to the 195 on the nib itself and the lack of barreldate code and imprint. It also has a metal breather tube which I was not expecting.
    Last edited by RayCornett; February 10th, 2015 at 08:48 PM.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    As old as these pens are, and as many hands as might have touched them, it is not unknown for parts swaps to have been made. So, you can't just assume that all parts are original, especially if the barrel, section, nib and cap don't all follow the formula. I have bought, for example, a gray 51 with "Parker 51 Special" on the filler, a 14K nib and a cap from a 51 Vacumatic with the golden clip. It was one of the 51 Standards with the wrong cap. You could have the 51 Standard pen with the wrong cap, because some innocent person saw "Special" on the filler and put a Special cap, bright shiny metal with black cap jewel, on a Standard, which should have had a Lustraloy cap with a gray cap jewel. Or maybe it was assembled in that configuration at the factory.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Mine doesn't have special on the filler. After more research and talking to a couple of restorers it all points to being an mk1 they said. The issue I have now is dsting. The nib contradicts itself since it is partially stamped with a 1950s date while the RU PL abbreviation was not used after 1947. All I can guess is that the nib wss placed on the pen in the factory in the 1950s but the nib was left over from before 1947.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    - Does your pen have the "hoop" filler? The aerometric has a casing around its sac. A hoop filler would suggest a P-51 Special.
    - Is the nib steel ("octanium") or gold? "Ruthenium", I think, was a name for the tipping material used in place or irridium. Gld nib will be gold with a gray tip. Steel, obviously, is all steel-gray.

    As Pajaro mentions, these pens are old enough to have all sorts of replacement parts. My 51 Special says it's a Special on the hoop filler...along with a helpful suggestion to "use dry writing Superchrome ink". The black jewel fell out and hid itself under my desk. I had a spare P-61 creamy jewel, so I put a drop of shellac on the top of the cap and now have a jewel that will puzzle a future "collector". I once corresponded with an EBay seller who wanted to sell the 51 Special he bought in grad school, in the '50s. It had a standard 51 cap: lustraloy and all, but was a 51 Special. That way when he bought it. All I could guess is that Parker ran off a batch of 51 Specials; found they had more pens than Special caps; used a 51 Standard cap. Or maybe the dealer swapped the caps for some reason.

    It would be fun to read daily production reports. Did Parker hire workers by the hour? Or by piece-rate? How many different specialty-skills were used for each type of pen? How did they assign work across the different specialty groups?

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by RayCornett View Post
    The nib contradicts itself since it is partially stamped with a 1950s date while the RU PL abbreviation was not used after 1947.
    I suspect the Parker 51 web site is just plain wrong about this. Pretty sure every single one of my "51" aeros has had RU PL on the nib, and the unused demi I had, was a 1951 production. Yes, yes, of course parts can get swapped, but every single one of my aeros a nib earlier than 1948? Doesn't pass the sniff test.
    --
    Mike

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    First, how big is the pen? The Aerometric Demi had a hoop filler after the first year or so, but it wasn't a Special.

    Or Standard. To confuse things a bit, Parker renamed the Special the Standard after several years. Same pen, though. Except for the Aero Demi, any 51 with a hoop filler may be considered a Special/Standard. The details about the black jewel, the frosted or shiny cap. and the Octanium or gold nib changed with time. The Special/Standard began with black jewel, shiny cap, and Octanium nib, but nearer the end of the run Parker was turning them out with 14K nibs, the regular jewel, and frosted caps, or some variation thereof.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    I was aware that the Parker 51 specials were originally issued with octanium nibs. However, many of these have been placed into regular Parker 51 pens. I have a regular Parker 51 with an octanium nib. I wish I had a gold nib to substitute for that but I don't. One day I will substitute a nice gold nib for the non-standard octanium one. For now I just don't write with it.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    I suppose historic authenticity is an issue for some of us, some of the time. As for writing, there is a body of Parker 51 fans who believe that other things being equal, the Octanium nibs are likely to be smoother than the gold nibs, and prefer them. I am one of those. This is not an offer to swap nibs with Chrissy in the mother country, but I do say I have been well pleased with those of my 51s that have Octanium nibs.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    The 51 Syndicate has read this thread with interest.

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    Jerome Tarshis (February 14th, 2015), Jon Szanto (February 14th, 2015)

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    An octanium nib can be very good.

    I have found that the octanium nibs often have a little more tipping material than the gold nibs. I had almost given up my search for the "perfect" 51 when I stumbled across a 51 Special, octanium nib, that was a great writer. A wise person suggested that Parker had put extra tipping on the octanium nibs as a way to make up for having given extra attention toward finishing the gold nib. Since both aerometric standard and 51 Special are about 60 years old -- give or take a few years -- a nib with extra tipping might have survived better.

    Can't tell if the suggestion is true, but I'd judge nibs I've found as (1) English gold medium (2) US octanium medium (3) US gold fine. The US factory seems to have made mostly fine or finer nibs...Tom Mullane once guesstimated that about 80% of the US 51's he saw were fine (or accountant, etc). Parker Newhaven seems to have put more tipping on their medium gold nibs and to have made more medium and broad 51s.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by Jerome Tarshis View Post
    I suppose historic authenticity is an issue for some of us, some of the time. As for writing, there is a body of Parker 51 fans who believe that other things being equal, the Octanium nibs are likely to be smoother than the gold nibs, and prefer them. I am one of those. This is not an offer to swap nibs with Chrissy in the mother country, but I do say I have been well pleased with those of my 51s that have Octanium nibs.
    Awwww darn it.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    I haven't tried a "51" octanium nib, but the Parker 45 octanium nib I had was a lot more nail-like than the 14K nibs Parker 45 nibs I had. I really, really didn't like it. Sometimes Parker "51" gold nibs can be stiff, too, if the hood presses on them too tightly, which is not really the nib's fault, of course, but generally they have a noticeable amount of "give" if the hood is adjusted to allow for it. Do the "51" octanium nibs have that same "give" or do they feel quite nail-like?
    --
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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by welch View Post
    An octanium nib can be very good.

    I have found that the octanium nibs often have a little more tipping material than the gold nibs. I had almost given up my search for the "perfect" 51 when I stumbled across a 51 Special, octanium nib, that was a great writer. A wise person suggested that Parker had put extra tipping on the octanium nibs as a way to make up for having given extra attention toward finishing the gold nib. Since both aerometric standard and 51 Special are about 60 years old -- give or take a few years -- a nib with extra tipping might have survived better.

    Can't tell if the suggestion is true, but I'd judge nibs I've found as (1) English gold medium (2) US octanium medium (3) US gold fine. The US factory seems to have made mostly fine or finer nibs...Tom Mullane once guesstimated that about 80% of the US 51's he saw were fine (or accountant, etc). Parker Newhaven seems to have put more tipping on their medium gold nibs and to have made more medium and broad 51s.
    Nibs without tipping are a real no no for me personally. I don't like writing with them. I will grudgingly admit that when I look through my loupe at my Octanium nib, it has a huge perfect ball of tipping on it. I'm going to ink up this 51 and see how it writes.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by mhosea View Post
    I haven't tried a "51" octanium nib, but the Parker 45 octanium nib I had was a lot more nail-like than the 14K nibs Parker 45 nibs I had. I really, really didn't like it. Sometimes Parker "51" gold nibs can be stiff, too, if the hood presses on them too tightly, which is not really the nib's fault, of course, but generally they have a noticeable amount of "give" if the hood is adjusted to allow for it. Do the "51" octanium nibs have that same "give" or do they feel quite nail-like?
    I don't notice much difference between the P-51 gold and octanium nibs. The gold is slightly softer, but the 51 is pretty stiff in general. I have an "English" medium, gold nib that is unusually long. Probably has more give, but if I pick up a P-75 then that 51 feels pretty close to a nail. (Happening to check: two of my favorite 51s, meaning two with very wet and smooth nibs, both have nibs so short, or set so deeply, that only the tip and a tiny fraction of nib extends beyond the hood.

    Ah, now the P-45 gold nib is a different story. The "hood" on the 45 seems more like decoration, or a wink to remind people of the 51 and the 61. I had a gold-nibbed 45 from 1961 - '66...I "shaved" off the "hood" when I capped it quickly and carelessly. Wrote well without the "hood". About six years ago, I tried fountain pens again...got a 45, of course, and the steel nib felt like a claw.

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by mhosea View Post
    Pretty sure every single one of my "51" aeros has had RU PL on the nib, and the unused demi I had, was a 1951 production.
    I can't say this anymore. I just got a 1951 "51" today, and it says just PARKER Made in USA RU 1951.
    --
    Mike

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    )

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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by mhosea View Post
    Quote Originally Posted by mhosea View Post
    Pretty sure every single one of my "51" aeros has had RU PL on the nib, and the unused demi I had, was a 1951 production.
    I can't say this anymore. I just got a 1951 "51" today, and it says just PARKER Made in USA RU 1951.
    Just to be difficult, here's an English oddity.


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    Default Re: 51 Special

    Quote Originally Posted by RayCornett View Post
    I recently acquired what is supposedly a 51 which I believe is a "Special" but have been told it is an MK1. Blue gray or,,,,,,,Navy Gray, stainless cap with black cone shaped jewel, steel(?) nib. However, I thought "Specials" said "Special" on the converter. This one only says " "Parker "51" ". Also, the number of times to squeeze the bar on the converter is 4. I heard that us one way to help date it as well.
    Sounds like my 51 Special:

    black jewel - check
    filler- hoop aero - says 4 times AND Special and Use Dry Writing Superchrome Ink
    Nib - Octanium/steel as best as I can tell - I have never had it apart
    Cap - very faint- due to use/polishing - Parker Made in USA
    pinhole in bottom of barrel. - check

    Mine came as a set with a matching pencil. The date code on the pencil tells me it is from 1953. Even the box that came with it puts it there.
    Brad "Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind" - Rudyard Kipling

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