Heads up: Parker "51" Plum

[carlos.q]

I recently bought a Parker "51" Plum with a very nice medium nib. Very rarely have I seen these advertised at the sites that I frequent. However, last night I was browsing through Pentooling.com and they have for sale THREE Plum Parkers:

Standard sized with fine/medium nib
Demi set with medium/broad nib and matching pencil
Demi set with fine nib and matching pencil

So if you have been looking for a Parker 51 in the hard to find Plum color, and have some money to spare, this may be your opportunity.

Standard disclaimer: not affiliated in any way. Not even a customer...

[pajaro]

Nice 51s on that site. I wonder if they are worth that much. Could be.

[McKool]

In my opinion ..... he is rather "High" on his price.

[carlos.q]

Ahh yes... Collectors are a strange bunch. They'll pay ten or twenty times the original price of a pen just because it was produced for only one year and in a color that nobody liked.

Then again, I find this pen kind of cool...

Parker51Plum3.jpg


This is the one I bought recently for a lot less. The filler has the following instructions: "To fill press ribbed bar firmly 6 times. Use dry-writing Superchrome ink"

[pajaro]

Ahh yes... Collectors are a strange bunch. They'll pay ten or twenty times the original price of a pen just because it was produced for only one year and in a color that nobody liked.

Then again, I find this pen kind of cool...

Parker51Plum3.jpg



This is the one I bought recently for a lot less. The filler has the following instructions: "To fill press ribbed bar firmly 6 times. Use dry-writing Superchrome ink"

Is it full size or demi? Looks like an earlier one.

[carlos.q]

Is it full size or demi? Looks like an earlier one.

It's demi sized.
The pen is dated 1948 and the Plum colored P51's were made for only a year from 1948-49 so yes, it's an earlier one.

[Chrissy]

I really like the colour, and I would love to see one. However, I wouldn't pay that much for a Parker 51 even if it was a plum version. So I guess i will never own one.

[carlos.q]

I really like the colour, and I would love to see one. However, I wouldn't pay that much for a Parker 51 even if it was a plum version. So I guess i will never own one.

Yes, these tend to be very expensive. I just did some checking at the Vacumania.com site and, under the "sold pens" archive, I found these prices for Plum Parker 51's:

$270 for a mismatched pen/pencil set
$290 Demi with GF cap
$335 Demi set with box
$285 Demi with GF cap
$150 Full sized with mismatched burgundy hood
$255 Demi with GF cap
$325 Full sized
$325 Full sized
$325 Full sized
$285 Demi with GF cap
$325 Demi set with GF cap
$325 Full sized
$285 Demi with GF cap

Definitely very expensive. The funny thing about all this is that I really don't like the Parker 51 design. And yet, I have five of them...

[Katana]

Just for a recent price point, there was a demi with a Lustraloy cap that sold for $330 on Richard Binder's monthly "Pen Show Tray" earlier this month. While I've collected and used lots of fountain pens over the years, I seem to always have one or two Parker 51's in my daily rotation. I'm not sure why, since they are really basic and nothing fancy. They are just super-reliable and I enjoy using them.

[Laura N]

I just want to say that for any given pen there is a range of prices. Some sellers are known to set high prices and some sellers always get a premium because of name or reputation. If one is a buyer, and has the time, it's worth it to talk to a range of dealers at a pen show, and to research a range of prices paid on eBay over time. On the other hand, sometimes a buyer just wants something specific right now.

But I own a Plum, so I shouldn't even have said that.

[Laura N]

I really like the colour, and I would love to see one. However, I wouldn't pay that much for a Parker 51 even if it was a plum version. So I guess i will never own one.

And you don't have to pay that much for a Parker 51. In my opinion, they are undervalued (except for one color that's seriously overvalued). Not that the 51 is your pen, necessarily -- all my friends dislike them, I swear.

[pajaro]

Is it full size or demi? Looks like an earlier one.

It's demi sized.
The pen is dated 1948 and the Plum colored P51's were made for only a year from 1948-49 so yes, it's an earlier one.

The blackened lettering on the filler sheath is generally on the earlier pens, in my experience.

[carlos.q]

Found another Demi Plum at the penamie.com site for "only" 225 GBP. By today's exchange rate it comes out to about $297.00, not including postage.

[pajaro]

I have a plum set with the Lustraloy caps. I think I bought it in 2009, for $209.00, sniping an ebay auction. I had sought a plum pen for years, long past the time when I decided I didn't care so much for the color. Sometimes the chase has a life of its own. Now the pen sits in a case. I have enough 51s that I like better for sentimental reasons that I don't need to use it. All the dark Parker 51s seem to look almost black in most light conditions. The plum and the dark burgundy pens need strong light to make the color come out. There is a lot of controversy over whether the plum 51 is rare. Probably best said that it is less common than the other aerometric colors, although the forest green is also fairly uncommon. As 51 prices rise, it's no big surprise to see $300 for a plum pen. I am glad I have had one and have had it for examination, but the plum isn't as pretty as I had thought it would be. Nice to have, though.

[pajaro]

[Laura N]

I'm with pajaro on this. In fact, I'll go further: to me, the color of the Plum is the least appealing in person. As always, YMMV. And of course that's not what's behind the prices anyway.

The awesome Rick Krantz just put up an ad with several 51s at killer prices -- some lucky someone can pay $65 for a black or burgundy full size aerometric with gold nib and lustraloy cap.

[pajaro]

I'm with pajaro on this. In fact, I'll go further: to me, the color of the Plum is the least appealing in person. As always, YMMV. And of course that's not what's behind the prices anyway.

The awesome Rick Krantz just put up an ad with several 51s at killer prices -- some lucky someone can pay $65 for a black or burgundy full size aerometric with gold nib and lustraloy cap.

I have never liked to admit this, but I was disappointed in the plum color, and I see now why it only ran 48 to 49. It is hard to admit that you have been shucked.

I looked at the Rick Krantz ad, and I was tempted. Buying pens is pretty much over for me, though. Too old, too many pens, and they are like clutter in my house. Those 51s look like good buys. I liked the condition of the burgundy 51's cap on the end. Nice.

[carlos.q]

Just discovered another Demi Plum, this one with a more common fine nib. Teri has one over at Peyton Street Pens for the lowest price I have seen.

A different disclaimer: I am not affiliated but I have bought pens from Teri in the past.

[pajaro]

Just discovered another Demi Plum, this one with a more common fine nib. Teri has one over at Peyton Street Pens for the lowest price I have seen.

A different disclaimer: I am not affiliated but I have bought pens from Teri in the past.

$200. Probably not bad today. Nice pen.

I think I had it all wrong trying to get a plum pen. If I were collecting these today I would make sure I had a nice forest green and a nice cocoa aero pen. Then I would look for the buckskin, mustard and Nassau green vacs. A first year vac 51 would also be a nice to have. Then maybe a plum.

[carlos.q]

I believe you're right: this color is not for everyone. In my case I love violet/purple inks so a plum colored pen looked like a logical next step. Recently I also bought a Lamy Dark Lilac pen which I like very much.

Among the colors you mentioned I would only consider the forest and Nassau green. The cocoa, buckskin and mustard colors leave me unimpressed.

But then again I really don't like the P51 design. I'll probably put most of them on sale.