{"id":28,"date":"2015-09-09T17:14:08","date_gmt":"2015-09-09T17:14:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/parker51.com\/?page_id=28"},"modified":"2017-03-31T20:34:35","modified_gmt":"2017-03-31T20:34:35","slug":"51-versions","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/51s\/51-versions\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;51&#8221; Versions"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial Black;\"><em><span style=\"color: #999999;\">&#8220;Like a pen from another planet&#8221;&#8230;&#8230;..&#8221;So unique and so beautiful there is nothing to compare to it&#8211;so good it cannot be improved by any known method!&#8221;<\/span> <\/em><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 404px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"404\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Vacumatic Filler &#8220;First Year&#8221; 1940-1941<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">The Parker &#8220;51&#8221; commonly referred to as a &#8220;First Year&#8221; pen is really a pen from late 1940 through 1941.\u00a0 They can be easily distinguished from later production by several unique characteristics.\u00a0 Practically all pens of this period are double jewels, meaning that they have a decorative &#8220;jewel&#8221; at the top of the cap and at the end of the barrel (a handful of single jewel pens dated 4th quarter 1941 with imprints by the clutch ring have been found).\u00a0 The imprint on the majority of these pens is at the end of the barrel, near the decorative &#8220;jewel&#8221;, all in one line.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><span style=\"font-size: medium;\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Made in USA <sup>.1.<\/sup><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/parker51.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/blind1st.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-2645\" src=\"https:\/\/parker51.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/blind1st.jpg\" alt=\"blind1st\" width=\"251\" height=\"243\" \/><\/a><br \/>\nThey may or may not have a &#8220;1&#8221; datecode after the imprint.\u00a0 Some collectors speculate that the ones without a datecode are really pre-production models from 1940.\u00a0 Another explanation may be that they were never dated or that the datecode wore off (on most instances the datecode is lightly imprinted to begin with).\u00a0 It should be noted that some double jewel examples have been found with the imprint up by the clutch ring, with a datecode of &#8220;1&#8221;.\u00a0 In addition, I have been able to inspect a demonstrator with the &#8220;1&#8221; imprint by the clutch ring <i>and<\/i> a rounded blindcap.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, in most, but not\u00a0all cases, the &#8220;first year&#8221; pens will have jewels made of aluminum.\u00a0 <a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 178px; height: 127px;\" src=\"\/images\/alum.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"178\" height=\"127\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a>Some collectors will assume that a &#8220;first year&#8221; pen without the aluminum jewels is not correct.\u00a0 This is not the case.\u00a0 One does find with regularity &#8220;first year&#8221; pens with plastic jewels.\u00a0 It is also rather common to find &#8220;first year&#8221; pens with just a barrel aluminum jewel and a plastic cap jewel.\u00a0 It seems as it Parker ran out of cap jewels first, and continued production with whatever was available.\u00a0 On some pens, Parker also appears to have used sterling silver for the jewels, as\u00a0one does find &#8220;first year&#8221; pens with jewels that have that unmistaken yellowish silver patina or heavy tarnish.\u00a0 Most\u00a0likely this was\u00a0due to the pre-war constraints on strategic materials.\u00a0 It should be noted that aluminum jewels can look very different depending on wear\u00a0and age.\u00a0 New Old Stock pens have aluminum jewels that will show\u00a0machining lines.\u00a0 As they wore, due to the softness of the material, they became shiny and lost most of the machining lines.\u00a0 They jewels do dent easily and can get corroded and pitted.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 135px; height: 310px;\" src=\"\/images\/clipvacs.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"135\" height=\"310\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The clips on &#8220;first year&#8221; pens are also rather unique.\u00a0 They actually resemble the Parker Vacumatic clips in use at the time.\u00a0 The blue diamond is larger than the\u00a0later clips, and the enamel used is of a lighter blue color.\u00a0 In addition, the clips are plated over a brass base and are\u00a0die struck, resulting in a negative image on the back.<\/p>\n<p>Another identification aid can be the filler unit.\u00a0\u00a0In most examples, the filler will be the standard aluminum speedline filler used on the Vacumatic line of the time, although not all &#8220;first year&#8221;<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 188px; height: 132px;\" src=\"\/images\/firstfiller_0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"188\" height=\"132\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/> examples have the speedline aluminum filler.\u00a0 New Old Stock examples can be found with correct plastic filler, and some may have been switched as the result of a repair.\u00a0 Interestingly, some of the 1942 production pens are\u00a0found with aluminum speedline fillers.\u00a0 On very early examples, the filler will not have the diamond struck at the end of the brass button.<\/p>\n<p>The nib is also different\u00a0in the\u00a0&#8220;first year&#8221; pens.\u00a0 It is completely devoid of any markings.\u00a0 Parker did not start marking and dating the nibs until 1943. It should be noted that dating a pen by the nib can be very innacurate, as it is the most often replaced part on a pen.<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 348px; height: 158px;\" src=\"\/images\/IMG_0007_1%20copy.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"348\" height=\"158\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Other ways of identifying correct &#8220;first year&#8221; pens can be gained with years of experience of looking at examples;\u00a0 the hoods are of slightly different and unique shape; \u00a0the caps are unique to the era (see the &#8220;Caps&#8221; page); the clutch inside the caps is longer than later ones and the very early caps have 4 &#8220;portholes&#8221; instead of the more common 5 &#8220;portholes&#8221;.\u00a0 The\u00a0shade of colors of &#8220;first year&#8221; pens tend to be different.\u00a0 Overall, in order to correctly identify a &#8220;first year&#8221; pen you need to look at the whole pen and not just one\u00a0single characteristic.\u00a0 One well known collector once said to me &#8220;there are more so called &#8220;first year&#8221; pens out there than Parker ever made&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 293px; height: 180px;\" src=\"\/images\/51protosection.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"293\" height=\"180\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>The picture to the left shows an early &#8220;First Year&#8221; pen with a ribbed hood, similar to the pattern found on the pencils.\u00a0 I have only seen 2 such pens, the second one dated 1944 and on a cordovan barrel, which has the tell-tale Parker-font factory\u00a0engraved name on the barrel.\u00a0 Probably an experiment by Parker, maybe\u00a0given to employees to test.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 460px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"460\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Vacumatic Filler Blue Diamond Clip 1942-1947<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Starting in 1942, all Parker &#8220;51&#8221; pens had the imprint up under the barrel clutch ring.\u00a0\u00a0During\u00a0the first quarter\u00a0and part of the second quarter of 1942, the imprint remained all in one line, just as the\u00a01941 pens;<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Made in USA <sup>.2.<\/sup><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 269px; height: 177px;\" src=\"\/images\/dove4.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"177\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Some of these pens will incorporate early production materials, such as the caps and speedline filler.\u00a0 Sometime in\u00a0the second quarter of 1942 the imprint was changed to the standard two line format that remained in place until the end of the &#8220;51&#8221; vacumatic production in 1948.\u00a0 Dating of Parker &#8220;51&#8221; pens is easy, down to the quarter it was made; at least for the barrel.\u00a0 Parker used a date system of one digit, surrounded by a series of dots to signify the quarter the pen was made in.\u00a0 The year was started with three dots and as the year progressed, a dot was ground-off the die, as follows;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 247px; height: 95px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"247\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"#999999\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0First Quarter<\/td>\n<td>\u00a03 dots<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Second Quarter<\/td>\n<td>\u00a02 dots<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Third Quarter<\/td>\n<td>\u00a01 dot<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Fourth Quarter<\/td>\n<td>\u00a0no dots<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>Some of the early caps carried over into the later production, but all now had the metal content down by the cap band.\u00a0 Some of the war year clips show a silver base instead of brass, and seem to be extruded instead of struck, were you no longer see a negative image on the back of the clip.\u00a0 Later production again returned to a brass base.\u00a0 The blue diamond color is also a darker blue and smaller in size.\u00a0 The blue diamond clip was discontinued in mid 1947 due to a ruling by the FTC against lifetime warranties, but was probably fitted to later pens as supplies allowed.\u00a0 Curiously, some Parker &#8220;51&#8221; ads of mid-1947 depict the Blue Diamond style clip with the blue diamond airbrushed out.\u00a0 In addition, one frequently finds Blue Diamond clips of the era with no traces what-so-ever of blue enamel in the diamond area.\u00a0 I speculate that Parker did sell some Blue Diamond clip pens without the blue painted in during the transition period to the plain arrow clip.<\/p>\n<p>The nibs are all dated starting with 1943, and most will have the tipping material also engraved on the nib.\u00a0 The earliest\u00a01943 nibs will have OS-PL, which stands for Osmiridium \u00a0Plathenium,\u00a0changed later in the same year to RU-PL, which stands for Ruthinium Plathenium.\u00a0 Sometime in 1947, the designation was changed to just RU.\u00a0 The RU designation continued on nibs through 1950.\u00a0 Starting in 1951, the tipping designation on the nibs was again changed to PU.\u00a0 Nibs were available in a very wide range of point sizes.\u00a0 Click here to see a <a class=\"RE\" href=\"http:\/\/d2123501.u38.hosting-advantage.com\/images\/51nibs.jpg\"><span style=\"color: #0033ff;\">detailed chart<\/span><\/a>\u00a0 of the point sizes available from Parker for the &#8220;51&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>Pens were available in a variety of colors, in both single and double jewel models (see &#8220;Colors&#8221; page for chart of colors), in order or rarity;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 182px; height: 164px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"182\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Midnight Black<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Dove Gray<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Cedar Blue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Cordovan Brown<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Buckskin Beige<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Yellowstone Yellow<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Nassau Green<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In the case of Midnight Black, Dove Gray, Cedar Blue, and Cordovan Brown, the double jewel models are more desirable than the single jewel models.\u00a0 In the case of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green, the single jewel models are actually much rarer.\u00a0 This could be due to the fact that according to Parker internal literature of the time, the single jewel models of Buckskin Beige, Yellowstone Yellow, and Nassau Green\u00a0 were available for export only.\u00a0 Of the single jewel models, the Buckskin Beige version is by far the hardest to locate.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><b><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 559px; height: 151px;\" src=\"\/images\/SMUSTARD.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"577\" height=\"151\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/SNASSAU.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"559\" height=\"143\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 559px; height: 148px;\" src=\"\/images\/SBUCKS.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1130\" height=\"312\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 323px; height: 46px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"323\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Red Band Filler 1946-1947<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 396px; height: 64px;\" src=\"\/images\/2007_07140246a.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"396\" height=\"64\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 396px; height: 66px;\" src=\"\/images\/2007_07140246b.JPG\" alt=\"\" width=\"396\" height=\"66\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 56px; height: 88px;\" src=\"\/images\/redfiller.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"46\" height=\"77\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From the beginning of production, Parker struggled with the problem of flooding collectors on the Parker &#8220;51&#8221; and experimented with various different filling systems.\u00a0 One of these filling systems was the short lived &#8220;red band filler&#8221;.\u00a0 It was filled via a button at the end of the short barrel blindcap, encased by red threads made of either plastic (early) or aluminum (later).\u00a0 The filler was essentially a standard button filler, modified for the &#8220;51&#8221; with a special sac designed of a composite material.\u00a0 It did go into production for a short time, but proved very difficult to repair and was withdrawn from the marketplace, to be replaced by the aerometric filler in 1948.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 511px; height: 151px;\" src=\"\/images\/reddemo.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"511\" height=\"151\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 345px; height: 545px;\" src=\"\/images\/redband.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"390\" height=\"600\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<blockquote dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-right: 0px;\">\n<blockquote dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-right: 0px;\">\n<blockquote dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-right: 0px;\">\n<blockquote dir=\"ltr\" style=\"margin-right: 0px;\"><p><span style=\"font-size: xx-small;\">photo by David Isaacson<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Most of the pens found with the &#8220;red band filler&#8221; are deskpens, all\u00a0in black.\u00a0 Pocket versions are also found, with black being the most common.\u00a0 Other colors are very hard to locate, and so far I have only seen a handful in gray and cedar blue.\u00a0 In addition, not all pens are imprinted.\u00a0 Actually, less than half of the pens seem to have any markings at all, and those that do, all have a 1946 datecode.\u00a0 To learn more about this unique filler, please see the\u00a0comprehensive article on the Pennant by Don Hiscock, Dan Zazove and Michael Fultz.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 444px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"444\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Vacumatic Filler Plain Arrow Clip 1947-1948<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 125px; height: 259px;\" src=\"\/images\/aflustro.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"270\" height=\"511\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\">In mid 1947 Parker discontinued the Blue Diamond guarantee due to an FTC ruling against lifetime warranties.\u00a0 With this ruling Parker redesigned the &#8220;51&#8221; to closely resemble the first arrow clips on the Vacumatic pens.\u00a0 The caps were also changed, where in all instances the word &#8220;Parker&#8221; was added to the cap band.\u00a0 Some of the cap patterns from the Blue Diamond era carried over, and some brand new patterns were created (see the &#8220;Caps&#8221; page for details).\u00a0 All pens were still available as single or double jewel, in the same range of colors.\u00a0 It must be note that although a Blue Diamond cap is technically not correct on a late 1947 or 1948 pen, one does find plenty of pens with this combination.\u00a0 This is no doubt the result of Parker and\u00a0dealers accomodating customer&#8217;s preferences from stock at hand.\u00a0 In addition, over the years, a pen such as the Parker &#8220;51&#8221; with easily interchangeable caps and collectible, will\u00a0end up with a wide variation of\u00a0switched caps.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 530px; height: 46px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"530\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Demi-sized Vacumatic Filler Plain Arrow Clip 1947-1948<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 338px; height: 158px;\" src=\"\/images\/demigold.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"545\" height=\"263\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/>In 1947, Parker came out with a new &#8220;51&#8221; vacumatic model, the Demi-Sized model.\u00a0 This pen was much shorter than a regular &#8220;51&#8221;, and was advertised for women.\u00a0 The only difference really was in the barrel of the pen, in\u00a0that it was\u00a0of a shorter length.\u00a0 Other than that, all other components were identical to a regular &#8220;51&#8221;, using the same hood, collector, nib and blindcap.\u00a0 One noticeable change was the unique sized cap <a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 146px; height: 133px;\" src=\"\/images\/demitag.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"235\" height=\"213\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a>designed for the Demi.\u00a0 Although identical in diameter, it was shorter, giving the pen a much better balanced look.\u00a0 Only two cap patterns were available for the Demi, as seen on the &#8220;Caps&#8221; page, one in Lustraloy and one in Gold Filled.\u00a0 It should be noted that one can often find Demi &#8220;51&#8221;s with a regular size or even regular sized &#8220;51&#8221;s with a Demi cap, not an original combination, and most likely a result of a later switch.\u00a0 Visually these pens will not look right, although the caps do\u00a0fit.\u00a0 Production continued through 1948.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 314px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"314\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><strong>\u00a0Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Aerometric Filler 1948-1969<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>In 1948, Parker introduced its redesigned Parker &#8220;51&#8221; with its new &#8220;Foto-fill Filler&#8221;, later renamed to the &#8220;Aero-metric Filler&#8221;.\u00a0 It announced a series of 15 different improvements, including the capability to be carried at high altitudes.\u00a0 The filler was now a sac\u00a0made out of &#8220;Pli-glass&#8221;, advertised to last at least 30 years.\u00a0 These sacs are still going strong after almost\u00a060 years and one seldom finds a bad one.\u00a0 The &#8220;pli-glass&#8221; sac was inside the removable\u00a0barrel and\u00a0was protected by a metal sleeve.\u00a0 In 1948, the first\u00a0filler\u00a0sleeves were made of aluminum and switched to chrome plated\u00a0in 1949, then brushed stainless steel\u00a0by 1950.\u00a0 New models included an all gold filled cap and barrel, known as the <em>Signet<\/em>,\u00a0launched in 1948, followed by the all lustraloy cap and barrel <em>Flighter, a <\/em>solid 14k gold cap and barrel <em>Presidential<\/em> in 1949 and a new Demi sized pen, available in all the finishes of its bigger sized brother, including the 14k caps.\u00a0 Of the three all-metal models, only the <em>Signet<\/em> was available in Full and Demi sizes.<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 486px; height: 136px;\" src=\"\/images\/flighter_0.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"523\" height=\"136\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>From 1948 to 1950, the caps had a long arrow clip, but in 1951 it was changed to the short arrow clip, similar to\u00a0that\u00a0used in all the demi pens.\u00a0 This continued until the end of production for this model in 1969.\u00a0 Also, the early pens had a choice of a gold filled clip on a Lustraloy cap, an option discontinued by 1950.\u00a0 There were various cap choices available, although not as varied as the earlier Blue Diamond style caps, including Lustraloy, Gold Filled and Solid 14k gold,\u00a0detailed in the &#8220;Caps&#8221; page of this website.\u00a0 The sterling silver caps were dropped in the aerometric series.\u00a0 A new range of colors was developed for the Aerometric &#8220;51&#8221;s as follows, in order of rarity:<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 171px; height: 187px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"171\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" align=\"center\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Black<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Navy Blue<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Grey<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Burgundy<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Teal<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Forest Green<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Cocoa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0Plum<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p>The imprint on the pens was changed by removing the Parker &#8220;51&#8221; portion and only leaving &#8220;Made in USA&#8221;,\u00a0dated with a single digit in 1948 or 1949, and switched to a new two digit code in 1950 (although I have found a New Old Stock aerometric pen dated 1948 with the standard 2 line vacumatic imprint).\u00a0 In contrast, the pencils were imprinted with &#8220;Parker 51 Made in USA&#8221;.\u00a0 The latest pen example with a date code I have found is 1952, and the latest pencil is dated 1956.\u00a0 Some dating aides can be found under the Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Chronology page.\u00a0 In 1950, Parker introduced the &#8220;51 Special&#8221;, a lower price alternative pen, with a steel nib and shiny polished cap with a black jewel.\u00a0 The &#8220;51 Special&#8221; can be found in all the standard aerometric colors, except Plum.<\/p>\n<p>A smaller Demi pen was available from the beginning of the aerometric production.\u00a0 This was a Parker &#8220;51&#8221; pen in all respects, similar to the Full size aerometric version, but with smaller proportional dimensions.\u00a0 It should be noter that the cap of the aerometric demi will not fit any other &#8220;51&#8221;.\u00a0 The last aerometric demi was made in 1960, and I have found one with the breather hole moved to the side of the barrel, a change that took place around the same time.\u00a0 The &#8220;51 Special&#8221; was also available as a Demi.\u00a0 In the first years, 1948-1949, the filler was fully covered as in the full size version.\u00a0 Beginning in 1950, the filler cover was changed to an &#8220;open&#8221; style, as illustrated below.\u00a0 This was very similar to the &#8220;51 Special&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 419px; height: 219px;\" src=\"\/images\/demifillers.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"363\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 271px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"271\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221;\u00a0Jotter\u00a01954-1969<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 566px; height: 328px;\" src=\"\/images\/JOTTER.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"566\" height=\"328\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In 1954, Parker introduced its famed Jotter Ballpoint.\u00a0 In the same year, Parker introduced a matching &#8220;51&#8221; Jotter.\u00a0 The Jotters were available in all of the same colors\u00a0as the fountain pens, with the exception of Plum (remember that Plum was discontinued in 1949).\u00a0 The were available with either a Lustraloy cap or a Gold Filled cap with converging lines only.\u00a0 The 14k solid gold caps did not carry to the ballpoints.\u00a0 Early production &#8220;51&#8221; Jotters have metal threads, making them heavier and heftier.\u00a0 These early production versions are more desirable than the later all plastic barrel production pieces.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 271px; height: 37px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"271\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td>\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Converter\u00a01961-1963<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p align=\"center\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 606px; height: 89px;\" src=\"\/images\/convert1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"127\" align=\"middle\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 522px; height: 216px;\" src=\"\/images\/cartridge2.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"608\" height=\"258\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 222px; height: 403px;\" src=\"\/images\/convert3.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"222\" height=\"403\" align=\"right\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 296px; height: 200px;\" src=\"\/images\/cartridge1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"315\" height=\"233\" align=\"left\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In 1961, Parker tried to capitalize on the success of their new convertible Parker 45\u00a0introduced the previous year.\u00a0 Essentially a &#8220;51&#8221; in\u00a0most respects, with the exception\u00a0that instead of a built-in filler, it now had the capability of using either a converter or cartridges <em><strong>and<\/strong><\/em> for the first time\u00a0its famed finned collector was changed, as illustrated in the picture above.\u00a0 The collector\u00a0was no longer finned and seemed not to serve any purpose other than holding the redesigned feed.\u00a0 The pen had a unique connector ring\/nipple, sometimes\u00a0confused by the inexperienced collector for\u00a0a broken aerometric filler.\u00a0 The barrel\u00a0is also unique, in that it has no breather holes and is cut shallower and narrower inside and will not fill a regular full-sized aerometric pen.\u00a0 Although advertised as more convenient, the success of this pen was limited, and it was discontinued late in 1963.\u00a0 The reason for the limited success has been speculated to be that the cartridge gave the new &#8220;51&#8221; an image of being disposable, something that had not been part of the &#8220;51&#8221; positioning over the previous\u00a020 years of production or maybe the redesigned collector affected performance more than expected.\u00a0Examples have been found in black, gray, navy blue, teal, burgundy\u00a0and forest green.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<table style=\"width: 322px; height: 46px;\" border=\"1\" width=\"322\" cellspacing=\"1\" cellpadding=\"1\" bgcolor=\"#666666\">\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td><span style=\"font-family: Arial;\">\u00a0<strong>Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Aerometric MKIII 1969-1972<\/strong><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\">Around 1969, near the end of its life, Parker redesigned the &#8220;51&#8221; one last time, often called the MKIII.\u00a0 This time the cap was completely changed to closely resemble the Parker 61, and the barrel now had a flat end.\u00a0 The cap had a &#8220;51&#8221; inscribed on it twice, opposite from each other. The clutch ring became a thin decorative piece with no use, as the cap was fitted with a finger clutch that grabbed onto the hood.\u00a0 The plastic used for the barrel was changed\u00a0to a softer\u00a0variety, and as a result will easily deform around the hood from the pressure of the finger clutch inside the cap.\u00a0\u00a0Two more colors were introduced with the series,\u00a0advertised as\u00a0Rage Red and Vista Blue (Rage red is\u00a0illustrated below).\u00a0 Rage Red\u00a0is the hardest color to come by of the later MKIII Parker &#8220;51&#8221;s.\u00a0 Other colors found are Gray (same as the 61), burgundy, navy, black and blue-gray (same as the\u00a0earlier &#8220;51&#8221; color).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/RageRed.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"600\" height=\"170\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"left\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\">The first so called MKIII pens had a traditional pearl jewel on the cap.\u00a0 Around 1973,\u00a0the clip was redesign to have an integral metal jewel due to federal government regulations (Parker Parts Catalog 9\/73).\u00a0 No detail is given of why the new regulation came into effect, but it probably had to do with the danger of swallowing the small parts by children, as this is the era that this type of regulations started to be common place.\u00a0 The latest packaging instructions that I have seen for the MKIII are dated June 1972, but I have seen Parker advertising for the MKIII as late as 1976.\u00a0 Production of the MKIII Parker &#8220;51&#8221; continued in England well after it was discontinued in the U.S.<\/span><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a class=\"RE\" href=\"undefined\"><span style=\"font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/images\/MKjewels.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"275\" height=\"203\" border=\"0\" hspace=\"0\" \/><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><!-- BOF buynow --><!-- EOF buynow --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Like a pen from another planet&#8221;&#8230;&#8230;..&#8221;So unique and so beautiful there is nothing to compare to it&#8211;so good it cannot be improved by any known method!&#8221; &nbsp; \u00a0Parker &#8220;51&#8221; Vacumatic Filler &#8220;First Year&#8221; 1940-1941 &nbsp; The Parker &#8220;51&#8221; commonly referred to as a &#8220;First Year&#8221; pen is really a pen from late 1940 through 1941.\u00a0 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":200,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-28","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","5":"entry"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5381,"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/28\/revisions\/5381"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parker51.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}