News — Vintage Parker 51

The design of the Parker 51 was inextricably linked with the development of a new fast drying ink that Parker had developed in the 1930s. The ink was, indeed, fast drying, and did away with the need for blotting paper but it was also strongly alkaline and contained chemicals that could damage the plastics used for the manufacture of most pens at the time.   Where most companies would have rejected the ink on those grounds, Parker saw it as a bonus in that they could make a pen from an ink resistant material and market it as the only pen that...

The Parker 51 Vacumatic is a great pen, IMHO, as they say.  I like everything about them, including the quirkiness of the filling system.  In the Parker repair manual instructions are given for the filling of a 51 Vacumatic compared with the Parker Vacumatic pen: There is one major difference in the filling methods of the Parker «51» and the Parker Vacumatic. The difference is that after the Parker «51» has been completely filled (usually after ten strokes of the plunger), the excess ink must be withdrawn from the fins of the collector. To accomplish this, the filling instructions of the Parker...

Vintage Parker 51 desk sets are very difficult to find, one in brand new condition is a rarity.  This set is unused and in its original packing.  The Parker 51 pen is uninked and perfect. The 'Magnetix' base incorporates a strong magnet which allows the pen to be located smoothly to the perfect angle.  It's hard to imagine a better gift for a person who enjoys using a vintage pen on a regular basis.