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The pen that Parker referred to as the '51 Standard' is one of the least well known of the 51 variants and is a very rare pen. This example is in American Burgundy:   From the picture the pen is indistinguishable from a Parker 51 Classic (the American pen was actually called a De Luxe).  It has a Lustralloy cap and a 14CT. Gold nib, suppled by a 'normal' Parker 51 collector and feed arrangement.  The material, finish, and build quality are the same, as is the cap and end stud.  So, what makes it a Standard and not a Classic,...

Parker were late comers into the rapidly growing ballpoint pen business, the Parker Jotter was launched in 1954, 13 years after Lazlo Biro's first offering, the 'Birome'. When criticised for their apparent lack of interest by Time Magazine, Kenneth Parker replied with a rebuttal.  In essence, he said that the current ballpoint pens were  rubbish and Parker would only offer a pen to the public when they were sure it was a great product.  Designing and testing such a product took time and Parker simply were not ready until they unveiled the Jotter, it was revolutionary and  orders of magnitude better...

Most Esterbrook J series pens that are still around are the 'double jewel' version, introduced in 1948.  The first pens, however, were single jewelled pens, often known as 'transitionals' because they filled a gap between the Esterbrook Visumasters, introduced in 1941 and the J series. The early transitional pens, from 1944, had a squared off barrel end: The top picture is the later double jewelled pen.  The Transitional clip does not have the Esterbrook name: Both pens are very nearly the same size but have a very slightly different profile, the transitional pen is less tapered.  

Kenneth Parker had something of an obsession with flying.  In 1949 he produced an all metal version of the Parker 51 which he called a 'Flighter', the metal tubular shape bore a passing resemblance to an aeroplane fuselage. The name resonated with the pen buying public and all successive all steel bodied Parker pens were known as Flighters.  Strictly speaking, to be a Flighter, a pen must have been made by Parker, although it is not uncommon to see other makes referred to as such. The Parker 50 Falcon Flighter was probably the most 'plane-like' of the pens, it has...

The Sheaffer Imperial Sovereign, IMHO, as they say,  ranks among the most aesthetically appealing pens ever made.  The Gold plated 'diamond' pattern is unique, and is echoed by the 14Ct. Gold diamond nib.  The facets are sharply defined and act as individual mirrors to reflect the light at different angles.  It is very hard to hold the pen and not turn it in the hand to admire the effect.  It is a jewel of a pen.