The Parker 61 was introduced in 1956 in America but was not made in the U.K. until 1961, the high end 'Consort' version, not to be confused with the 'Custom', joined the line in 1967. As the 61 capillary filler was discontinued in 1969 this British made pen can be placed firmly between these dates, it was made for a very short time and is consequently an uncommon pen.
The pen is in truly excellent condition throughout, the 'Consort' cap has one fifth 12 Ct. gold by weight, twice that of the 'Custom' pen. The inset Gold arrow on the section is firm and secure, a good number of 61s are now 'arrowless'.
The rolled Gold cap is clearly stamped:
'PARKER 1/5 12 Ct. R. Gold. Made in England'
and carries a pearl grey end stud. It is free of dings or other blemishes and the clip is straight and secure.
The barrel and hood are finished in flawless classic black with a gold tassie with pearl end stud.
Parker designed the 61 to have no moving parts and to be clean and easy to fill using a revolutionary capillary filling system. The capillary cell on this pen has an fully intact Teflon coating which was designed to eliminate the need to wipe the surface after filling. The original instruction leaflet for this pen describes the filling procedure. The cell has been thoroughly flushed and cleaned of any old ink residue, refilled, tested, and flushed again.
The 14 Ct. Gold nib is very similar to that used in the Parker 51 and performs just as well. This one is a superb writer. It produces a very smooth and consistent medium to broad line, a pleasure to use.
The original Parker 61 'Polka Dot' presentation case is sound and in very good, clean condition, inside and out.
It should be pointed out that, if you intend to change ink colour regularly then a Parker 61 capillary filler is not a good choice. Otherwise it is a very attractive, unusual, and sought after vintage pen that would provide excellent service for years to come.