English production of the Parker 51 Aerometric pen began at the Newhaven factory in April 1950. This particularly fine example carries a date code for 1953.
The pen is finished in Burgundy, it is much brighter and 'redder' than the American version of the colour which is much closer to brown. In the U.S.A., English colour is often known as 'blood red' or 'bloody burgundy'.
The condition of the pen is remarkable, it has a flawless 'showroom' surface and the totally ding free Lustralloy cap has retained the original frosted finish.
The pen has been fully serviced, tested, and is in excellent working order. The nib is really quite rare, I would describe it as an extra broad stub. The stub profile is similar to the italic, in that the vertical strokes are much broader than the horizontals, but the stub has more rounded 'corners' making it smoother and more comfortable to use than the italic.
The nib is a real pleasure to use, it delivers a super smooth line and allows line variation to occur 'naturally', rather than by applying pressure as with a flex nib. It would particularly suit someone with a large, bold hand who enjoys writing with a flourish.
The Parker 51 box has seen better days but it has done a sterling job in protecting the pen and is original so should be kept with the pen. The instruction leaflet is also original, the correct one for the time.
At seventy two years old and in such outstanding condition the pen is clearly of collectable quality, but it performs so well that it would be hard not to keep it inked for daily use.