The Parker 51 pencil design was changed, in 1948, from a rotary mechanism to a 'clutch' or 'clicker' type. This design contiued until 1957, this pencil carries a date code for the third quarter of 1951.
The pencil barrel is constructed in 'Lucite', later known as 'Perspex', this material does not suffer from discolouration as in the earlier pencils. The 'Cocoa' colour is an appropriately named shade of light brown, it is very attractive colour, quite rare, and much sought after.
The barrel is in mint condition, it has an excellent surface and carries an imprint:
'Parker "51" Made in U.S.A. 51.'
The last '51' followed by a 'dot' signifies that the pencil was made in the third quarter of 1951.
The 'Lustralloy' cap is also in excellent condition, it is ding free and shows minimal wear.
Removal of the cap exposes the eraser, which seems to have seen very little use. This can be removed to access a number of spare leads that are stored in the inner barrel.
The 'clutch pencil' mechanism is activated by pushing the cap to extend the lead with a manual retraction.
The pencil was possibly supplied from new along with a matching fountain pen, it seems likely that the pen was removed as a regular writer leaving the pencil seeing very little use. Parker 51 pencils in Cocoa do not come along very often and one in such remarkable condition is something of a rarity.