This is a remarkable early Parker 51 fountain Vacumatic pen and pencil set in Black. The pen is a Vacumatic filler date coded for 1949. Made in England, it is the very last of the Vacumatic pens. All English Vacumatics had the 'transition clip', longer than the one used later on the Aerometric filling pens.
Parker ‘51’ Vacumatic fountain pen and pencil boxed set. Excellent condition.
Made in England in 1949, this is a truly outstanding example of the iconic Parker ‘51’.
The pen:
First class condition throughout.
Immaculate deep gloss Black finish.
Clear imprint for an English pen with 1949 date code.
Ding free rolled gold cap in excellent order.
The Pencil:
‘Correct’ repeater pencil.
Immaculate black finish.
Ding free cap rolled gold ca
Fully functional.
The box:
Parker presentation box no. 270, the correct box for the year.
Opens and closes perfectly.
Metal '51' logo on lid.
Sound condition.
Summary:
The English branch of Parker first started making 51s in 1947 but demand quickly outstripped supply resulting in a thriving black market in Parker 51s at much higher prices than that recommended. Vacumatic production in the U.S.A. ceased in 1948 but this pen clearly shows it continued into 1949 in England. 1949 pens are very uncommon.
This remarkable Parker '51' set fulfils perfectly the criteria often quoted for a vintage fountain pen: quality, condition and age. The likely hood of an item to, at least, maintain its value is also important, this set also scores highly on that criterion. The set is clearly of collectable quality but, perhaps, after sixty odd years the set should be used and shown off!