Parker 51
The Parker 51, introduced in 1941, is a fountain pen. Parker’s period advertising called it “The World’s Most Wanted Pen,” a slogan alluding to restrictions on production of pens for the civilian market in the United States during World War II. Parker's continued advertising during the war created a demand that took several years to fulfill after the end of the conflict.
A common misconception about Quink is that it was intended primarily for the Parker "51," which generated over 400 million dollars in sales during its thirty-year history. While Quink was ideal for use with the 51, Parker's other pens of this generation were just as capable of using it. The Parker "51" was first made available only in 1941, ten years after Quink's development. Two inks that were best used with the "51" specifically were the later, fast-drying Double Quink and the extra-fast Superchrome.
The pen and the ink were both named "51" to mark 1939, the company's 51st year of existence, during which development was completed (U.S. design patent No. 116,097). By giving the pen a number instead of a name, Parker avoided the problem of translating a name into other languages.
The "51" was innovative at the time, with its hooded, tubular nib and multi-finned collector, all designed to work in conjunction with the pen's proprietary ink, allowing the nib to stay wet and lay down an even line with either the ultra-fast drying ink or more traditional inks.[1]
With various refinements, the "51" stayed in production until 1972. The most significant design change came in 1948, with the introduction of the improved Aerometric filling system.[2] At the same time, Parker reformulated its ink, reducing the alkalinity, adding a selection of brilliant colors, and calling the new product Superchrome. Like the "51" ink, it also came with a warning that it should be used only in the Parker "51" (or its new little brother, the "21"), but the warning was more discreet.
The pen was not named after the P-51 Mustang fighter plane; but Parker took advantage of the coincidence by comparing the pen and the plane in its advertising. Additionally, a pilot who is suspected of falsifying flight records in his logbook in order to overstate his actual experience is said to have logged "P-51 hours," relying on the ambiguity of the term "P-51" to avoid directly confronting the suspect.
The "51" is popular with pen collectors, and in 2002 Parker issued a lookalike model called the 51 Special Edition. In 2004, the larger and heavier Parker 100 was released.
2021 Re-Issue[edit]
In 2020 Parker announced the launch of a re-issue of the iconic Parker 51. The original launch was set for October of the same year, but it was moved to February 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3]
Parker re-launch the Parker 51 maintaining the hallmarks of the original that gave the 51 its identity while leveraging technical advancements and our expertise and craftsmanship to ensure its fit for use in the modern world. The name Parker 51 was no coincidence, Parker had named all their models until then, but had come to the conclusion that if a model was given a name, this name detracted from the name of the brand. A number would therefore suffice better for a new pen, also because a number has the same meaning in all languages. A trial run of the newly developed pen was put out in 1939, which was the 51st year of the Parker Pen Company's existence. The pen was therefore given the type number "51" - according to the official account of the factory. The new Parker 51 is identical in silhouette to the original. Different is the shape of the nib, the length of the clip and closing system. The nib is not tube shaped but has a traditional pen blade, of course this nib is completely hidden in the front part of the pen. This construction ensures that the pen always starts easily and does not dry quickly. Furthermore, also the length of the clip is slightly longer than the original and the new Parker 51 has a screw cap. [4]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
- Parker 51 Special Edition (Originally official site for limited reissue of Parker 51, but seems to have other news about Parker pens, too. ;)
- 5 Reasons Why Parker Nailed the Parker 51 Reissue - The Gentleman Stationer
- Appelboom - Parker 51
- Fahrney's - Parker 51
- The Pen Addict Podcast - Episode 423: Cute Fun Spooky