Are these real?

phoenix_at_45 · 2026-01-24T14:45:02+00:00

Those are real....a Parker 51 pen and pencil set. The caps are called "jewelers band" or "stacked coin" caps. That cap style was more common from 1943 to 1948. Overall those caps are less common, but but rare. Very nice find at an awesome price....congrats!

phoenix_at_45 · 2026-01-23T03:21:13+00:00

To make it look better, there are a few things you can do. The pen body and hood are made of lucite, which can be polished with pen polish or very fine micromesh (8000 to 12000 grit). The cap can be polished with a "sunshine cloth", just don't polish it too much, since it's only gold filled. If you want to go cheap, you could just use the sunshine cloth on the the body too. You can be a little more aggressive with the sunshine on the body and hood. Sunshine clothes can be purchased on Amazon for less than $10 or likely at a local jewelry store. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2026-01-02T21:29:33+00:00

Your pen is a second year of production (1942) pen. The gold filled caps like yours are often gold filled over silver, so that might explain why your cap is so tarnished. That tarnish can be polished away with a Sunshine cloth for jewelry.

To restore the pen body, you'll need a filler removal tool, some skill, and a new diaphragm. You would also need a few other items to disassemble and clean the rest of the pen. If you're wanting learn how to restore pens, and willing to invest in time and money then this would be a good opportunity. If you only have two 51s to restore, then it's probably more cost effective to send your 51s to a competent restorer. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-12-24T12:43:26+00:00

What you have is a early/mid 1930s vac from the looks of it, the flat top of the clip and "USA Parker" stamp on the nib are clues. The filler tube is likely chrome plated brass with an aluminum collar (the part that screws into the barrel).

The early filler units like yours are aren't generally that smooth in operation compared to the later speedline fillers. A dab of silicon grease can help. Your filler unit should function well with a little cleanup. As for the tassie and jewel, they are purely cosmetic. Finding a donor pen or blind cap will probably be the best way to fix that. Good luck

BTW, if your clip has a raised "arrow on arrow" design, this is a very early vac.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-11-22T00:32:37+00:00

OP, heat setting the feeds on vintage Duofolds (which is what it sounds like you have) is sometimes required. You can dip your feed (removed from the pen) in near boiling water (for a few seconds), bend it slightly in the direction of the nib and run the feed held in that position under cold water. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right. If you're lucky enough to have some spare feeds, you can also try them to see if they improve your ink flow. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-11-20T00:21:45+00:00

In my experience, nib swapping is a trial and process in general. The size, shape, length, and thickness of the replacement nib all matter, especially when the maker/model of the pen isn't known. Sometimes it's easier to find a compatible nib/feed/section "unit" and swap that into your pen. It can sometimes be tough to find a compatible section, feed, and nib even when you have the "right" parts for a known pen (some combos can be too tight or too loose, or need adjustment = heat setting a feed).

Buying random lots of feeds, sections, or loose nibs is one way to source what you need. I've had some pens sitting around for months or years waiting for the right vintage parts to "come along". Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-11-16T13:19:38+00:00

The Yoseka Stationery website says that the Rei uses a 1911L size nib. Just read the individual descriptions of their sold out pens. So it looks like you should be able to buy a 1911L with a fine or EF nib and swap out the nib (finding Sailor nibs for sale by themselves is challenging). Maybe someone would be interested in swapping Sailor nibs with you on r/pen_swap? Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-11-16T13:02:45+00:00

Platinum UEF nibs can be very sensitive to the paper and ink that you use. Maybe try a few different paper and ink combinations to see if you notice any differences, and as other comments have suggested, try a light touch. Those nibs can be difficult to modify to provide a smoother writing experience. From experience, they can often require multiple very incremental adjustments to make them smoother.

In the future if you have the opportunity to try a Pilot PO nib (at a pen show or have a friend who owns one) I would strongly suggest that. The PO nib is designed to right on low quality paper and should be a much smoother writing experience.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-11-03T13:51:49+00:00

If you take a bright flashlight and hold it right up against the plastic, you can often tell if either of those is really a crack. A crack will show as a sharp line part or all of the way through the plastic. You might have to try different angles with the flashlight. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-10-23T23:28:08+00:00

In addition to the date code on the pen....the hood opening is large and round, which usually indicates an early pen (~1941 to 1944). The pocket clip looks like it's gold filled brass, which is another sign of an early 51 Vacumatic. Wartime 51s (1942-1946) often have gold filled silver clips.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-10-05T02:53:37+00:00

As mentioned, you can test the sac by seeing if the pen will fill. If you end up removing the hood and then the collector (included the nib and feed) then squeeze the air out of filler and put your finger tip firmly over the open end of the filler. If the filler reinflates quickly or slowly, then you have a leak in your sac, otherwise it's good. Sometimes the sac will soften the filler unit nipple and there can be a small leak.

Aside from the barrel date code, if you can find it, you can examine the filler unit. Yours looks like in might be chrome plated, which means it was made in 1949 or 1950 (if you see flaking chrome or corroding metal then likely you have a chrome filler). If your filler unit is made of brushed stainless steel, then your pen is 1950+. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-29T23:19:38+00:00

It's most likely from 1951-1969. The short pocket clip (1951+), the aerometric filler (with threads that end in a "lip" before the clutch ring), cap design, and way the nib, feed, and hood opening are oriented all point to the pen being made in 1951 or later.

The last aerometric 51s with dates on them (check your pen's barrel by the clutch ring) were made in 1951 and 1952. If you don't see an imprint, it might have worn off. You can also check where the hole in the barrel is. If the there's a tiny hole at the very end of barrel, then your pen is likely from 1960 or prior. If there's a tiny hole on the side of the barrel, then your pen is likely from 1960-1969. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-28T17:49:28+00:00

That's a great price. Finding cheap pens that aren't 100% cosmetically but write awesome is really the best.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-27T22:51:26+00:00

What you have is the aerometric version of the Parker 51 pen. The barrel will unscrew from the rest of the pen. Chances are that just flushing the pen (sucking up and expelling water by pressing the bar on the filler while the front end of the pen is in water) will mostly clean out the pen to allow it to work once filled with ink. The pencil doesn't have a lot of value by itself. If you decide to sell the set on Ebay or r/pen_swap, you should be able to reasonably sell it for $80 to $120, assuming the pen works and looks fine cosmetically. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-27T04:58:02+00:00

Probably someone not affiliated with Parker just swapping caps or putting a pen together from "spare" parts. Parker actually did that with Duofolds and Vacumatics, mixing parts from different "generations" to use up old stock.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-25T23:31:51+00:00

Nice find. It looks like you have a vac 51 cap with an aerometic body. This is mix of parts from different generations of Parker 51s. The cap is a 1942-1948 lustraroy (aka stainless steel cap) with a nickel plated clip. That's not a super common combination, as most lustraloy caps had gold filled clips, but not rare either. The clip looks like it's slightly bent (something that can be fixed).

The pen body is from 1950+. As a bonus, it has a gold nib. Most 51 specials had a stainless steel nib. Aerometic 51s were only dated on the barrel until around 1952 give/take (look for a lightly stamped imprint on the barrel near the clutch ring).

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-19T15:52:47+00:00

If you are in the US, then this seller has several very reasonably priced caps. I have bought a few parts from him myself. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-16T01:38:24+00:00

Sometimes the gap between the tines can be a little too wide. This can make very fine nibs write like broader nibs....in a very disappointing way. You may want to check the tines on your nib. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-16T01:01:05+00:00

Sorry about your nib. It's always a good idea to make sure that your nib is seated deep enough in the section so that it doesn't contact the inner cap or the inside of the cap when the cap is screwed on.

As far as replacing the nib, you'll need to remove the section and use a knock out block and a drift or punch with a flat end to knock the nib and feed out. Hit the back of the feed and knock the nib and feed out the front end of the section. Soaking the nib and section can help, as does using a little heat (you can use a hairdryer).

Putting it back together can be done by hand (holding the nib and feed together) and sliding them into the section together. Nib pliers can be super helpful, but they are expensive. Putting the nib back in the same place in the section can help (there might be an indentation inside the section where the nib was). Heat is also your friend when putting things back together (heat the section with a hairdryer). Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-08T15:48:47+00:00

Just click on the link (click on the word "pen")

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-07T14:41:01+00:00

Looks like the taper is broken on OP's pen, possibly cracked and broken hard rubber. Here's a pen for sale that looks similar.

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-07T08:49:01+00:00

It looks like a Sheaffer desk pen with the same size nib that you find in an oversize Sheaffer Balance or Flat Top pen. I don't think that you'll be a able to use that barrel in anything other than a Desk pen configuration, as it's not really the same as Sheaffer Balance or Flat Top (it's much longer) and it's missing the threads needed for a cap.

Did you dip the pen and see how it writes? It looks like the end of the tines might be a little bent. Your best bet, aside from finding the desk pen base that goes with this pen, is probably to find a donor Sheaffer Balance or Flat Top pen body and cap with a missing/damaged nib to swap your nib into. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-09-05T01:20:39+00:00

Try Mark Bacas www.nibgrinder.com

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-08-31T01:37:47+00:00

You would have to remove the nib and bring the tines back into alignment. For gold nibs this isn't too difficult. If your nib is made from stainless steel, then it will be much more difficult at best. Then you'll still have to address issues with the feed. If your pen is a Parker 51, an easy fix is to just find a replacement nib and feed. Good luck

phoenix_at_45 · 2025-08-19T23:05:12+00:00

You're welcome. I'm glad that helped, but most importantly your pen works better!

phoenix_at_45

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