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The Fountain Pen Community -> Vintage Fountain Pens -> Parker 51 Empire Cap Set
Post Info TOPIC: Parker 51 Empire Cap Set
DWL


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Parker 51 Empire Cap Set
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Ok, most folks know I'm selling in ebay again & doing pretty well there. 
A day or 3 back I got this email from ebay through a 51 auction I was selling.

"Can you please help me with some information to understand the Parker Pen set I own? I have a Parker 51 fountain pen and mechanical pencil set that appears to be quite unusual. The caps etc. are 14K gold and the bodies are a tan/brown material. There is a blue diamond on the pocket clip of the caps, what appears to be pearl tops on the caps, and the gold of the caps is two toned - gold and rose in a design that looks like the Empire State Building. On the barrel of the fountain pen, next to Parker 51 and Made in USA, there is the number "5" with dots on either side and the bottom.
Any information or direction would be greatly appreciated."

Honestly, I thought it was someone from one of the fp boards messing around with me.

My reply,

Hello there XXXXXXX & thank you for contacting me. It sounds like you just hit the Parker 51 Lottery bud. From your description you just described a 51 set in either the yellowstone/mustard, Buckskin/beige or cocoa color (no way for me to know which color unless I see a good pic.) Any of which are very desireable and less common colors. The real prize of this set are the caps, called 'empire caps' these were super high end in their day and are the set is now worth in the $1500 range depending on condition. FWIW, $1000 is the minimum I would accept if I had a set of these for sale in any condition.

The Blue diamond on the clip was one of Parkers trademarks & stood for the lifetime repair guarantee their pens carried. The pearl bit on the top of the clip/cap is called the jewel & is just acrylic/plastic and is just another feature of the 51 models. the 5 and dots is the manufacturing date code parker used. 51's were introduced in 1941/42 if i recall correctly. and used the date codes on 51's into the early 50's. The number is the year 1945. The dots are for the quarter of the year. 3 dots 1st, 2 2nd, 3 3rd no dots 4th quarter. At the end of each quarter they would grind off 1 dot and so on.

At the end of the barrel there should be a small threadded cap with a gold ring & another jewel. This is called the blind cap. Under that should be a 'plunger', this is the vacumatic filling system. Chances are it will most likely need a new rubber diaphram inside for it to be able to write. But honestly, working or not I personally wouldn't use the set. it's just too rare of a find to take a chance on. Congratulations on finding one of the 'holy grail' pens that some collectors I know would sell their kids to own....lol.

There is a reference book that came out a year or so back. Called the Parker 51 book. It's in the $80-90 range but is THE source for information on 51's.

Best wishes,
Dennis

His reply back, the pics and phone conversation we had are what really convinced me he's the real deal & not someone yanking my chain.

"Thank you very much for the wonderful information. I knew the pen set was special; it was my Fathers, who I am sure bought the set new.
Here are some photos that do not do justice to the set. The pencil has lead in it and it could still even have the original eraser!
I am interested in selling them and any suggestions, direction or co-operation would be of interest to me. Not that I think it is necessary but, for the record; I respect EBay and will not violate their rules.
Id be glad to talk with you about this if you would like."

We talked and decided that I'll be selling these in ebay on consignment. They should be here early/mid next week & I cant wait to see them in person.

I'm looking at this as big karma & the universe is happy with me getting my guano together and doing the right thing. I'm just floored by this. This is the first empire set I'll have sold and can't wait to see what it brings for him. (not to mention my 15% after the ebay/PP fees...lol)

I cant wipe the grin off of my face right now.
Dennis

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Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito
~Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them

DWL


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Update

From the USPS tracking

"Your item arrived at 8:36 AM on July 2, 2008 in JEFFERSON CITY, MO 65101. Information, if available, is updated every evening. Please check again later"

It's in town..should be here today. WOO HOO!!

I can't wait to see this set!
Dennis

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Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito
~Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them

DWL


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The ebay listing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Item Specifics

Brand : Parker Product Type: Fountain Pen

Age : 1st Quarter 1945 Product%252BType: Mechanical Pencil

Material : Lucite & Celluloid


For auction today I have 1 1st quarter 1945 Double Jewel Buckskin Parker 51 Fountain Pen & mechanical pencil set with the oh so rare Empire Caps. (yeah kids he used the 'R' word). Fine/extrafine 14K, Date code on the nib matches the barrel 1Q 45. The condition of the set is on the better side of good. There is some light wear on the FP barrel, but nothing to get excited over. The FP cap has 1 small ding and 2 tiny pin point flea bites to the left side of the clip. I got the ding in the pic, but the pin points were too small to capture.Solid gold tassie ring & clips stamped with 14K. The FP color is great, the pencil is a little darker but thats just par for the course with these celluloid pencils. They have a habit of turning a litle dark over the years. The pencil is in very good plus condition & has 1 tiny ding left of the clip as well. The FP is NOT restored. If the new owner wants it restored after the auction is over, we can talk about that.

If you have been around fp's more than 5 minutes you know this is the set that just about any collector would sell their kids to get their hands on...lol.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well it finished off a little while ago just short $25 of my $1775 sale price guess at $1750.

Not too bad at all.
The guy I'm selling this for is going to be pretty happy indeed.

Dennis








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Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito
~Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them

Jack125


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Congrats on the sale!

Jack

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DWL


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Thanks Jack.

It's good to see you posting again. It's been quiet qround here.

Dennis

__________________

Tu ne cede malis sed contra audentior ito
~Yield not to misfortunes, but advance all the more boldly against them

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