The Parker 51 Vac was launched in 1941 and, following Pearl Harbor, the USA joined the Allies in the war. By 1943 the Parker Pen Co. production had been partly diverted into making parts for the war effort and production of the 51s was reduced. Parker’s advertising explained and apologized to customers for the limited availability of the 51 pens. It took me several years to find a 1943 dated pen, this one being 4Q’43, a dove grey pen with a fine lined sterling silver cap, rhodium plated with a chevron cap band and blue diamond clip. Interestingly the clip is gold filled over silver, not brass as in wartime brass was in short supply. The blue diamond carried with it Parker’s lifetime guarantee.
The pen is in very good condition, just the usual marks of use on the barrel; the sterling cap has some typical loss of the rhodium plating (rhodium plating was perhaps to prevent tarnishing?) but the sterling silver is intact, just one small ding towards the back which does not show in the photos. The filler has been serviced and works well and the fine nib is a smooth writer.


Price: £89 ($119, €111 ) ….. plus postage
Postage:
UK Tracked 24: £4.25
Europe tracked airmail: £9 (€12)
US & Canada tracked airmail: £12 ($16)
Asia, Australia & New Zealand tracked airmail: £12
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