1950s Parker 51 Special Demi Fountain Pen and Ballpoint Set

Vintage: 1950s

Make: Parker

Model: 51 Special Demi

Color: Burgundy

Materials: Lucite with polished SS cap

Filling System: Aerometric hoop-filler fills completely as designed

Length: FP measures 5” capped and 5 5/8” posted.

Nib: Octanium SS nib lays down a smooth and consistent CF line.

Condition: Polished SS caps have some microscratches but no dents, dings, or other notable flaws. MP does have a couple short scratches on the nose cone. Lucite parts have a smooth, lustrous surface with no deep scratches or other notable blemishes – scarcely even any microscratches. No date codes since this set was made after Parker phased them out.

Details: The 51 Special was a more affordable version of the 51 with an Octanium (steel alloy with 8 metals) nib and a hoop filler that operates on the same principle as an Aero and is just as durable thanks to the pli-glass sac. It’s filled by unscrewing the barrel, submersing the nib, and depressing the button on the filler 4 times. The matching FP and MP set is made of Lucite in the Burgundy color with a polished Stainless Steel caps and black cap jewels. The pencil appears to have been converted at some point to a ballpoint. The ballpoint cartridge had run dry, so I replaced it with a brand new one and it writes great with black ink (you can switch it out with your own by removing the one I installed and installing yours once it’s been cut to the same length).