Parker 51

, just coming into use for airplane canopies, solved the corrosion problem.

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.

With various refinements, the "51" stayed in production until 1972. The most significant design change came in 1948, with the introduction of a much improved filling system. At the same time, Parker reformulated its ink, reducing the alkalinity, adding a selection of brilliant colors, and calling the new product Superchrome.

The "51" was revolutionary 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.

The pen's resemblance to the P-51 Mustang, a fighter plane used extensively during the war, had no bearing on its name; 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 among the most popular pen models sought out by 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.

External links

* [http://www.penpedia.com/w/index.php?title=Parker_51 Parker 51] (Penpedia entry for production history of the Parker 51)
* [http://www.pentrace.net/penbase/Data_Returns/full_article.asp?id=468 Parker 51] (Review of book about the Parker "51")
* [http://www.parker51.com/ The Parker 51 Website] (Unofficial fanpage with very much information)
* [http://www.parker-51.com/ Parker 51 Special Edition] (Originally official site for limited reissue of Parker 51, but seems to have other news about Parker pens, too.)
* [http://www.richardspens.com/?page=ref_info/51_profile.htm Profile: The Parker "51"] (Profile of the Parker "51" including information on dating and colours)
* [http://www.parkerpens.net Parkerpens.net] (Unofficial fan-site with tons of information about vintage parker pens. Run by artist Tony Fischier.)