Parker 51 Aerometric MK II Burgundy

Parker 51 Aerometric Mk II — Dark Burgundy

Generation

• Introduced in 1948, the Aerometric Mk II kept the rounded barrel and hooded nib of the Parker 51. This design continued until about 1969.
• Dark Burgundy is found on Mk II pens from different years within this period.

Production

• Parker 51 Aerometric pens were made in the United States and England. English Aerometric production began around 1950.
• Dark Burgundy examples marked Made in USA and Made in England are documented.

Body and colour

• The barrel and hood are made from dark red-brown Lucite. The barrel has a smooth, rounded end.
• In this archive, the deeper red-brown shade is recorded as Dark Burgundy. The brighter red shade has its own Light Burgundy entry.

Nib

• The regular Mk II has a small, tubular 14-carat gold nib. The hood covers most of it, leaving only the tip visible.
• Parker offered several nib widths, including fine, medium and broad.

Filling system

• Unscrew the barrel to reach the Aerometric filler. A metal guard protects the transparent Pli-Glass ink sac.
• To fill the pen from a bottle, press and release the ribbed bar four times. Some less common guards carry an instruction to press six times.
• Parker used several guard designs during Mk II production, including a later one-piece metal version.

Cap

• Common cap finishes include brushed Lustraloy, rolled gold and English rolled silver.
• Caps commonly have an arrow clip and a pearl-coloured jewel at the top. The clip and cap markings changed during the Mk II production period.
• The longer arrow clip belongs to the earlier design; a shorter clip appeared around 1951.

Additional

• Early Mk II barrels may carry a date code. Many later barrels have no date code.
• The small barrel vent is usually found at the rounded end. Mk II barrels with a vent on the side are also documented.