Parker 51 Vacumatic MK I - Black

Parker 51 Vacumatic Mk I — India Black

Generation

•  This is the rounded-end, single-jewel Parker 51 with a Vacumatic filler.
•  Its main production period was approximately 1942–1948.
•  The smooth, rounded blind cap forms the back of the pen and covers the filling plunger.

Production

•  Parker made this version in the United States.
•  Vacumatic 51s were also made in England from late 1947. India Black was one of the colours offered there.
•  The country of manufacture is identified by the imprint on the barrel.

Body and colour

•  India Black is the period name for this black finish.
• The barrel, hood and rounded blind cap are made of black Lucite.
• A metal clutch ring sits between the hood and barrel. The cap grips this ring when pushed onto the pen.

Nib

•  The small, tubular 14-karat gold nib sits largely beneath the hood; only its tip is exposed.
•  Parker supplied these pens with different nib widths, so the width belongs in the details of the individual pen.
•  The feed and finned ink collector are housed beneath the hood.

Filling system

•  Unscrew the rounded blind cap to reach the Vacumatic plunger.
•  With the nib submerged in ink, press and release the plunger repeatedly. The ink is stored directly inside the barrel.
•  A rubber diaphragm is part of the filling mechanism.
•  On the final press, keep the plunger down while lifting the nib out of the ink, then release it. This clears excess ink from the collector.

Cap

•  The cap pushes on and pulls off; it does not screw onto the pen.
•  The familiar Lustraloy cap has a matte stainless-steel finish. Parker also offered other original caps for the Vacumatic 51, including gold-filled and silver designs.
•  Earlier American caps commonly have a Blue Diamond arrow clip. Parker introduced a plain arrow clip during 1947; both types can be found on late Vacumatic pens.
•  English-made Vacumatic 51s used the plain arrow clip.

Additional

•  On regular production pens, look for the Parker 51 imprint near the clutch ring at the top of the barrel.
•  A single digit gives the year within the 1940s. Dots around it indicate the quarter: three dots for the first quarter, decreasing to none for the fourth.
• Parker began dating 51 nibs in 1943. The barrel imprint is the more useful starting point for dating a pen, as nibs and caps can be replaced.