Filling Mechanism: Aerometric Filler

Easily confused with a Parker 51, this Parker 17 is actually a British model. Instead of a metal cap, such as the 51, this one has a plastic cap made of the same lovely green material as the barrel. It also sports a wider cap band and a tail jewel. You will see some scratches that were mostly made by the cap in its closed position. There is a tiny dimple in the wide cap band. The original pli-glass ink sac still works well. We get a kick out of how the sac protector instructs to squeeze the sac 5 times just to fill it. Early aerometric 51s were imprinted to squeeze 6 times and laters ones said to squeeze only 4 times. You will write a very smooth fine line with its 14k gold nib.

Hunters of the Parker 51 are always on the quest for the elusive 1948 aerometric first-year pen in plum. Our pretty purple vintage pen is only the 2nd one we've featured in 17 years! It is in good working order after all this time. No cracks or deep scratches. There is a fair amount of light wear from use and one dimple on the back of the gold-filled cap. You will write a very nice extra-fine line with its 14k gold nib. Parker only made this color for about a year. That is why it is so sought after. 13.7cm capped.

The backbone of vintage pens has to be the ever-popular Parker 51. The flagship of Parker production for 30 years, this aerometric-filler comes from the very peak of production and popularity in the 1950s. There are a couple little dents on the back of the gold-filled cap and a little wear on the body of the pen. However, this vintage pen remains a fantastic writer with its original "pli-glass" ink sac! You'll love the smooth fine line it lays down. 13.6cm capped.

Some vintage pens work perfectly well, but their cosmetics turn-off some collectors. This is one of those pens in a Parker 51. The cap is dented, rusted, stained and imperfect. The fountain pen still works well with its original "pli-glass" ink sac. The hood and barrel have some wear and scratches. There's a little rust staining where the cap rested against the barrel. Clearly, this pen can survive Hell, and it is still ready to write. You'll write a firm, fine line with a little feedback using its 14k gold nib. 13.7cm capped.

Its the one and only Parker 51, titan of the vintage pens. Certainly the best-selling vintage luxury pen of all time, this is the 1950s version with an aerometric squeeze-bar filler. Black with a gold-filled cap, it is a go-to crowd pleaser. The cap has a couple little dings and scratches from use. The hood and barrel of the pen likewise show wear from use. Nevertheless, the original "pliglass" ink sac still works great. You'll write a smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. The blue diamond on the pocket clip indicates this might be an earlier cap or an older replacement clip for the pen. The barrel part of the pen was made a few years after the clip/cap. 13.8cm capped.

Its imprint is faded, but we think we spy a 1951 date code on this Parker 51 fountain pen. There's a burgundy barrel with a gold filled cap. The cap looks pretty darned good, but you can see some big scars on the pen's hood. Click the headline for close-ups. Happily enough, the aerometric filler is still working great with its original pli-glass sac. You will write a nice smooth medium line with its 14k gold nib. There's a pearl-grey "jewel" on top of the cap. 13.7cm capped.

Cashing in on the enormous success of its Parker 51, Parker decided to create a more affordable version of the pen to reach even more customers. This pen is the Parker 21. One of the biggest differences between them is that the 21 has a steel nib, and the 51 has a gold nib. Our vintage pen is in good working order, complete with a working original pli-glass ink sac. Its nib is more of a fine-medium that has a little feedback at the tops and bottoms of letters. You should be able to see a big crack in the barrel where it threads to the section. Don't grip it too hard or use to much pressure, as you will get it to wiggle in your hand a bit. Click the headline for a close-up. 13.4cm capped.

Behold the mighty Sleeve-Filler! Honestly, some days we still have to pinch ourselves to make sure the dream we are living is really not just a dream. This Waterman 12SF in its original box creates a pinch-ourselves moment. Gary Lehrer's Waterman book says these were made between 1910 and 1915. The old hard rubber is fragile. As such, we did not force the section to open to restore this pen. This pen is in far too good a condition to accidentally destroy. It remains without a working ink sac. The sleeve on the barrel has a crisp imprint and can be gently coaxed and wiggled to reveal the squeeze bar filler. It is a little stiff in moving so don't force anything. No cracks! 14k gold nib is a stiff semi-flex. Original box a little faded and ink stained but still nice to have. Additional photos available upon request.