Filling Mechanism: Aerometric Filler

Married sets aren't uncommon, but this set features a mixed set of stickered new-old-stock Parker 51s. The fountain pen is likely from the 1960s with its black jewel in the cap. Nevertheless, it is stickered and the ink sac is completely clear. The pencil is a click-advance .9mm variant with a grey-pearl jewel from the 1950s. We found this set in the leftover merchandise of an old general store that closed decades ago. Maybe the original shopkeeper mixed around the pens and pencils. The vintage pen's sticker is marked "M" for a medium nib made of 14k gold.

It has been a little while since we've had a midnight blue Parker 51. The gold-filled cap nicely accents it. Fill it with the easy-peasy aerometric filler that is so good that the original sac is still good! Now, it needs to be established that this pen was somebody's favorite and heavily used. Click the headline for a close-up. There are many marks (no cracks) on the section and barrel, and there are little dimples all around the cap. You will write a fine line with the 14k gold nib that is also a little scratchy. 14cm 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.

Parker VP meant Very Personal. The revolutionary developments for this pen included an ergonomic grip for the fountain pen and a nib and feed that could be rotated to better accommodate for the grip and getting the nib to write from any angle. These are rarer pens, as they only made VPs for a couple years. It led to the monumental success of the Parker 75. This teal colored vintage pen has a major problem in its barrel. Click the headline for a close-up to see the 1.5cm crack in the barrel where it threads into the section. Basically, the crack is bad and makes the pen unstable to write with...without making the crack worse. This is a shame, as the aerometric filler unit is in great condition. In most VPs, this is the rare part that is whole. Its 14k gold nib writes a very smooth broad line. 13.8cm capped.

Parker VP pens heralded many great innovations in their short production run. Without these pens, the Parker 75 would never have been the mega hit it became. Our favorite innovation is the adjustable nib. You can carefully pinch the nib and turn it to the left or right to better suit how your hand grips its ergonomic section. Click the headline for close-ups of the pen and nib. Our vintage pen is in good working order. It comes with an original aerometric filler with the see-though window. Many of these are broken in other pens, but our's is still intact! There are no cracks in the cap or barrel, just some light to moderate wear from use. The only dent is under the arrow clip. Its 14k gold nib writes a fine line with a little feedback. 13.7cm capped.