Our pen club's virtual show & tell seems to be on a roll lately with numbered pens (Jerred's Delta '365', René's Parker '88'. my Caran d'Ache '849, Armando's Sailor '1911 S), so here's another one--René's vintage Parker '21 Special' !
René: "One of the most well known and commonly seen Parker pens from the mid 20th century is the Parker 21. It was meant as a more affordable alternative to the well loved and iconic 51, and so was made of cheaper plastic and used less metal, as well as having a steel alloy nib, instead of gold."
(all photos courtesy of René ~ please click on images to enlarge)
"Because of the cheaper plastic used, not many of the first generation of the 21 survived without some kind of damage, among a few other issues, but Parker improved it over the next two generations of the pen, and the Mark III, also known as the "Super," became the most common version found today."
"Their design is undoubtedly similar to the
51, and they are also aerometric fillers like the 51, though the mechanism is
more similar to the budget "51 Special" than the main line of 51s, and
they are good workhorse vintage pens in a more affordable price range
than vintage 51s (though a bit more fragile)."
"I obtained this particular 21 from someone in Kelowna. It's a mint Canadian-made Mark I (large opening with large visible feed and convex chevron clip) blue 21 "Special" in its mint original box."
" I don't really
know what makes this particular model "Special", but it does come in a
cap that has a glossy ring with the Parker name on it, rather than one
that is completely Lustraloy brushed steel."
"This one also still has a sticker indicating that it's a "Special" and that it cost $5.95, and a second, pale blue, sticker with nothing written on it. I have found little more on the "Special" 21 so far, and the only other examples I've found have been of the same blue colour, and one was also in a box with a pencil."
Many thanks to René for his great photos and information on this underrated vintage pen!
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