PA3395 Parker 51 Aerometric Whitefriars Glass Desk Set (Medium-Broad)

PA3395 Parker 51 Aerometric Whitefriars Glass Desk Set (Medium-Broad)

Date: c1960s

Size: Pen length 155mm.

A lustrous India black English Parker 51 desk pen and Parker trumpet with its original and beautiful bright red Whitefriars glass ashtray/paperweight.  The barrel has a standard Parker 51 clutch ring. Both barrel and hood are completely undamaged with no splits, cracks or chips and no noticeable surface scratches either.  The undamaged 14 carat gold hooded nib is in what was probably a broad point - nibs have gotten broader over the years so I would say this is probably classed as medium-broad these days.  Unscrew the barrel to expose the aerometric filler.  This is brushed stainless steel, and is still in excellent condition.  The original pli-glass ink sac has some internal ink staining as they nearly all do, but is still in perfectly serviceable condition, and likely will still be in another 50 years time.  The black trumpet has a rolled gold magnetic ball.  The glass is also perfect as far as I could tell, and it has the trademark bubble inclusions in a grid pattern that Whitefriars did so well.  Mounted in the centre is a metal boss that the trumpet ball sits in.  The magnet inside holds it steady at any angle.  Although this is an ashtray ornament, most non-smokers would use this to hold paperclips or small desktop items, or just as a paperweight as it is a very substantial item.  

I have fully serviced this pen.  It writes superbly with the very smooth, wet and medium-broad width line that you would expect of a Parker 51.