Against marketing, history.
And that argument is again relevant on the occasion of the Parker 51. Well, the release of the newest version.
Is it pertinent? Does it add anything to the market and to the old model?
The Parker 51 is, according to some sources, the best selling pen in history with well over 20 million pens sold. And this means that there are many Parker 51 available in the secondary market, and for not much money.
For the uninitiated, the classic Parker 51 is a well-built pen that was marketed in a number of finishes and sizes, with a variety of nibs –14 K gold and steel--, and with three different filling systems—vacumatic, aerometric and cartridge/converter. The very common aerometric, in particular, is a extraordinary pen in terms of durability and performance. And its price in pen shows, antique shops and flea markets can be as low as EUR 50 (about JPY 6500)--if not lower.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0OQAMNc4Qmg7fAsUNZ7h8iHYuS81vLM89NGrPFq4qswldUsscr3ARsrS1LVSrZE_N00dd7zNj5Pta2B5OjPXotzH0sXRUqSo1yowLHGCV7nDJOnF2dsADZ7My4vp_XVnRU5xdQquJ2aML/s400/IMG_1067-blog-12-7-WM.jpg)
On the contrary, the newly-released Parker 51 comes only as a cartridge/converter, with two possible nibs –18 K gold and steel--, and with two nib points –F and M. And all that for JPY 12000 (steel nib) of JPY 33000 (gold nib).
And what can you buy in Japan for that money? A lot. For those prices, the big three Japanese companies offer about half dozen models with gold nibs nad many more options in nib points and filling systems.
So, we could conclude that neither as a classic pen or as novelty, the new Parker 51 makes much sense in the Japanese market. Parker, obviously, thinks differently.
WiPens Bokumondoh Kanshitsu – Lamy Petrol
Bruno Taut
Nakano, March 9th, 2021
labels: Parker, mercado, Japón
Bruno Taut
Nakano, March 9th, 2021
labels: Parker, mercado, Japón