The Parker Empire Cap

In general, the Parker 51 bores me.  There, I said it.  I know it's heretical, but I just can't get into them.

It just seems like there's millions out there that are all pretty much the same, all with dark colored barrels (yawn) and your choice of a silver colored or gold colored top (zzz).   Not to mention that any time I find one that looks a bit interesting to me, the only reaction I ever seem to get is "Pshaw, lowly pencil collector!  Get thee to a junkyard with that common rubbish!"

OK, maybe it's not that bad.  But it does seem like the people that are into the Parker 51 are reeeeeally into the Parker 51, and it takes an awful lot for anything to get them really excited. 

But this one is one that even I could get excited about, and although I still wasn't moved enough to spend what it would have taken to acquire it, Gary Gardner was nice enough to let me take a few photographs of it at the Baltimore Show to share today.   This is the "Empire" cap . . .

NOTE:  This article is now included in the print version of The Leadhead's Pencil Blog, available anywhere you buy books, or also from The Legendary Lead Company.

To order, here's the link:  Volume 1 at Legendary Lead Company