Do I know how many Sheaffer Lifetime flat-tops there are?
Hell, they probably made millions. Hard to know how many survived...
Only two pigmies? Aren't there a couple metal patterns in addition to the two catalogued plastic colors?
How far to push the trim differences?
Why not count different diameters?
OK then. Let's start with different styles, because I sure don't want to guess how many actual pens exist.
- Orange (Coral) Celluoid flat tops. (note the 1st three 3-25s below are identical to the 46 specials save for markings) I am counting different diameters here.
- 46 Special Long Standard
- 46 Speical Short Standard
- 46 Special Short Standard ringtop
- 3-25 Long Standard
- 3-25 Short Standard
- 3-25 Short Standard ringtop
- 3-25 long Slender high-set clip (off catalogue)
- 3-25 short Slender high-set clip (off catalogue)
- 3-25 long Slender low set clip (off catalogue)
- 3-25 short slender low set clip (off catalogue)
- 3-25 short slender ring top (off catalogue)
- bandless chrome trim long standard (off catalogue)
- bandless chrome trim short standard (off catalogue)
That gives 13 orange celluloid sheaffer flat tops. Additionally I've seen even more anomalous wide cap-band short-standard pens, possibly both ringtop and clip, giving 15 different variants. I will leave out weird service pens which have a hodge-podge element to them that is less mainstream than even thee other off-catalogue items. Note that one of mine is an orange standard diameter pen with late short flat-ball clip.
regards
David