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End of month update at Main Street Pens


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#1 Ron Z

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 02:24 PM

It's been a while since we've had an update to our sales page.  The last quarter has found us preparing to move, and then moving to western Pennsylvania.  Exciting to have the change, with a new shop setup, but it has made life "interesting." to say the least!
 
If you're a regular client of ours, note that we have a new address!  Please write to us for the new address, especially if you are thinking of sending anything in for repair.
 
 
 
But to the update....  all of our pens are restored, ready to write, and come with a warranty.   We've also restocked the 12 pen leather clutch pen cases.  These  are tinner than a folding pen case, and are designed to fit in the side pocked of a laptop case, and have been quite popular. The new update has several very nice pens.  Nothing exotic, but really intended for the person who plans to use their pen. You can see the pens on the main sales page at Main Street Pens.
 

pen1821.jpg


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#2 Roger W.

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 02:47 PM

Pen 1821 is not a Jr. Flattop as there ain't no such a thing.  Sheaffer called Juniors "Juniors".  I don't understand why we are so stuck with "senior" and "junior".  Sheaffer generally offered three styles a standard, a short and a short ring top.  I'm not saying you have to call it a J74SC because Lord knows David doesn't understand the codes and we wouldn't want to have him get left out of the discussion.  Would it kill you to call it a short flattop?  I don't know what Parker called theirs but, that was up to Parker.  It's like nails on the chalkboard (used for reference as nails on the chalkboard never really bothered me).  Just because a group of collector/dealers always called these things such and such don't make it so either.  Have a fine sale! :)

 

Roger W.



#3 david i

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 02:54 PM

Roger, to address "why are we stuck with..."  There is tradition in pendom in general for this pattern of description used at least by manufacturer for one of the most collected and best selling pens of all time, the Parker Duofold. Given that many manufacturers offered an oversized and a short-standard pen, paralleling those two pen sizes by Parker, and given that many pens are at best poorly catalogued, the jargon has something of  a generic element, particularly if one is not-- as many are not-- familiar with formal descriptions for a given brand/era.  Not helping things is that Sheaffer didn't offer conventional model names for most of its pens during most of its flat-top era, leaving us only with bland descriptions in retrospect.

 

Too, note that your statement, " I'm not saying you have to call it a J74SC because Lord knows David doesn't understand the codes and we wouldn't want to have him get left out of the discussion." is something of a straw man.

 

regards

 

david

 

david


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#4 Roger W.

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 05:08 PM

David;

 

OOOOOOHHHHHH!!!!  There is no strawman!  You complain about the codes all of the time and you want "conventional" model names!?!?!  I poke fun at you due to the fact that you put yourself out there as a bit of the Sheaffer knowledgeable.  So either you is or you isn't.  The code is practically self explanatory though there are a few pens that push the code system to the limit.  Again, just because Parker called 'em juniors doesn't mean that we have to especially in light that there is a "Junior" in the Sheaffer line so it is misleading.

 

Roger W. 



#5 david i

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 05:19 PM

Roger, that too is a Strawman. Whether or not I "complain" about the codes (I do not), has nothing to do with the broader notion I in fact have posited  that code chat is sub-optimal in conversation with anyone other than those who know the codes. Also whether or not I put myself out there as a bit of the Sheaffer knowledgeable also is not relevant, though I am of course comfy in my role as Hack Amateurn Newbie. But again, being a "bit of a Sheaffer knowledgeable" is not dependent on codes.

 

Would you care to venture a guess as to how many people among the 1550 members here know the model codes?  Care to name how many people among those who play at the other couple pen forums know them? One board has 80,000 members. I would be at most five people there know the codes. It might be 2-3.

 

Note that I have not suggested that using "Junior"  generically for s short-standard Sheaffer flat-top is accurate.  As to misleading... yes and no.  To the many people who consider merely "Senior/Junior" for the two sizes, they'll probably not be mislead,  as the description in fact will meet their expectations, which perhaps  is somewhat ironic.. To those who know what a 1930's Sheaffer Junior actually is, the pen clearly won't be that, so they also likely  won't be mislead. At worst the pen that arrives in fact is a better model than what would have correctly been called a Junior.

 

Note that in all this, I do not suggest it is not a good thing to know which pens are which and to have as much knowledge as possible.  It's not like I'm not frequently railing against nonsense terms like "Duovac".   So, I do get it.

 

regardsD


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#6 Rocco P

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 10:09 PM

Code?

--

Rocco


#7 david i

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Posted 27 February 2014 - 10:26 PM

Sheaffer catalogues offered multi digit alphanumeric codes for each variant (size, color, trim, nib). Powerful data no doubt, but well known to very few.

 

regards

 

david


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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#8 Roger W.

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Posted 28 February 2014 - 12:16 AM

Sheaffer catalogues offer multi digit alphanumeric codes for each variant (size, color, trim, nib). Powerful data no doubt, but well known to very few.

 

regards

 

david

I am a powerful wizard as the details of the code are well known to me and I wield them to rule all!  HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Roger W.



#9 david i

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Posted 28 February 2014 - 12:19 AM

 

Sheaffer catalogues offer multi digit alphanumeric codes for each variant (size, color, trim, nib). Powerful data no doubt, but well known to very few.

 

regards

 

david

I am a powerful wizard as the details of the code are well known to me and I wield them to rule all!  HAHAHAHAHAHA

 

Roger W.

 

 

Yeah, sure, we can talk when you have a decent collection of plastic orange flat-tops ;)

 

-d


David R. Isaacson MD. Website: VACUMANIA.com for quality old pens with full warranty.
Email: isaacson@frontiernet.net

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