14 replies to this topic

[Cheshire]

Recently found a flat top listed in ebay and I'm looking for more info about this Sheaffer's sub-brand. There are a few posts here and there but it's scattered. It reminds me of the Sheaffer flat tops but does anyone know the quality of their pens? Thanks.  

[david i]

Hi,

Considerable range can be found for style and perhaps quality for Univer pens, which were made by Sheaffer.   Unlike some of the "WASP" and "Vacuum" marked Sheaffer sub-brands, I have not seen advertising for Univer. They tend to appear less commonly than some of the other sub-brands. We tend to assume they were sub-brands (pens made by main maker, usually not marked as such, still made for national distribution by the manufacturer) and not re-badges (pens made for another agency- usually a store chain- that owned the actual "brand", such as Diamond Medal pens made for Sears by Parker), but I suppose that issue remains open.

 

Some of the Univer pens have the look of leftover Sheaffers, proper, fitted with Univer clip and lacking barrel imprint (or having Univer imprint, perhaps... i must check).

 

Others were done with shape and plastic colors not used for Sheaffers proper, such as the dome end pens that also appear as Craig (sub-brand) pens, though I have not examined them to see if they could have been made by Sheaffer just by rounding the ends of conventional flat-tops.

 

Black and Creme (perhaps originally Black and White) celluloid was used, a color not used on Sheaffer pens, proper, which did offer  Black-and-Pearl.

 

Colors get weirder still as both black-and-pearl and even Jade celluloid Univer pens appear to have received color lacquer coatings, giving various garish hues, which with use can wear away revealing the native color.

 

Pens that appear to be dedicated Univer  (rather than Sheaffers with different clips) tend to have decent plastic and weak trim (the usual weak point on these). Many show up with white metal, and while I cannot exclude chrome trim, I suspect most have seen loss of thin gold wash. Nibs tend to be small for the pens, a typical cost saving feature.

 

In addition to pinning down the market niche served by this brand and to categorizing the different styles found, another interesting point remains, the finding of a New York imprint on some pens..  I own at least one Univer pen (and vaguely recall there has been prior online discussion noting others) with New York imprint, something most odd for a Sheaffer-made product. Given that another seemingly-unrelated maker (Traveler) also based in NY occasionally sees pens made in plastics shared with other sub-brand Sheaffers, I wonder about a connection.

 

We have had a few threads here at Fountain Pen Board featuring Univer, and I will provide links below.

I likely am overdue to shoot a tray of Univers. Perhaps tonight. Perhaps tomorrow.

 

 

LInks:

 

http://fountainpenbo...rand-eye-candy/

 

http://fountainpenbo...r-phone-dialer/

 

http://fountainpenbo...de-craiguniver/

 

http://fountainpenbo...und-in-da-wild/

 

 

regards

 

david

[Cheshire]

Thanks for the inks and info. I look forward to the photos. 

[david i]

Here's a shot of most of my flat-top and domed Univer pens. I have not gone on an aggressive hunt for these, though I suspect I would not have many more variants even had I done so. This is the result of acquiring the pens casually, when chance encounter  in concert with  proper pricing permitted.

Not shown are some Lahn-pattern bevel-end Univer pens.

 

--------------------

 

2 and 4: The two green round-end pens near left actually are Craig pens, of very similar structure to some of the Univers.

 

5,6,7:  These three  flat-tops bear varying degree of similarity to Sheaffer flat-tops (the Black and the Black/Pearl are oversized pens. Scarce as Univer)

 

10-12: Color lacquered Black-and-Pearl. The OS blue is quite scarce. All pens will show conventional pearl if the colored lacquer is worn away.

 

1:  Univer done in plastic best known as Chilton's Carnelian.

 

Missing is a round-end pencil done in Waterman's Turquoise (blue and metallic bronze).  Have to find that one.

 

5: Black flat-top OS bears NY and Fort Madison markings.

 

 

 

 

 

regards

 

d

[david i]

IIRC the following pen has Univer marking, noting that  the Lahn plastic (one of my few contributions to the hobby, having discovered that pattern's name a few years back) tends to be far more often found with WASP/Vacuum-related markings. To degree the  pens in the  first pic shown in prior post  likely are early-mid 1930's (we can debate that), this Univer Lahn probably dates to mid-late 1930's.

 

 

 

regards

 

d

[Cheshire]

The color lacquered Black-and-Pearl looks to be very unique. I don't think I've ever seen anything similar to it before on a vintage pen. Sometimes I see vintage pens which have a sombre pattern compared to modern pens. Thank you for the photos, I like Sheaffer flat tops and I was curious if they had more variations. 

[david i]

Sheaffer, proper, flat-tops have huge range of variations. Univer has at least some. Note that  pen 3 and set 8-9 in first pic use plastic *not* seen on Sheaffers, proper, the creme/white background being flat, not pearlescent.

 

regards

 

d

[Cheshire]

Sheaffer, proper, flat-tops have huge range of variations. Univer has at least some. Note that  pen 3 and set 8-9 in first pic use plastic *not* seen on Sheaffers, proper, the creme/white background being flat, not pearlescent.

 

regards

 

d

 

Reminds me, I read here that the black/white pattern held up better than the black/creme of Sheaffers over time. Is this based on the material of the pen being different? Thanks. 

[david i]

Hi Cheshire,

 

I appreciate that the fellow-- Univer-- in your linked thread has fondness for this label, going so far as to take his screen name from it. Noting his first response in that thread now is 7 years old, there is room for fresh data, which he also might by now have.

 

He mentioned Univer offered black/cream but not black-and-pearl. Clearly by current info that is not so, as Black/Pearl Univer pens are shown both in our current thread and in one of the linked threads from my first response, pens owned iirc by Pat Mohan. It remains true that Sheaffer, proper, did not offer black/cream pens.

 

I have not seen a Univer yet in Waterman's Onyx plastic,which he cites in the FPN thread. The first image in your linked thread (as with my photo)  does show Chilton's  Carnelian , a green-yellow with red/white veins. Assuming he is not mixing up the two colors, this gives me something to hunt.

 

Challenges exist to dating the pens, and this offers challenges regarding claims about color stability, based on the post at FPN from 2007.

Then, most people believed (maybe "most" still do) that Sheaffer flat-tops last were offered 1930, Balance (and related streamlined Sheaffers) dating generally later.  People have mapped this progression to sub-brand pens. But, as per my first note here, and per the note seen at FPN, we lack catalogue info for Univer pens. ALSO, more widely known now is that Sheaffer flat-tops continued into at least the late 1930's, off-catalogue, but offering "late" features allowing identification.

 

There has been a general assumption that flat-top Univer paralleled flat-top Sheaffer production, implicity pre-1931.  But, using what we know now about dating "late" flat-top Sheaffers, it is quite likely that the flat-top Univer pens shown in my pic date to later than late 1930.  Jade plastic and black/pearl post 1930 flat-top Sheaffers often have more stable color than earlier versions. So, if Univer pens seem a bit more color-stable than *most* flat-top Sheaffers, it is possible that Univer pens are not terribly more color-stable than similar colors from *similar era* (post 1930) flat-top Sheaffers, that minority of "late" flat-tops.  It is not clear that flat-end and round-end Univer pens were not offered at the same time.

 

That said, what about black/cream vs black/pearl for stability?   Doubt anyone can cite a large cohort.  However, I have seen plenty of darkened Univer cream/black pens.  Conventional wisdom has it that pale and pearlescent Celluloids tend to be more at risk for discoloration than dark and opaque colors.  It could well be that solid creme/white is a bit more resistant than pearlescent white.   But, both are at risk.

 

That note at FPN seems to address OS Univer that look like flat-top Sheaffers, with the fellow there noting such pens have Sheaffer-style lever. Clearly there are now known OS Univer that have distinct Univer look (the blue-laquer-on-pearl-and-black pen).  I have seen sub-brand style levers on even flat top Univer OS pens, though I believe the black/pearl and jade (non OS) pen shown have Sheaffer levers.

Feel free to invite the fellows in that thread to play here.

 

regards

 

david

[PatM]

I really enjoy these threads that cause me to go searching for what, if anything, I can add to cause.  So, attached is a shot of some of the Univer pens and pencils that I've dug up in my collection.  David has added the links to some of the other Univer threads that contain some of the shots of other of my pens. It seems that we are patching together quite a range of Univer styles and colors.  Thanks for starting this thread.

 

Edit: Pat's Thumbnail image from FPB Album presented full size via pasting the BBC Code option, courtesy of Ye Olde Admis

 

 

Best,

Pat

 

 

 

Edited by PatM, 13 June 2014 - 01:59 PM.

[david i]

Thanks for sharing Pat. I suspect I have not handled a gray/red/black example yet. Looks at least somewhat like a Parker Parkette color.

 

 

regards

 

david

[Cheshire]

@ david i: Thanks for answering my question and clearing up any confusion about Sheaffer and Univer pens. I considered contacting the original poster but he seems to have gone missing since 2009.

 

@PatM: Thanks for the photo of your Univers. Do you have any info about the blue/gray pencil? The large photo size does help me out =)  

[PatM]

Sorry but I don't have any info on the blue pencil.  I've had it a long time and can't remember the source, and I've never seen any advertising materials covering it.  Dan Reppert is a good source for all things Sheaffer.

 

Best,

Pat

[snorkelcc]

Just took a picture with my Univers put together.



All Flattop Univers come with imprint on the barrel but none was found on the balance models... The only way can tell is the 'univer' marking on the clip as well as the nib.

I have not check my Lahn models as I assumed only WASP has Lahn platform... Are those Lahn Univers come with imprint or just the nib shown Univer ?

CC

[david i]

Hi Snork,

 

I have Univer Lahns with barrel-imprint.  They remain a bit of a surprise.

 

regards

 

david