25 replies to this topic

[SteveB]

In my humble opinion , this general era of Sheaffer's pens is very under rated.

A properly restored Sheaffer Vac-Fil is an incredible filling system.
The nibs while seemingly dominated in numbers by Fines and Extra-Fines are wonderful writers.

Steve

[matt]

To add to David's July 10 post that ends with:

: Sovereign II, at $8.75, the entry level price to the next higher tier pens.

Dropping in price then are the $5 Admiral, the $3.50 Craftsman and the $2.75 Cadet, amongst full size pens.

$8.75 Sovereign II in both lever fill and vac-fil.

$5.00 Admiral, with 59 Triumph nib, both lever fill and vac-fil, and two (later) with Feather Touch 5 nibs. I do not know the significance, if any, of the monotone nib on the top pen. It lacks the typical incised line across the nib that would separate the masking from the gold and shows no sign of plating on the back side of the nib. (Yes, I know that many flexible Sheaffer nibs lack the incised line and the masking, but this nib has the same bit of flex as the two-tone 59 below it.)

$3.50 Craftsman with 33 nib showing the early striped section and a black pen - both vac-fil plus two lever fillers, including the odd half stripe/half clear screw-in section. This screw-in section with the metal thread ring shows up in other Sheaffer lever fillers; I noted a couple on ebay today searching "sheaffer 1500"

and the $2.75 Cadet with chrome trim and 23 nib.

[david i]

Well, my 1947 Sheaffer Workbook arrived today. Will take some time to digest. It covers many of the nuances of the bead-band series and the post-war pens in general.

Much to absorb now. Many pens to photograph

d

[matt]

You might think I'd wasted my money on a frankensheaffer Lady Tuckaway with the wrong cap (shown with an Admiral for size comparison):




but opened, it becomes a Diana, and has the correct 33 nib and 350 price code. Basically a Tuckaway with a Craftsman section. Only took 10 months of searching ebay to find one. I'm pretty happy with the 59-nibbed early Admiral, too.


Still looking for a Minerva - ladies version of the 23-nibbed chrome trim Cadet - and Milady - ladies version of the Admiral...

[Kirchh]

Nice work. Keep at it.

--Daniel

[matt]

I finally have enough examples to say, "hey, don't forget bead band pencils!" Full size pencils show up fairly often on ebay; Tuckaways not so often, but certainly not that hard to find. But there are a couple more variations. First, note the pencil in the upper right corner of this 1945 ad for the "new Fineline pencil". It's a $1.50 bead band utility pencil with chrome trim and an exposed eraser - an upgrade of the $1.00 utility pencil shown at the bottom left. Left of the $1.50 pencil is a $3.00 gold-trim pencil - the one you will typically find in black or stripes (I have 2 grey-stripe chrome-trim pencils w/ a 250 price code and self adjusting clips [lower priced pens have solid clips, but pencil clips all seem to be self-adjusting], however there is currently a grey one in a set on ebay described w/ a 300 price code....).



The $1.50 utility pencil is the length of the $1 utility pencil and uses the same mechanism with the flat head screw to extend the eraser. The chrome trim green pencil below is a $2.50 model to match the Cadet ($3.00 gold trim pencil to match other full size models not shown, but is same size.) The Lady Tuckaway is the smallest, but the most expensive at $3.50 (can anyone supply the price code for a grey stripe Lady Tuckaway pencil?). I think there's also a gold trim bead band utility...



There are two more pencils to match the Diana and the chrome-trim Minerva (ladies' equivalent of the Cadet). I'm still chasing them, but picture a Tuckaway-length pencil with full size clip and the extended - not blunt - tip. Here's a shot of one from ebay that I got outbid on. The short barrel is not interchangeable w/ the Tuckaway; it has a different, longer, taper since the tips have different backend diameters.



I was a bit hesitant to post this info, not knowing who else I'm competing with, but hey, knowledge is good and so is the chance that the person holding one doesn't really collect them, but grabbed it 'cause it was cute.