pensilly

Hi to all,
I am sure you are right, it is the same case with mine. Lever fillers have an imprint the others do not.
I imagine it is because their filling system separates the barrel in two sections and he imprint does not show
good in the limited space...
Thanks for the comments,
Regards, Ariel

Well, now the pens are all over the place... I will avoid it next time, I have learned. Sorry anyway...

Ariel, those are gorgeous! You are very fortunate! Peter

I have a couple LeBoeufs that have no barrel imprint, but appear otherwise to be in very clean condition. I don't know why some pens seem to have left Springfield without barrel imprints, but there are enough of them out there that I am inclined to believe it was not a rare fluke.

@pensilly: What a fantastic pen you have! It is the largest model in an uncommon color.
As David points out, condition and convergence of buyers have a big impact on price. IMO, you could sell the pen easily at $1k. If I were to see such a pen at a pen show, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a price tag more along the lines of $1500-1700 on it.

Best Regards, greg

Thanks Greg. I'm beginning to realize this is a special pen - I knew it was nice, but didn't realize it was quite that special. Regards, Peter

I had difficulty deciding whether to post this note in the Sheaffer forum as a fresh thread, in the already huge "Sheaffer Metal Pen" pinned thread within the Sheaffer Forum or... here. I opted on the "Elements of Collecting" forum, as the set's Sheafferness is incidental to the topic, which has more to do with the general collecting of old pens.

Some collectables fields overwhelmingly favor preservation of original patina and finish. Antique furniture loses value if original finish is replaced. I've heard the same is true for Stradivarius violins as well. In Numismatics, original toning (a bit of a euphemism for generally appealing tarnish) adds value to silver and to gold coins.

The issue is less significant in pen collecting. Most pens of gold-tone metal or with similar overlay tend to be pretty bright by the time we find them, and if there is spotty dark tarnish, few object to cleaning the metal. Silver pens often turn up with simple gray/black oxidation, and many favor leaving that alone or giving at most a light wipe-down to lighten the effect. Yes, many people (also true for newbie Numismatists) like "shiny white", but frankly, finding a 1915 Waterman overlay with glow-in-the-dark bright trim can be-- to borrow a term recently used by a writer here at FPB-- jarring. Still, that polished Waterman overlay really does not lose value for having had its nice dark tone polished away, unlike the disaster if one applies polish to the original finish of an old coin.

Metal fountain pens with attractive iridescent toning are uncommon finds.

Couple years ago I picked up a ring-top metal 1920's Sheaffer set. Pattern in the gold-filled metal is a bit less common than some I see, but not at the lofty level of the slotted, basket weave, filigree, etc patterns.

Near mint or mint condition, it probably rested against something that toned it, paper or material containing sulfur perhaps. I've seen but a handful of old pens with this level of color. Stunning pen. It would be a crime against pendom to polish this set. The photo does not quite capture the eye appeal.

So, I present a tarnished pen set and invite thoughts regarding the merits of shining it up. Also, do share images of your own patinated pens.

regards

David

Gorgeous patina! I would leave as-is...

My only Moore is a vintage green celluloid model marked L-95 on the end of the barrel. It's in mint condition with no discoloration. Can anyone tell me anything about this model? It looks a lot like an old Sheaffer flat top. Thanks, Peter

Hi, can someone tell me anything about this LeBouef please? It has a no. 8 nib and a sleeve filler. Is this a rare pen? It's the only LeBouef I have, and I'm really not an expert on the brand. I'm a new member and will be going through the forum to learn more about these pens.

I got it years ago in a trade and have no idea what it would even be worth today. All input is most welcome! Thanks!

Hi,

Hey, do put that image in GALLERY. It's worth seeing full size at first glance

This Leboeuf is quite scarce. Some collectors call it "bumblebee" pattern, though I know of no original literature from Leboeuf describing this pen. #8 maks it the big boy. For those unfamiliar, Leboeuf made high quality pens often with grand and unusual colors. I vaguely recall Leboeuf made its own celluloid and that some evidence suggests this small make might have used celluloid even before Sheaffer. Information about Leboeuf also is scarce.

I do a great deal of pen photography. Have shot about 6000 old pens, mostly from collections that are not mine. Since scale and lighting are identical for all shots, I can mix images to make some nice montages.

I shot a bumblebee oversized Leboeuf a few years ago, a pen found by Paul Erano. It sold well in short order.

If it is in great shape, it would retail >$1000. How much more is very subjective, depending on the needs and wants of the rarified group of Leboeufians who hunt such critters. Condition though really is important. Color preservation. Trim wear. Etc.

Are you seeking to sell?

regards

David

Hi David, thanks for your informative reply. I've posted a larger picture per your suggestion. I've also created a public album in Gallery for this pen, you can look there for more images.

There are no markings anywhere on this pen except on the nib. It's in excellent condition, no evidence of any brassing or indeed of any wear. I don't know if these pens had markings on them - if so, maybe they have just faded? If not, could this be a factory prototype or something? I noticed that the sleeve filler has no spring bar - is that normal? It seems unlikely that someone would have removed the bar, given the overall excellent condition of the rest of the pen, but who knows? I'm not looking to sell, but was curious about the value, since as you said, these are so scarce. In fact, another member just asked if I wanted to sell

Thanks!

One more thing just came to mind. Some years ago, I had Brad Torelli install a new sac in this pen. He said he'd never seen anything like it. I'm curious as to which part of the country Paul Erano found the other one in? I found mine in CT. Since they were in Springfield MA, I found it not very far from its birthplace.