Sheaffers, Vintage

This page shows all my vintage Sheaffers. Balances, flat-tops, ring-tops, Triumph, Tuckaway…. Truthfully, these are some of the favorites out of my entire collection. I do a lot of restoration work on vintage Sheaffers, so new ones will appear here fairly regularly. Enjoy!

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Sheaffer 5-30 RIngtop

Color: Black
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1915-20
Nib: M/B 14K 5-30
Working? Yes

This little Sheaffer is one of the smoothest writers I have ever used. It’s not a lifetime or white-dot model, and I haven’t found any examples quite exactly like it. I’ve seen them in jade green marble, and a sort of grey pearl with black ends, and a black with a single wide band. But never quite like this one. It’s in beautiful condition, too. Look at that imprint! I think it will be part of my at home rotation.

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Sheaffer Balance

Color: Golden Brown Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1930-35
Nib: F/M 14K #3
Working? Yes

Fantastic brown striated Balance, recently restored. A little darkening of the barrel, but there are still some lovely amber stripes still showing.

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Sheaffer Balance

Color: Ebonized Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1920-30
Nib: 14K F/M
Working? Yes

I’ve been hunting a nice Ebonized Pearl Balance for ages! It’s the smaller size, just a touch bigger than the Jr. line, but a beautiful finish, with no discoloration. The visulated section is one of the clearest I’ve seen from a pen of this era. It has some drawer wear, but no brassing, and a strong imprint. And of course, it’s a sweet writer; it’s a vintage Sheaffer!

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Sheaffer Balance FP & Pencil Set

Color: Marine Green Marbled
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1930-35
Nib: XF #5 Feathertouch 14K
Working? Yes

This is a beautiful set, with only slight discoloration to the barrel, but plenty of rich green hues still visible. The nib is really fine, which doesn’t tend to be my preference, but it’s smooth as can be. Pencil is in darn near mint condition.

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Sheaffer Balance Jr

Color: Carmine Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1939-45
Nib: F 33 14K semi-flex
Working? Yes

A petite jewel! This little Carmine Balance was restored by the previous owner, and they did a beautiful job. It’s got a great, buttery-smooth, semi-wet nib, with just a bit of flex (unusual in Sheaffers). The visulated section is clear if slightly ambered, and the color is perfect.

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Sheaffer Balance OS

Color: Black & Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1929-34
Nib: 14K M Lifetime
Working? Yes

This pen is magnificent! It’s the monster Oversize Balance, in the stikingr black and pearl (a.k.a. ‘cow.) finish. There is some slight ambering to the barrel, but not too bad overall. Came to me restored and working beautifully, with a huge, buttery 14K nib, in a ‘politely wet’ medium. The pen itself it big, but very well balanced. I adore this pen!

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Sheaffer Balance OS

Color: Marine Green Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1930-35
Nib: XF
Working? Yes

Gorgeous green striated Balance, but the nib is a bit too fine for me. It’s a shame, because this is a gorgeous example of a greet striated finish, with no discoloration (the darker areas in the photo are a mix of the pattern and shadow; you can see from the nib photo that the barrel is quite bright!) I would call this one almost an accountant nib. Not quite as fine as my Imperial VIII, but pretty close!

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Sheaffer Balance OS

Color: Black & Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1929-34
Nib: 14K M-ish
Working? Yes

The only reason I list this as a hybrid is that the section, feed, & nib came together as a ‘donor’ from another pen. When I snagged a batch lot of Sheaffers, there was an icky muddy brown Jade flattop without a cap. I held onto it, hoping to run into a cap and turn it into a user-grade pen. Some months later, another batch to purchase needed a gorgeous OS Balance barrel & cap without a section…. well of course, that pen needed a nib and that luscious flattop nib needed a home, so a match was made. Since the production of flattops and the early Balances overlapped, I figure I’m not committing to grievous a sin, and the resulting pen is so worth it!

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Sheaffer Balance

Color: Roseglow
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1936-39
Nib: 14K F
Working? No

A mid-size Balance in the elusive Roseglow, a gorgeous deep dusty rose with grey shimmers in its striated finish, with chrome appointments. A fantastic writer, as most every Sheaffer I’ve met is, and a lovely pen in a rare material.

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Sheaffer BHR Ringtop

Color: Black
Material: Black Hard Rubber, GP cap crown
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1910-19
Nib: Flexy 14K #3
Working? No

This is an unusual early lever filler. Black chased hard rubber, with clear imprint, no lever box and straight lever. Also unusual is the gold-filled ring top. I have seen these with clips, and with more typical cap bands, never with this little cap top. Seems like a smooth flexy F-M nib, marked ‘self-filling, but needs a sac. I’m a little leery of messing with this one, since I have not been able to coax the section out yet, so I will likely send it out… Sweet little pen though!

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Sheaffer Clipper FP & Pencil Set

Color: Black & Chrome
Material: Plastic
Filler: Snorkel
Date c. 1052-59
Nib: M Triumph PdAg
Working? No

Snorkel fillers are so nifty, but a real headache to repair. This beauty has a gleaming palladium alloy conical nib, characteristic of the Clipper series. This one will have to be sent out for repairs, however. It’s in great shape, so I will have it done, but it doesn’t top the list right now. Pencil is near mint.

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Sheaffer Craftsman

Color: Carmine Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1939-47
Nib: 14K F
Working? Yes

This beauty came to me in a batch lot, which, if I”m being honest, I purchased for the Jade Flattop However, this title gem would have made the purchase worthwhile on its own. One of the brightest gleaming carmine examples I’ve run across, it arrived in perfect writing trim, needing one a quick flush and polish.

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Sheaffer Craftsman FP & Pencil Set

Color: Burnt Umber
Material: Radite II
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1947-49
Nib: M 14K 2T Feathertouch
Working? Yes

Sweet brown Radite Craftsman (wire band, open nib, streamline clip, brown color). However, I’ve never seen a Craftsman with either a FeatherTouch nib, or a visulated section. Still, it’s a nice pen, and a beautiful set with a nifty flip-open box, and a matching working pencil in near-mint condition.

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Sheaffer Desk Pen

Color: Black
Material: Celluloid w/ BHR taper
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1920s
Nib: M 14K Lifetime
Working? Yes

This desk pen is heavier, older, and more solid than the other ones listed. In addition to the gold band, the nib is solid gold, with a smooth buttery line. The taper is a threaded black hard rubber, that, sadly looks like it was used as an icepick. It’s still a gorgeous pen, and writes beautifully. I have a base for it, but I think it’s not original since it doesn’t quite fit correctly. Still, I sometimes rotate it out with the one of my other bases.

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Sheaffer Desk Pen

Color: Black
Material: Celluloid or Radite?
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1930s
Nib: M-sh 14K 2T Lifetime
Working? Yes

A sweet open nib on a graceful desk pen, with a glossy black glass base with a brass mount. Nib is a little odd, not flexy, but with a wider cross stroke than vertical (architect’s nib, perhaps?). Nice writer nevertheless, perfect for jotting quick notes at my desk. (This is the one featured on the Shaffer main page.)

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Sheaffer OS Flattop

Color: Jade
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1926
Nib: Huge 14 K Lifetime
Working? Yes

This is a beauty; one of the prizes in my collection. The Straight clip with the ‘Sheaffer’S’ imprint, the five line-inscription and the white dot place this pen fairly precisely at 1926. The coloration on the Jade is as near flawless as any example I’ve seen, and the clip and bands have only the tiniest touch of brassing. I nabbed this darling in a batch lot for a ridiculously low price, and while I have had a sac in it (because I just HAD to write with it!) I currently keep it empty to protect the color.

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Sheaffer Petite Flattop Ringtop

Color: Black & Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1925-26
Nib: 14K Lifetime
Working? Yes

A darling mini-version of Sheaffer’s iconic Flattop, with a ring and a white dot on the side of the cap just above the clip. The nib has a five-line imprint with a serial number, which places it between 1925-26. Fairly severe brassing of the band, but otherwise a beautiful example of a scarce pen.

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Sheaffer Desk Pen

Color: Black & Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1929-34
Nib: F/M 14K Lifetime 2T
Working? Yes

Really gorgeous desk pen in the Black and Pearl finish, offered by Sheaffer from about 1929 through 1935 or so. Has a big gleaming 14K nib that writes beautifully. Sadly, none of my holders quite fit this one, so it doesn’t get used much. But I do find desk pen holders occasionally, so I’m hoping I’ll find one with a good fit!

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Sheaffer Petite Balance

Color: Black & Pearl
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1929-30
Nib: 14K 5-30 F/M
Working? Yes

I miniature version of the OS Balance Black and pearl I have listed. It’s so dainty and delicate! The black & pearl finish and the ‘humped-ball clip’ put it between 1929-33, but this seems to be the bigger ‘hump’ version, so I’m calling it 1929-30, before Sheaffer flattened out the hump a bit. Best of all, when I got this, I was dismayed to find some very deep scratches on the barrel, only to find on closer inspection a very subtle and classy monogram – that just happened to be my initials!

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Sheaffer Sentinel (?) Tuckaway

Color: Black w/GP Cap
Material: Radite!!?
Filler: Vacuumatic
Date c. 1944-49
Nib: F 14K 2T Lifetime Triumph
Working? Yes

Contrary to legend, these are not the pens Sheaffer designed for military uniforms; those have the ‘over-the-top’ clip, which does not make the pocket flap bulge. These were made to be easy to carry in a pocket or purse, or to be worn in smaller women’s blouse pockets. This is a great specimen, with some drawer wear on the cap, but a crisp imprint and a flawless Vac fill. The ID on this is a little uncertain: in the vac-filling Tuckaways, the Sovereign had a wire band, the Sentinel had a chrome cap with a gold band, and the Statesman had the more traditional open nib. However, since this is a ‘White Dot’ pen (the white dot is located on the butt end of the barrel), and has the ‘triumph-style’ conical nib, I’m going with Sentinel.

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Sheaffer Skyboy

Color: Golden Brown Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1940
Nib: 14K F/M 2T Lifetime
Working? Yes

The Skyboy is essentially a Balance with a special feed that allows it to be carried on the non=pressurized aircraft of the 1940s. Most of these pens, those made after 1940, were outfitted with the ‘military’ or ‘over-the-top’ clip, but the first few made had the same radius clip as other the rest of its Balance line. This is a lovely example of a relatively rare pen, with no discoloration and a nib that looks like it was hardly ever used. A fine, smooth writer, and a nifty little piece of en history!

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Sheaffer Sovereign II

Color: Marine Green Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Vacuumatic
Date c. 1945
Nib: M 14K Triumph LT
Working? No

A sweet little Sovereign, gorgeous color, even a striated section with a big conical nib. These are a bit of a bear to fix, too, so I will need to send it off for gaskets and seals. Otherwise, it seems to be in superb condition.

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Sheaffer Sovereign II Tuckaway

Color: Black
Material: Radite II
Filler: Vacuumatic
Date c. 1946-47
Nib: 14K M 2T Triumph
Working? Yes

A sweet little Tucky with amazing barrel transparency, Sadly in need of new gaskets. I have yet to venture into repairing vacs, so this one is sidelined until I can get it repaired…but a dip-test shows this has as nice a nib as I’ve come to expect from vintage Sheaffers.

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Sheaffer Triumph

Color: Carmine Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Vacuumatic
Date c. 1942
Nib: M 14K Lifetime Truimph 2T
Working? Yes

When I got this pen, it looked awful, revealing the telltale ionization of the silver underneath the gold plating. So it sat in my “not sure what to do with” pile for a couple years. Took it out on a whim and tried a different brand of polishing compound, and WOW! Looks like new! No discoloration, the barrel has excellent transparency, and the big conical nib is in great condition. It’s an original Triumph, unlike all the other pens that followed it and used the Triumph nib. The giveaway is that huge cap band. It’s a sweet writer with a fine line that is still rich and wet enough not to tweak my ‘fine nib issues.’

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Sheaffer Valiant

Color: Golden Brown Striated
Material: Celluloid
Filler: Lever
Date c. 1940-42
Nib: M 14K Lifetime 2T
Working? No

This first came to me as a battle-worn Valiant Balance with all the plating is gone from the ‘military clip’ clip and the band as seen above. A bit of polish magic, and now it’s a stunner! (I really need to put up a new photo!) Sports a fantastic two-toned LT nib and the elusive military style clip (so named because the top of the pen would not protrude above the edge of the pocket, causing the pocket flap to bulge; designed to make these pens accommodate war-era military uniform regulations. Many people incorrectly assume the tiny clips found on the smaller ‘Tuckaway’ models are military clips, but the only this ‘over-the-top’ style is the correct military clip.). Smooth, wet medium writer.