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.

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!

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.

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!

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.