I scored a delicious lot of Sheaffers!
I just nabbed a batch lot of Sheaffer pens on eBay. It was a risk (always is, right?) but there was one gem in the lot that I knew, the moment I saw it, was worth the price of the lot. As it happens, I got a few other real gems, too! But the undisputed king of this batch is the Jade Sheaffer Flat-top.
 |
 |
| The Sheaffer Jade is in the middle. You can see the discoloration these pens usually suffer in the one right next to it,which was once the same color! Click the image to see it bigger! | |
Jade celluloid pens are known for their vulnerability to the discoloring effects of rubber or latex off-gassing. The pen right next to that glorious green one shows the very same material that has discolored. That’s the much more common condition of Jade pens from this era. How this one escaped discoloration, I don’t know, and how the fellow in eBay was willing to sell the lot for less than $100 I don’t know either, but I am so glad for both!
There are some other real treasures in this batch, though! From L to R:
- Ballpoint with the ‘reminder clip.’ Needs a refill, but in good shape. (Not like I need ballpoints, but it’s a nice example.
- Fineline by Sheaffer (1950s). Fineline was one of Sheaffer’s sub-brands. It’s clearly a low-budget pen; it’s light and feels plasticy, and has a pretty basic steel nib. Again, in good condition.
- Sovereign II Tuckaway. (1946-47) This little beauty has a touchdown filler that needs some TLC, but the barrel clarity is fantastic!
- Sheaffer Jade Flat top, white dot on top of the cap. (1913-28) Outstanding color! Huge 14K nib that is smooth, but doesn’t have much tipping left. Seems this pen was both well used, and well cared for!
- Another Flat top (1913-28) , heavily discolored, and lacking a cap. Another gorgeous nib, though. If I can find a cap for it, I’ll fix it up as a user-grade pen.
- Gorgeous Carmine Craftsman (1939-40s). I have always been fond of the Carmine Striated Sheaffers, but this one absolutely gleams! Arrived in perfect writing trim, with healthy sac and needing only a cleaning.
- Also gorgeous Carmine Balance pencil. (1939-42) Not white-dot, but a lovely piece. (At this rate, I may need a page just for all my Balance pencils!)
- Another Carmine, but this one seems to be a ‘franken-pen.’ The cap doesn’t thread properly, so I suspect a mismatch. Too bad, as both are lovely. The Carmine color and the ‘streamline’ or ‘radius’ clip, put it between 1939-42.
All in all, a very good haul! Look for these on my Sheafffer page as I get them restored and photographed (with better photos than these phone pics)!
