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Help With A Possible Craftsman


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So I won what looks to be a Sheaffer Craftsman on fleabay awhile ago, however it has a feather touch nib instead of the 33 nib that I thought most of them had.

 

It has carmine striped celluloid, a gold wire cap band, and also looks almost identical to my touchdown Craftsman other than it is a lever fill and has the feather touch nib. So am I wrong in identifying it as a craftsman?

 

Any help would be much appreciated!

The Pen Is Mightier than the sword.

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So I won what looks to be a Sheaffer Craftsman on fleabay awhile ago, however it has a feather touch nib instead of the 33 nib that I thought most of them had.

 

It has carmine striped celluloid, a gold wire cap band, and also looks almost identical to my touchdown Craftsman other than it is a lever fill and has the feather touch nib. So am I wrong in identifying it as a craftsman?

 

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

Start here for some info on wire band Sheaffers.

 

My Website

 

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It is probably not a Craftsman but an Admiral if it has a Feathertouch nib. Craftsmans usually had 33 and Admirals had Feathertouch nibs and both had wirebands around the caps.

Edited by Florida Blue

Parker: Sonnet Flighter, Rialto Red Metallic Laque, IM Chiseled Gunmetal, Latitude Stainless, 45 Black, Duovac Blue Pearl Striped, 51 Standard Black, Vac Jr. Black, 51 Aero Black, 51 Vac Blue Cedar, Duofold Jr. Lapis, 51 Aero Demi Black, 51 Aero Demi Teal, 51 Aero Navy Gray, Duofold Pastel Moire Violet, Vac Major Golden Brown, Vac Deb. Emerald, 51 Vac Dove Gray, Vac Major Azure, Vac Jr. Silver Pearl, 51 Vac Black GF Cap, 51 Forest Green GF cap, Vac Jr. Silver Pearl, Duovac Senior Green & Gold, Duovac Deb. Black, Challenger Black, 51 Aero Midnight, Vac. Emerald Jr., Challenger Gray Pearl, 51 Vac Black, Duofold Int. Black, Duofold Jr. Red.

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So I won what looks to be a Sheaffer Craftsman on fleabay awhile ago, however it has a feather touch nib instead of the 33 nib that I thought most of them had.

 

It has carmine striped celluloid, a gold wire cap band, and also looks almost identical to my touchdown Craftsman other than it is a lever fill and has the feather touch nib. So am I wrong in identifying it as a craftsman?

 

Any help would be much appreciated!

 

Start here for some info on wire band Sheaffers.

I had read that and was still confused as it did not mention pens with a wire bad and feather touch nibs, only pens with a 33 nib or a triumph nib.

 

So is there a place where I can read up on the Admiral if that is what my pen is?

 

Also forgot to mention it is not a white dot model.

 

Thanks for all the help!

Edited by Pen Is Mightier

The Pen Is Mightier than the sword.

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So is there a place where I can read up on the Admiral if that is what my pen is?

 

Also forgot to mention it is not a white dot model.

 

Thanks for all the help!

 

The Admiral and the Craftsman of that period didn't have white dots because they were the economy models. Look on the barrel of your pen to see if either the number "500" or "350" is on it. Those are price codes. The Admiral sold for $5.00 and the Craftsman $3.50.

 

Here is an example of an Admiral from Ernst Bitterman's website: http://dirck.delint.ca/Sheaffer%20Admiral.html

Parker: Sonnet Flighter, Rialto Red Metallic Laque, IM Chiseled Gunmetal, Latitude Stainless, 45 Black, Duovac Blue Pearl Striped, 51 Standard Black, Vac Jr. Black, 51 Aero Black, 51 Vac Blue Cedar, Duofold Jr. Lapis, 51 Aero Demi Black, 51 Aero Demi Teal, 51 Aero Navy Gray, Duofold Pastel Moire Violet, Vac Major Golden Brown, Vac Deb. Emerald, 51 Vac Dove Gray, Vac Major Azure, Vac Jr. Silver Pearl, 51 Vac Black GF Cap, 51 Forest Green GF cap, Vac Jr. Silver Pearl, Duovac Senior Green & Gold, Duovac Deb. Black, Challenger Black, 51 Aero Midnight, Vac. Emerald Jr., Challenger Gray Pearl, 51 Vac Black, Duofold Int. Black, Duofold Jr. Red.

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I recently picked up one of the Admiral/Craftsman pens on Ebay as well. Mine is also a feather touch nib and lever-fill. Mine is missing the wire cap band. Here is the auction for mine:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/220847457206?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Here's a better picture of the nib:

http://i165.photobucket.com/albums/u48/luuuckyclover/PICT0406.jpg

"Be who you are and say what you feel; because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

The Poor Connoisseurs

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Thanks again for the help in identifying the pen guys!

 

Now I just have to wait for it to get here and then figure out if I can restore it myself or send it to Sherrel Tyree.

The Pen Is Mightier than the sword.

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Also I forgot I can post a link to the auction I won.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/250890428341?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649#ht_4900wt_1185

 

I think I may have paid a little too much, but the red celluloid just called to me it is so beautiful!

The Pen Is Mightier than the sword.

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There are 8 different bead band models in 4 price points in the circa '45-'48 timeframe. The 79 and 59 are Triumph nibs. Sovereign II and Tuckaway II are white dot. 875 and 500 pens should have spring-loaded self adjusting clips; 350 and 275 pens should have solid mounted clips (be careful when you flex - the solid mounted clips will sometimes pop off with a chunk of the cap!) Cap switches are not uncommon. Lots of variations in striped and visulated sections and there are lever fill Craftsman pens with the metal cap-thread ring you find on vac-fill pens and threaded (triple lead), not slip-fit, sections.

 

Model/price code/nib/filler

Sovereign II 875 79 LF and VF

Tuckaway II 875 79 VF

 

Admiral 500 59 LF and VF (early) Feather Touch 5 LF only (later)

Milady tuckaway 500 59 VF only

 

Craftsman 350 33 LF and VF

Diana 350 33 VF, tucky length, full size clip

 

Cadet 275 23 LF and VF, chrome trim

Minerva 275 23 VF, tucky length, chrome trim

 

And there are pencils to match each model....

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  • 4 weeks later...

Mystery solved- mine is an Admiral- the "500" code became apparent after a lovely refurb job by an FPN member!

 

ETA More info: My pen is LF and my clip doesn't move. I'm not sure about my nib size, but I THINK it's a fine. The section is semi-transparent.

 

Does anyone know the years of production for this specific model? Or is 1945-1948 accurate?

Edited by shaylenwilliams

"Be who you are and say what you feel; because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." -Dr. Seuss

The Poor Connoisseurs

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Model/price code/nib/filler

Sovereign II 875 79 LF and VF

Tuckaway II 875 79 VF

 

Admiral 500 59 LF and VF (early) Feather Touch 5 LF only (later)

Milady tuckaway 500 59 VF only

 

Craftsman 350 33 LF and VF

Diana 350 33 VF, tucky length, full size clip

 

Cadet 275 23 LF and VF, chrome trim

Minerva 275 23 VF, tucky length, chrome trim

 

I ask not because I doubt, but because I'm anxious to discover the source of all this data-- where did you get this from?! I run into a whopping great hole between '41 and '49 that is very hard to find reference material for. I'd not previously known of a pre-TipDip Cadet, nor the extremely feminine names of the Tuckaways of the time.

Ravensmarch Pens & Books
It's mainly pens, just now....

Oh, good heavens. He's got a blog now, too.

 

fpn_1465330536__hwabutton.jpg

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  • 6 months later...

 

Model/price code/nib/filler

Sovereign II 875 79 LF and VF

Tuckaway II 875 79 VF

 

Admiral 500 59 LF and VF (early) Feather Touch 5 LF only (later)

Milady tuckaway 500 59 VF only

 

Craftsman 350 33 LF and VF

Diana 350 33 VF, tucky length, full size clip

 

Cadet 275 23 LF and VF, chrome trim

Minerva 275 23 VF, tucky length, chrome trim

 

I ask not because I doubt, but because I'm anxious to discover the source of all this data-- where did you get this from?! I run into a whopping great hole between '41 and '49 that is very hard to find reference material for. I'd not previously known of a pre-TipDip Cadet, nor the extremely feminine names of the Tuckaways of the time.

 

Sorry I never answered this question. The data is a dissection/compilation of the Sheaffer section of the Pen Sac Co catalog, the plunger rod list - posted by Gerry Berg on fountainpenboard - from the '47 or '48 Sheaffer Workbook, and help from Daniel Kirchheimer. It started out as an 8 row spreadsheet to make sense of the bead band series, but has now grown to include everything I can find on other post war celluloid pens and backwards to about 1940...

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That's a powerful set of underpinnings, and I'm very happy to hear that it wasn't just a case of me missing that one place to look.... :thumbup:

Ravensmarch Pens & Books
It's mainly pens, just now....

Oh, good heavens. He's got a blog now, too.

 

fpn_1465330536__hwabutton.jpg

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