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Sheaffer Display Cases, Help With Date?


Castiliana

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I am trying to learn more about my two Sheaffer Retail Display cases. The building my bookstore is in previously housed an old style office supply store for over 60 years and when they closed their doors I acquired two large, heavy Sheaffer Displays that they did not want to try and remove from the building. Everyone that comes into my store loves the displays and I get constant questions about their age and value but so far have found very little information on them. The cases are 6 feet long, lit, and have a large number of storage drawers on the back as well as pull down doors and sliding trays for the display area. There is a paper tag inside one of the pull downs that is copyrighted 1957 and gives tips on selling pens so they manufactured after that date, but so far that is all I know. The Sheaffer museum really had no additional information as they were made by a contractor and they suggested that I try the experts here in the forums.

 

Thank you ahead of time for any clues you may be able to provide!

http://www.whenindrought.com/images/cases.jpg

http://www.whenindrought.com/images/label.jpg

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  • Roger W.

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I have one of these though after getting rid of as much of the dark stain as I could I achieved a honey oak rather than the blonde oak. Mine also has the snorkel selling instructions which I found under contact paper covering the door. I thought that the store owner had put it there but, perhaps they were shipped out this way now that I see yours has the same. Your case would be from the late 1950's and could be expected to bring $300. You could get more from a buyer in the right place and time but, these aren't easy to move though you can disconnect the top from the bottom fairly easily. I assume yours has the pop up doors at either end where you could store ink for people to use to test out the pens (Skrip writes better)?

 

Roger W.

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It does indeed have both top popups as well as the original keys and what have you. I personally love them and am surprised that with as much lighting as they have that they date back so far, it never occured to me that flourecent fixtures were in wide use in the fifties as I was not born until 1978 ;). Overall the condition is very good there are a few scratches to the top glass and the finish could use a bit of retouching on the top edges but otherwise they have survived very well. One of the cases does appear to have been rewired at some point as it has a newer, grounded cord but other than that I have a feeling that they are pretty close to original.

Thank you so much for your help, there is always so much intrest in them that I am going to make up a little sign to place in each case with the details about them. Currently I use them to display hand crafted jewelry and small local art pieces (as I do not have a fountain pen collection) but they are still great focal pieces!

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Sheaffer had desk lamps in the 1930's so I've studied on lighting a bit. Fluorescent bulbs come in in 1938 with Sheaffer having a desk lamp to utilize that in 1940. What with the war I don't think fluorescent bulbs became popular until after the war. Lighting is really funny if you think of high rises as until the invention of the tungsten element in 1911 they were lit by gas! So then you had incandescence but, that is not good to light large areas well so people had desk lamps in the 20's and 30's. After the war with the better general lighting from fluorescence the desk lamp goes away. Anyway, a well lite cabinet in the 1950's would have been expected.

 

Do both of the cabinets have the selling instructions?

 

Roger W.

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Only one of the cases has the instructions but the one that does has 2 copies of them, one in each pull down for the sliding trays. The other case does not appear to have any faded areas or old adhesive at first glance on the pull down doors but I did not inspect the finish too closely and am home for the day but I can take a closer look tomorrow.

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Wow, those cabinets are really cool!

 

I can imagine walking into a fine shop looking for a new fountain pen (a gift for someone else or a present to yourself?) and browsing at all the pens nestled in their velvet lines cases under glass until you reach the well-lit Sheaffer case and spotting one of those new fangled Snorkels, having the salesperson demonstrate to you how it fills, writing with it and then walking out the door with your shiny new Sheaffer fountain pen.

 

I love the guide that tells salespeople how to demonstrate the pen and even lines to tell the customer, "Say, 'Instant - no dunk filling.' " Like a car salesman.

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LOL the instructions really are a hoot especially where they tell people what to say.

 

I can completely see the scene you described though I would have to add to it a bit, next to the display there would have to be a rack filled with stacks of beautiful, thick toothy paper, cotton rag, parchment, real fiber sheets with their texture and warmth that soak up the inks of your written words and turn them into tangible, almost living things.

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  • 10 months later...

Sorry to revive this thread, but I just acquired a desk lamp which seems to be a match for the display cases (note the extruded aluminum elements and pierced logo), and thought it might be of interest.

 

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w88/Tweel6510/Pen-related/2133_Sheaffer_Desk_Lamp.jpg

fpn_1375035941__postcard_swap.png * * * "Don't neglect to write me several times from different places when you may."
-- John Purdue (1863)

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I saw that one on EBay. It's been painted black on the bottom as it should be matching blond oak as seen on the ends of the light. My lamp is sitting on a matching 6' display cabinet.

 

Roger W.

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Someone did refinish the base. Since it was already done once, I may do it again to make it resemble the original finish (which seems like more of a light golden oak, rather than blond).

 

It's a keeper, though. I love it, and it was an inadvertently early Christmas gift from my sweetie.

fpn_1375035941__postcard_swap.png * * * "Don't neglect to write me several times from different places when you may."
-- John Purdue (1863)

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No it's blond. The 6 footer I have is now a golden/honey oak as the fashion was to make these black in the stores. Taking it home from the jeweler that had owned the store I thought it would stand upright. Well it fell over and damaged the front pieces at both ends of the glass. I decided to refinish it and spend days sanding it down and got the vast majority of the black off but, not to the extent that it would be blonde again so it's a little darker than should be. The inside that was never refinished is clearly blonde oak. The example of the lamp that I have is also blond oak so that perhaps yours is darker there as well but, I hadn't noticed due to the black finish on the base. Great gift to get!

 

Roger W.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/LampAdv5.jpghttp://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/LampAdv3.jpg

The pic above is on the 6 footer and the right it is sitting in front of the 6 footer.

Edited by Roger W.
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