Sheaffer 46 Special Coral - Box Set?

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Hi Everyone,

 

Need some help identifying a box set that my girlfriend recently found for me (she knows I have a FP problem! )...

 

It is a box set consisting of a Sheaffer Lifetime Pencil in Coral and a 46 Special in Coral, both in what looks to be the original Lifetime box - and the set looks to be never used...

 

The pen has a "D" at the end but I am not sure the set is supposed to be together - can anyone help me find out if box sets were sold like this?

 

Let me know if any additional info would help - as for being "never used"; does anyone have a way to prove it is unused? Would love to verify if my thoughts are accurate...

 

Thanks!

[pen lady]

A picture or two would help!

[Roger W.]

Giftie sets would have been available for a R46(C,SC,SR-Clip, Short clip or Ringtop - you don't specify) though metal sets are more common. Coral was never a lifetime color so the pencil would not be "lifetime". The "D" means the plastic was supplied from DuPont and the pen would have been made from 1925-1926. Unused really doesn't have a bearing on a vintage set. Does it have an original sticker? Are the threads as clean as the day it was made? Those are more pertinent than if it may or may not have been inked.

 

Roger W.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/4622a.jpg

46's arranged in the C, SR, SC arrangement per color (two at the end are 22's)

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Hi Roger W.

 

Wow! Those are some neat looking pens!! Thanks for the reply.

 

The pen I have is "C" (clip), at least that is what it matches to based on your photo. The threads look perfect, least to me, like it has never (or rarely been capped/uncapped) - not even an ink mark on the inside of the cap .

 

The pencil is in the same condition, cept it does say lifetime at the end - does that mean anything?

 

I can take some photos if it will help - hope the ipoop can take good images...

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Here are some images if it helps?

 

What you think?

Edited May 23, 2014 by Champagne-N-Beer

[Roger W.]

The pencils do say lifetime on the crown don't they - shows what I know about pencils. Sets have often been given as presents and sometimes never used. Yours sounds like such a set. It is always fun to see a picture so please do.

 

Roger W.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/coral.jpg

Whole lot of coral - 46's and 3-25's

[Roger W.]

Oh that's a nice set! If it was inked it was only a few times and cleaned well.

 

Roger W.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/coral4.jpg

Three DuPonts and a Fiberloid Company.

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Wow- so cool!

 

Did the images come through? New to this FPN thing

 

Do you know if Sheaffer waxed their breather holes back in the day?

[Roger W.]

Looking through your breather hole it looks like I can see the feed slit. They would have never had wax near the feed - could gum up the works.

 

Roger W.

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Hey mine has a D too! But I thought it was a Sheaffer - what is DuPont doing messing/marking up my pen! .

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Darnit - does that mean mine is a bum-legged defect

[Roger W.]

Not sure what that mark is.

 

Sheaffer was to get plastic supplied from four companies per Walter's memoirs. Daniel Kirchheimer and I cracked the code some years back. He found out what happened to the fourth, Nixon Nitration at the time which solved the problem of there only being three letters - C, D, and F (Celluloid Company, DuPont, and Fiberloid Company). My propensity to collect the small pens tells the date story as you'd never know from the lifetimes when they stopped the practice. Secretaries, 46 Specials and 22 Student specials are marked (as are the lifetimes) and with what Sheaffer did with late entry jade 46's we know the stamping started at inception (late 1924) and went to late 1926 as Jade 46's were intro'd in late 26 and are never marked.

 

Roger W.

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Hi Roger - wow, thanks for the info.

 

That blurry pic is the breather hole - sorry it be so crappy.

 

So my pen is from 1924-26 and made by DuPont. Pretty cool.

 

Here's a question, maybe you can help? - if "lifetime" was not something marked with a white dot back during this time, how do we identify lifetime pens from their non-lifetime siblings?

[Roger W.]

Lifetimes were white dotted in 1924 so radite lifetimes should have a white dot. Hard rubber lifetimes that predate this pose a problem as there are 8 nibbed lifetimes prior to there being Lifetime nibs.

 

The plastic was supplied by DuPont but, the pen was made by Sheaffer - to be clear. Also coral starts in 1925 so your pen 1925-1926.

 

Ah, the cap breather hole not the nib. The hole should be clear and never closed.

 

Roger W.

[Champagne-N-Beer]

Gotcha - so has anyone ever seen a radite lifetime white dot pen? Radite is the plastic supplied by DuPont et al. right?

 

I have a bunch of early flat top Sheaffer lifetime pens but this is the only one I have where the plastic seems different... Do we know what that material is called?

 

I am guessing Sheaffer dropped the Radite at some point - do we know when that was?

[pen lady]

Lucky you! What a great set. AND following this thread has given me more information about a 46 ring top Sectetary that I bought recently. Now I know that the plastic was made by DuPont and have a more accurate idea of it's age. Thanks everyone.

[kirchh]

Gotcha - so has anyone ever seen a radite lifetime white dot pen? Radite is the plastic supplied by DuPont et al. right?

 

I have a bunch of early flat top Sheaffer lifetime pens but this is the only one I have where the plastic seems different... Do we know what that material is called?

 

I am guessing Sheaffer dropped the Radite at some point - do we know when that was?

All Radite (celluloid) Sheaffer Lifetimes from this period have White Dots. Your pen is not a Lifetime model, so it lacks the dot.

 

The material of your pen is called Radite (celluloid). It was made in a variety of colors.

 

Sheaffer dropped Radite (celluloid) in 1948, replacing it with Radite II (Forticel, a cellulosic injection-moldable plastic) and then with Bakelite C-11.

 

--Daniel

[kirchh]

Lucky you! What a great set. AND following this thread has given me more information about a 46 ring top Sectetary that I bought recently. Now I know that the plastic was made by DuPont and have a more accurate idea of it's age. Thanks everyone.

Note that the pen cannot be both a 46 Special and a Secretary. Those are two different series.

 

--Daniel

[pen lady]

 

 

Oh Daniel, Now I'm even further down the rabbit-hole! What do I have please? The pen is coral Radite, has a ring-top, no white dot and is 11.3 cm long capped. The nib reads "Sheaffer 46 Special" and the imprint W. A. SHEAFFER PEN Co

Pat.Aug.25.08.FORT.MADISON.IA.U.S.A.

DEC.10.12- JAN. 27 - OCT.20 - NOV. 24.14

 

Any information would be very welcome! If it's not a secretary, is it just a generic "lady's pen" Thanks.

Edited May 26, 2014 by pen lady

[Roger W.]

It is what it says it is and what we've been discussing a 46 Special. The imprint is not necessary as this is a well known series. It does cross the hard rubber radite timeline meaning that the series started out in 1923 essentially taking over from the popular 34 model a #3 nib on a 4 sized body. 46 sounds bigger but they are about the same size - probably like getting 25% more for free - meaningless. The 46 is a medium sized pen with the nib saying 46 Special and the Secretary is a large sized pen with the nib saying Secretary. The 46 is in a coral and the Secretary is in a cherry red both being coded "R" for color.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/34%20progression.jpg

This is a good illustration of the progression. Bottom is a very early 34, next up is a chased 34 with clip standard (1918-1921), next up is a 46 Special with patented chasing (C.1923)with the top being a later 5-30 (C.1928). All essentially the same sized pen.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/46bchr.jpg

Various black 46's in hard rubber. These were also available in red hard rubber but, they are much scarcer.

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/Ringtop10.jpg

46 Red hard rubber with the two catalog pigmys

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/4622a.jpg

The 46's actually under discussion

 

The Secretary was also introduced in 1923 in black hard rubber only and is a large pen compared to the medium sized 46's

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/BSCY.JPG

Original Secretary

 

In 1925 the Secretary was changed to a red radite only model to be replaced with jade or black 7-30's in 1928

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/Secretaryset1.jpg

 

http://www.sheafferflattops.com/images/SecretaryRTSC2.jpg

Nib shot of a Secretary - not my clearest pic

Edited May 26, 2014 by Roger W.