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Sheaffer Balance OS - Grey Marbled Pearl


Sarj

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Some of you will know that a major focus for me is collecting Sheaffer's Oversized Balance pens from the 1930s. I had a little time to myself today for the first time for many weeks. I thought I'd get the camera out and share some images of one of my most prized sets.

 

A super, dare I say it, rare Oversized Sheaffer Balance fountain pen and pencil set in the elusive Grey Marbled Pearl colour.

This pen is a vac filler. Recently restored very sympathetically by Michael McNeil of Northwest Pen Works (kudos to Michael for an excellent job). I opted for the fully reversible "rubber plug" method of restoring the filling system. This was the method advocated by the late Father Terry. As I didn't plan to use the pen much, I was comfortable that the repair, whilst not the optimum choice for robustness had the distinct advantage of being easily reversible.

 

The transparency of the pen barrel is excellent (usually one finds that the clear plastic areas have turned red) and the overall beauty of the set has hardly diminished over the last 72 years. The clip style and the fact that the original paperwork is dated April 1935 makes this an early vac filler. I believe the vac filling system was initially introduced on the WASP range of pens before it was promoted in the main line.

 

The box has nickel/chrome plated trim which matches the trim on the set. I am confident that this is an original factory ensemble.

 

Every time I look at this set, it just lifts my heart. :D

Enjoy the pics.

 

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07255/IMG_0177.jpg

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07255/IMG_0180.jpg

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07255/IMG_0181.jpg

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07255/IMG_0184.jpg

http://xs216.xs.to/xs216/07255/IMG_0186.jpg

 

 

Sarj

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Beautiful pen! And great pix! :thumbup:

Watermans Flex Club & Sheaffer Lifetime Society Member

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Thank you so much for sharing. I also love those Sheaffer's OS Balance pens. Last one I bought was a red-veined marbled grey at the Chicago Pen Show.

Pedro

 

Looking for interesting Sheaffer OS Balance pens

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Extraordinary. That is a real beauty. I wonder how it has been stored all these years to remain in such excellent condition?

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Holy cow that is a NICE pen! Look how clear the ink window is! That is just too cool! I have a grey marble pearl set, but it is a smaller, non white dot model. That is just SWEET!

 

Evan

Sheaffer all the way!

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It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

Given that they were likely made for a shorter period of time than any other color (coupled with the novelty of the filling system), I think it would be expected.

 

--Daniel

"The greatest mental derangement is to believe things because we want them to be true, not because we observe that they are in effect." --Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

Daniel Kirchheimer
Specialty Pen Restoration
Authorized Sheaffer/Parker/Waterman Vintage Repair Center
Purveyor of the iCroScope digital loupe

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Guest PeteWK
It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

Given that they were likely made for a shorter period of time than any other color (coupled with the novelty of the filling system), I think it would be expected.

 

--Daniel

 

 

True, other than the Blue, which I've never seen in a white dot oversize pen. I'm actually referring to any oversize white dot in this color, vac-fil or lever. I see other "rare" colors on eBay with some regularity but I can't recall seeing any of the gray marble in quite some time.

 

PeteWK

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It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

 

They do crop up. Have three at home, two plunger one vac-fill. The white trim makes for more challenging hunt if one wants clean pen, though.

 

d

 

 

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Guest PeteWK
It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

 

They do crop up. Have three at home, two plunger one vac-fill. The white trim makes for more challenging hunt if one wants clean pen, though.

 

d

 

 

By plunger I'm assuming you mean lever filler?

 

PeteWK

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It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

 

They do crop up. Have three at home, two plunger one vac-fill. The white trim makes for more challenging hunt if one wants clean pen, though.

 

d

 

 

By plunger I'm assuming you mean lever filler?

 

PeteWK

 

Yep. Typo. Two plunger one lever filler.

 

d

 

 

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It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

Given that they were likely made for a shorter period of time than any other color (coupled with the novelty of the filling system), I think it would be expected.

 

--Daniel

True, other than the Blue, which I've never seen in a white dot oversize pen. I'm actually referring to any oversize white dot in this color, vac-fil or lever. I see other "rare" colors on eBay with some regularity but I can't recall seeing any of the gray marble in quite some time.

 

PeteWK

There's no evidence of which I am aware that Sheaffer ever made an oversize pen in the Blue material as a production item.

 

Lever-fillers in Grey Pearl are even scarcer than the Vacuum-Fil variety likely because they were made for an even shorter period of time (about a year according to the information I've examined). Edit: As clarified later in this thread, it is reasonable to assume that the lever-filler in marbled Grey Pearl replaced the lever-filler in red-veined Grey Pearl sometime between August of 1935 and July of 1936, and the model appears in the July 1936 catalog, but not in the August 1937 catalog. Therefore, according to this data, the model was likely marketed starting sometime after 8/1935 and ending sometime before 8/1937.

 

--Daniel

Edited by kirchh

"The greatest mental derangement is to believe things because we want them to be true, not because we observe that they are in effect." --Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

Daniel Kirchheimer
Specialty Pen Restoration
Authorized Sheaffer/Parker/Waterman Vintage Repair Center
Purveyor of the iCroScope digital loupe

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It seems strange that we don't see more of these pens in the Largest Balance size.

 

PeteWK

Given that they were likely made for a shorter period of time than any other color (coupled with the novelty of the filling system), I think it would be expected.

 

--Daniel

True, other than the Blue, which I've never seen in a white dot oversize pen. I'm actually referring to any oversize white dot in this color, vac-fil or lever. I see other "rare" colors on eBay with some regularity but I can't recall seeing any of the gray marble in quite some time.

 

PeteWK

There's no evidence of which I am aware that Sheaffer ever made an oversize pen in the Blue material as a production item.

 

Lever-fillers in Grey Pearl are even scarcer than the Vacuum-Fil variety likely because they were made for an even shorter period of time (about a year according to the information I've examined).

 

--Daniel

 

Aside from the pens themselves (pretty good evidence that pens were produced), have you seen any company info on the blue marble pens?

 

d

 

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David;

 

The only company info on blue is from the 1932 price sheet that lists blue in the 3 different 3-25 configurations.

 

Roger W.

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David;

 

The only company info on blue is from the 1932 price sheet that lists blue in the 3 different 3-25 configurations.

 

Roger W.

 

Thanks. I might have that sheet at home. Will have to peek. Believe i've shot all three pen configs (actually, might own all three not sure), but have not shot all the pencils yet.

 

And, for those who collect, i point out that besides the three Balance pens (long slender 3-25 and short slender 3-25 in clip and ring forms), the pen was produced as a "truncated" balance (non-balance, really) in what was Junior trim/style of the day. Guess there are four pens four pencils thus in this color, save for any other model/styles of which i am unaware.

 

here be the three pens

 

http://removed.xyz/penteech/sheafferblueblackspread.jpg

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There's no evidence of which I am aware that Sheaffer ever made an oversize pen in the Blue material as a production item.

 

Lever-fillers in Grey Pearl are even scarcer than the Vacuum-Fil variety likely because they were made for an even shorter period of time (about a year according to the information I've examined).

 

--Daniel

 

Aside from the pens themselves (pretty good evidence that pens were produced), have you seen any company info on the blue marble pens?

 

d

They're on an order form that dates likely to late '32.

 

--Daniel

"The greatest mental derangement is to believe things because we want them to be true, not because we observe that they are in effect." --Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

Daniel Kirchheimer
Specialty Pen Restoration
Authorized Sheaffer/Parker/Waterman Vintage Repair Center
Purveyor of the iCroScope digital loupe

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Guest PeteWK

There's no evidence of which I am aware that Sheaffer ever made an oversize pen in the Blue material as a production item.

 

Lever-fillers in Grey Pearl are even scarcer than the Vacuum-Fil variety likely because they were made for an even shorter period of time (about a year according to the information I've examined).

 

--Daniel

 

 

 

That's interesting. What information have you examined? They're both hard to find. I have this example. Shown is a lever Oversize barrel. The other parts are set aside. I purchased it without a cap sadly.

 

PeteWK

 

edit here - near mint condition / perfect color - Just a few shallow marks

post-798-1182697713_thumb.jpg

Edited by PeteWK
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There's no evidence of which I am aware that Sheaffer ever made an oversize pen in the Blue material as a production item.

 

Lever-fillers in Grey Pearl are even scarcer than the Vacuum-Fil variety likely because they were made for an even shorter period of time (about a year according to the information I've examined).

That's interesting. What information have you examined?

Marketing/advertising materials -- catalogs and such.

 

--Daniel

"The greatest mental derangement is to believe things because we want them to be true, not because we observe that they are in effect." --Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet

Daniel Kirchheimer
Specialty Pen Restoration
Authorized Sheaffer/Parker/Waterman Vintage Repair Center
Purveyor of the iCroScope digital loupe

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