A few weeks ago, I purchased a Sheaffer ?Imperial? on EBay. I'm not sure that is the correct model though....stainless steel body and cap, short gold clip with raised white dot, factory sticker "Sheaffer 444 XG Medium", 14k nib with 585 opposite of 14k, not a diamond shaped cut out on nib, but a triangle with an inward curved segment. ???Anyone???
Also, I really enjoy the feel of this pen, but the medium nib has a broader line than I like; is it possible to buy the nib section only? I can't seem to find another of these in a fine nib.

Rebekah,

Is the body brushed or polished stainless? Is the pen a cartrideg/converter fill? I just picked up a very similar pen with a ploished body. I am not sure if the one I got has a fine or medium nib. (It is currently at work.) I am not sure, but I beleive it to be an Imperial, although I have ony been able to find a reference to brushed finish, not the polished that I have.

Jim

It is brushed stainless and came with an ?aerometric? (squeeze) converter. Sorry for the vagueness, I'm still learning the technical terms.

I am not an expert, but that sounds like a Triumph to me. Does this look familar?



(Photo from http://www.penhero.com website.

Jim

No. The clip on mine is a short gold one and the nib doesn't have a diamond cut out, but a kind of triangle one, but the body of your example looks right. I'll see if I can post a picture... Sorry, I seem to have the wrong file format.

The short bodied pens with short clips are called "compact" (original chalk-marks on mine have been "COMP I for steel and COMP II for 14k), with early 14k models having a set of clear window strips in the barrel to allow you to see ink level in the cartridge. There are later pens in the Imperial family that use the same nib and short clip but have longer barrels, I have no idea if they even had a name, but they all tend to be good writers!

Rebeka,

Did you ever come up with a photo of your pen? Here is one of mine. I am pretty sure it is an Imperial, but I have never seen a listing for a polished chrome finished, only the brusshed chrome.

Jim

I keep getting a message that says 'cannot upload this type of file'. Let me go get educated and try again later...

I just picked up one of these with the windows and GF trim. I don't usually go for cartridge pens but I sure like this one. I like the short clip too. I hope I can find a converter to fit the shortster.

Pendemonium sometimes has the shorties. www.pendemonium.com

Jim

Still no luck uploading photos. However, it has a clip and nib shaped like Krz's compact two posts up, but the body and converter of yours in a brushed stainless look.
Whatever it is, it is one of my top two favorite pens.
I guess I will just have to go by the sticker on the lid and call it a "444 XG". Not a very pretty name, but a pen's performance is in the pen, not the name

Some of those 60s cartridge pens actually don't take any of the current convertors, I don't own any of the button type convertors to try, but those might? The new Slovenian carts have a very sturdy injection molded mouth that lends its self to re-use quite nicely, so refilling carts is a good workaround for these pens.

In a windowed "comp" a cartridge is better anyway, then you can see the ink supply! (maybe shortening the screw mechanism on a piston convertor would work too, but that may interfere with function...)

I've seen at least three clip lengths in this time period, *really* short on the compacts, medium length on a bunch of different demi-sized pens (like yours) and then full length clips on the ones that are the same size as an original Imperial touchdown pens. The "dimple in" nib is only on the smaller pens as far as I have found, all of my gold ones are old enough that they only say 14k, no 585 marking.

i might have the same thing you're asking about, rebekah. it could be a sheaffer imperial of the 440 series. sometimes it's also called the sheaffer triumph imperial. i created a thread on this entitled "my first fountain pen." have a look at the photos and let me know if you have the same thing.