Now that Corien has piqued my interest, what model Sheaffers came with a Triumph nib, and what do y'all recommend to collect?

Note: "all of them" is not an answer. pick one.

Drool pics welcome.

Well said, Rob! Not much I can add to that except to say that there are short Triumph nibs and the regular ones.....and of the two I prefer the regular type. Of the regular type of Triumph nibs, there are two sub-types: the earlier shorter, fatter nibs from the 1940's and the later narrower, longer ones on the Snorkels,etc. I personally prefer the earlier ones, just on the basis of aesthetics.

As Rob said, the plunger-fillers are much harder and more $$ to fix than the lever-filler types, so this is something to consider when you are looking to buy one. If you can find a working or restored plunger-filler, go for it! They have a large ink capacity.
I have a carmine-striped one with a wide gold band that is a dream (stiff nib aside ).
If you are having trouble finding a working plunger-filler, then go for a Touchdown filler or Snorkel.

Thanks guys.

I went out and found the PenHero, and Binder's articles on teh Triumph, and i have to say, I might have to add 1 more vintage to my list...

So many pens... so little time...

Jim's article at PenHero on the Triumph nibbed pens is excellent and indicates that these nibs first appeared in 1942 while the actual Triumph model pen was made until 1948 when it was replaced by the Touchdown model in 1949 (which still sported a Triumph nib).

Sheaffer continued to use the Triumph nib right into the 90's on the modern Sheaffer Crest although there were some breaks when no Triumph nibbed pens were produced.

I believe I own or have owned a version or two from each era and have found each and every one of these pens to be great writers even though my preferences lead me towards flexier nibbed pens. Vacuum fillinf Triumphs are more difficult to service and restore so my advice would be to look at a Snorkel or Touchdown model pen.

A friend of mine has a Sheaffer Snorkel that has a semi flexible Triumph nib, something that is extremely hard to come by.

Snorkels and Touchdowns are very popular pens and despite the minor differences in how they fill, both are excellent daily users.