I got a bushel-basket of Sheaffers this week, and there's two I can't quite pin down. Both are vacuum-fill:




The Triumph-point is exactly 5" long when capped, has a 1000 price-stamp on the barrel, and a 79 in the imprint on the point, between SHEAFFER'S and LIFETIME. Astonishingly, the filler is working on this one-- doesn't help with the ID, but cool, eh? Note also the white dot is in the same position as a Zeppelin's mooring point-- right out front.

The Balance-y looking deal is actually striped, alternating black and amber(ed?), has a 350 price-code, and the point is marked with a 3 as well. It has the flat-ball clip, which I see from Richards site isn't very helpful pinning down low-end models. It's 5 3/8" long capped.

So, what's the score, gang?

Have you checked some of the articles on Rick Conner's website, or on PenHero? They've been particularly helpful for me when identifying older models, especially Sheaffer's.

I had neglected penspotters.com, and foolishly, too:



That does rather go a distance to dating the Balance, which has a tab-mounted clip.

Absent a source for the assertions listed above, I wouldn't rely on them, as with all such claims. Indeed, there is ample documentation of Sheaffer offering the Vaccum-Fil system by 1934, for example.

--Daniel

The Lifetime pen appears to be a circa 1946-'47 Statesman per catalogs.

The other item looks like a Craftsman Balance that I date to approximately 1938-1942 based the various attributes it bears and their correlation with likely milestones.

--Daniel

Terrier, indeed-- I really should lay off buying pens for a while and see about laying in some reference material. Thank'ee.

Knowledge is power, indeed.

--Daniel