Hey guys,
My father gave me some pens he found in the attic, and one of them is a targa. 1003. I cant tell if its slim or regular. It has a gold flat top and it says sheaffer 585 14k on the nib. Is there any way to determine the vintage?

bty3,

1003 is the matt black version, year of production 1990. You can read more of this from:
http://www.sheaffertarga.com/fountainpenlist.htm

This thread tells you a way to tell the difference between a full and a slim Targa.
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...;hl=slim++targa

I have a photo of two 1003 Targas which I am selling on the marketplace.
http://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/in...showtopic=62756

Which one of the 2 is yours?

purpledog

its the one on the right and its a full size. but he got the pen before 1990

That is strange....maybe someone else can help explain this.

PS: if it is not 1990, it should be from the late 80s.

purpledog

There is some confusion on which model is the early model and which is the late model. Andreas Lambrou's "Fountain Pens of the World" shows the gold-topped model as having been introduced in 1980. We know that a model changeover occurred in 1989 or 1990. And I have an undated Sheaffer catalog that shows the gold-topped model, but the catalog can be dated from the other pens that it contains and it appears to from 1994. Perhaps Gary Ellison can contribute some more information to this thread.

The one on the right is the 1980s pen. The model with a bit more gold in it was introduced in 1990. So your dad's pen dates from 1980-89.