I have seen both the variations in many pens.

Is there some story behind it?

I don't know the historical time line but all the early Sheaffer pens were marked Sheaffer'S probably to denote that they came from Sheaffer's company. Later pens are just marked Sheaffer. Again I don't know the time line but I would not be surprised to hear that the 's was dropped when the company passed out of family ownership.

Around 1965, they transitioned from the "SHEAFFER'S" label to the "SHEAFFER" label.

Hi,

I always seem to get the exact year wrong; that said, I believe the possessive was dropped in 1966, when Sheaffer was sold to Textron. At that point it ceased to be a family-owned company, and the name was changed to reflect that fact. (It was, literally, no longer Sheaffer's company.) Pen imprints and engravings followed suit.

I wonder, idly, whether the old owner or the new owner insisted on the name change. I was involved with Philadelphia's venerable Strawbridge & Clothier department store chain at the time of the sale from the family owners to the May Company. The new owner would have gladly retained the old name (and its established equity), but the Clothier family (as I understand) insisted that its name be dropped. The stores were thenceforth known simply as "Strawbridge's."

Cheers,

Jon

The name change occurred in early 1964 based on period literature.

--Daniel

I, too, have often wondered about this. I think the switch did occur before the sale to Textron. I always wondered if it had something to do with sales in foreign countries . . .maybe the possessive thing didn't translate well.

To me, "Sheaffer'S" is a great trademark visually and iconic in the pen world. I always thought Sheaffer lost a little cachet when they dropped the second S. And, they've flirted with it on and off for 40 years. Even today, the Preludes carry it, I believe, on the nib.

Dave

Hi,

Thanks, all, for the corrections. If it's a pure urban legend that the name change was prompted by the change in ownership, I will say that it's a tenacious one.

For my part, I would love to see Sheaffer add back the terminal "s" and revive (or reinvent) the two-large-"s" logo. It would be a welcome gesture of continuity and commitment at a time of change and uncertainty.

I'm not saying that symbols are more important than (or as important as) actions. If Sheaffer fails to make interesting and great pens, no logo change can make up for that fact. That said, this would be a very good time for the brand to embrace its history in a concrete and public way.

Cheers,

Jon