Hi,

I would like to know if these 3 Sheaffer pencils have a style name, approx date, and if they had matching fountain pens. Are they bakelite? I was presuming that the green pencil was probably a cheaper stand alone item, but is it earlier or later?

Any info would be appreciated. Thank you.

The black one is quite a bit thinner than the green. Besides “SHEAFFER’S” on the clip it as the following imprinted horizontally just below the middle point: W.A. SHEAFFER PEN CO., / FORT MADISON, IOWA U.S.A. / MADE IN U.S.A.

The second black one is missing the clip but it is really heavy. It has a “gold” or brass lining inside. The marking on this one states: W.A. SHEAFFER PEN CO., / FORT MADISON, IOWA U.S.A. / MADE IN U.S.A.


The green and “mother of pearl” like décor has “SHEAFFER’S” on the clip but the printing on the body just says: SHEAFFER’S MADE IN U.S.A. (What is that ‘mother-of-pearl’ style coating?)

Also, I have another pencil that has the same style as the pencils that matched my Touchdown and Snorkel sets, but it is totally unmarked and the metal trim looks more silver than gold. Did some other company “steal” the Sheaffer style during that time period?


Pen 1



Pen 2 with brass or gold interior - very heavy


I have seen these but I was not certain about proper name and dating



Thanks for any info. I am assuming that these are just cheaper maybe singular items made by Sheaffer in the 1940’s. I just wanted to be enlightened.

Hi,

I'm happy to take a pass at an ID, but I'm hoping someone with more authoritative information will weigh in.

The top pencil is often referred to as a "TX" model. It's a cousin of the pearlized-center pencil; the main differences are the solid color (all TXs were solid, so far as I know) and the slimmer profile. My understanding is that this model was introduced during the 1940s, and I have always thought it as a strictly 1940s-50s product; but I have recently seen a NOS TX in 1970s Sheaffer packaging. So this pencil had a long lifespan (I'm not at all sure that it bore the "TX" designation throughout that life.)

I'm not sure about the middle pencil; I think this may be a so-called "Utility Pencil," which predated the TX. I've got a stickered NOS Utility Pencil in the Carmine Striated finish used in 1930s/40 pens - an unusual specimen, I understand - but I can't get at it, at the moment, to check your pencil against it.

The bottom pencil is generally referred to as a "Fineliner." If I remember correctly, this model ran concurrently with the TX, debuting in the 1940s. As with the TX, I have recently come across NOS in-package 1970s examples, so this pencil, too, was around for a good long while. I believe that the pearlized center section is nothing more exotic than plastic, and this center section was often used as the "canvas" for promotional advertising; one frequently encounters promotional Fineliners on eBay. (Sheaffer itself used the center section in that way - there are lots of Fineliners printed with images of the Sheaffer factory, the rallying cries for Sheaffer sales contests, etc.) I don't believe the "Fineliner" name stuck with it for its entire lifetime; I seem to recall that one later designation was "WE."

I think you're right: all of these pencils were, I believe, standalone products rather than companion instruments sold in sets. These were ordinary "working" pencils for day-in, day-out use. It can be a little difficult to date them with any precision, simply because they were made for such a long time. "Sheaffer's" on the clip, as opposed to "Sheaffer," would indicate pre-1964 manufacture, and, of course, a dated promotional imprint can be a big help.

Befitting their status as workhorse pencils, most of these found in the wild seem to be working still. I used to use a vintage Fineliner as an everyday office writer (my fiancee still does).

I believe that all of these pencils were made in both .9mm and 1.1mm lead sizes - although both formats may not carried through all the years of production.

Anyway - I hope there's something useful in all of that! Some of this information consists of informed guesswork, so I would welcome corrections.

Cheers,

Jon

I could not have wished for a finer answer. Thank you so much for taking the time. I do appreciate it.

(I feel rather bad just posting a four sentence reply to such a wonderful answer, but your answer was so complete that I do not have any follow-up questions.) Thanks, again.

Hi,

Thanks so much for the kind words. Pencils like these seem to travel "under the radar" for the most part, so information can be hard to come by.

Apologies, by the way, for the typos in the earlier post. My keyboard skills ain't what they used to be. (But what is?)

Cheers,

Jon