It seems like the prices I'm seeing on ebay and elsewhere for vintage and even not-so-vintage Sheaffer pens have been increasing lately, particularly since the closure of Ft. Madison. Do you think this is the case? Perhaps the end of the factory has renewed some interest in the USA-made products? Are people looking for U.S.-made nibs? Or are Sheaffer fans just sick of the present product?

I see a starting bid on ebay for a stainless steel Targa over $75, and that seems expensive. I've noticed other, higher prices lately too.

Dave

Hi Dave,

I have definitely seen an escalation in Sheaffer prices. My problem with trends like this is that I have trouble identifying the cause for the effect.

Certainly the closure of the Fort Madison facility could be a factor. I have noticed two recent listings - by non-pen-expert sellers - in which it was suggested that the stature of the Sheaffers on offer had been enhanced by that event. (Interestingly, these sellers simply assumed that the end of Iowa production signaled the end of the company.)

Then again, a trend may be confined to (or most clearly evident with respect to) a specific model or group of models. For example: I've recently seen very nice Imperial VI and VIII pens listed at prices that, a few years ago, might have gotten you a nice PFM. And I honestly don't know whether that change is attributable to a brandwide price adjustment...or a reappraisal, by the collector community, of the inherent value of the Imperial.

Also, I think we may also be witnessing a phenomenon that has been predicted by collectors for some time: as first-rank collectible pens price themselves out of most buyers' reach (just look at a ten-year-old pen price guide, and check out the prevailing values for pens like Waterman Patricians or pristine Ebonized Pearl Balances, and you'll see what I mean), the once-neglected second-rank pens move up in price. Frank Dubiel recommended that pen restorers consider destroying Esterbrooks in order to scavenge parts for "better" pens. Nowadays those Esties are - deservedly - collectible in their own right, and we would cringe at the thought of cannibalizing a nice specimen. And it's not just the Esties. Waterman CFs, lesser-quality Eversharps...all the prices seem to be rising. So there may be a hobbywide tide lifting up the prices of all the once-"cheap" pens.

And for what it's worth - in my view, at least - Targa prices are shockingly unpredictable. I've seen (and bought) perfectly nice 14K-nibbed Targas for $10; I've seen scarce Targa variants sell in the $50 range; and conversely, I've seen common models get bid up way past $100.

Finally, I would not discount the possibility you identify - dissatisfaction with the current Sheaffer range - as a factor. It probably wouldn't affect the prices of older vintage pens a great deal; but a $30 stickered steel-nibbed Imperial might start to look very attractive in comparison to, say, a Javelin.

Cheers,

Jon

Hi Dave and Jon:
I have noticed an increase in the prices in my specialty: Sheaffer plunger-fillers of the 30s and 40s. I used to think that the increase was caused by number of repairers who can now turn out restored plunger-fillers that are as reliable as any other models. Now that you mention Sheaffer price increases across the range of its vintage lines, I no longer have a clue.
Gerry

Hi,

Gerry, thanks for the post. I think your point about changed perceptions regarding the repairability/usability of the vac-fill pens is well taken. Until restoration techniques evolved, my sense is that these pens were often regarded as borderline unrepairable (the way we now view some of the Morrison fillers, I reckon). So they did trade at what were probably artificially low prices. If that's true, then it may be that the price escalation, in this instance, is more in the nature of a price correction.

It's interesting to note that Richard Binder, in his profile of the wartime Sheaffer Triumphs, alludes to the prevailing low prices for these models (and I hope, Richard, that you don't object to an out-of-context quotation):

These pens are available for very low prices, and once properly restored using modern materials, their fillers should outlast any other U.S.-made filling system manufactured during the early 1940s. They are eminently usable.

It may be that the enhanced awareness of the modern repair methods referenced in the latter part of that quotation has overtaken the low prices referenced in the first part.

Cheers,

Jon

I agree that a lot of factors are driving up prices on Sheaffers.

First and foremost, real Sheaffer pens (as opposed to Bich/Bic made Sheaffers) are high quality products.

Second, there has been an ample supply of new, old stock Sheaffers available so it was possible to buy a very high quality pen for a very reasonable price. Now that the inventory of new, old stock Sheaffers is nearly exhausted, prices are rising. Demand remains high while supply doesn't.

Third, final closing of the Fort Madison facility means that no more of Sheaffer's traditional high quality pens will be made. Bich/Bic will outsource production to whatever plant has some capacity, whether the plant produces quality instruments or not. It is unlikely that we will ever see Sheaffer's inimitable inlaid nib again. Bich/Bic has neither the equipment nor the experienced craftsmen to do that difficult work.

Fourth, the decline in value of the U. S. dollar in relation to foreign currencies is making non-US products more costly. It is interesting that Bich/Bic chose to close Fort Madison at the very same moment that their European products are becoming more and more expensive. Oh, well. Bich/Bic can't do anything else right; why should this decision be any different.

Regardless of price, Targa and Legacy pens are very well made and write beautifully, regardless of price. Ultimately, that will determine value more than any other factor.

It may also be that there simply aren't that many classic Sheaffers out there to buy? When you consider how many were made, and how few are on the market at any given point, there really don't seem to be that many old pens in general for sale.

Not many people seem interested in the Sheaffer Fashion pens of the 70s. I have five, four of which I got off of eBay's Marketplace. For all of the lack of collector interest, they seem hard find now. I'm glad I bought them when I did.

It seems to me that a lot of people have entered the vintage pen world with Sheaffers because they have tended to be cheaper than Parkers and offer the same (or better) quality at a lower price. It's not something we haven't seen before. Look a vintage Parkers themselves. Ten or fifteen years ago, an vac "51" wasn't worth a whole lot. When the reputation of the "51" as a high quality collectible pen spread, the price rocketed to its current high. As new collectors may not want to pay $100 for a clean "51", they start with what's cheap - lately, Sheaffers. That trend would get a lot of new collectors, myself included, hooked on the wonderful variety of vintage Sheaffers, thus raising demand. Even a year ago, Snorkels were cheaper than they are today. I think that with the expansion of the hobby we are just seeing the entrance of vintage Sheaffers into the ranks of quality collector pens and that the rarer variants might become just as stratospherically priced as, say, the rare Vacumatics.

Too bad - I really loved getting Snorkels for next to nothing and then restoring them.

Best,
Summer