I just lucked onto a Snorkel Signature (14K cap bands) for a song. I'm restoring the insides, but the nib isn't the masked 14K Triumph nib as I would have expected.

Question - were all the palladium silver nibs hallmarked PdAg? Or not? and did Sheaffer make stainless nibs on these?

Thanks,
Nick

I've never seen these referred to as stainless in the catalogues (both '53 and '55 show no PdAg on the nib though are described as such), that means that many of the PdAg nibs are not marked. My thought is that these special nibs started out being thought of as stainless by the public prompting Sheaffer to start scripting "Palladium Silver" on the nib to clarify the matter, but I have late colour models not so marked as well.

Roger W.

BTW - a signature should definently have a 14K triumph nib (as you suspected)rather than the Statesman style. Therefore, technically a mismatch, but it's all so interchangable.

Roger W.

Dear Nick,

Sounds like you've got a Statesman (palladium silver Triumph nib) or a Special (palladium silver open nib) with a same color Signature cap on it. That would be an easy swap as any Snorkel cap will fit on any barrel. Is yours the narrow 14K cap band and is the cap not black? That would be a more interesting and less common Signature, and if so, I would try to snag a nice Valiant in the same color and swap the caps to make a correct pen.

Yeah, it's the narrower cap band (exactly like the one in your PenHero article), and black. I don't mind the Statesman nib at all, but I may try to find a Valiant to satisfy my anal retentiveness. ;-)

Thanks!
Nick

It looks like the Statesman and Signature use the same or similar cap band. Both, according to PenHero's Snorkel Identification Chart, use a 3/8 inch gold cap band. The difference is one is gold filled and the other is 14k gold. The Signature should have a hallmark on the band below the clip.

I would guess either could be engraved with a signature.

Jim