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A Sheaffer I received as a Christening present and have only recently begun using, I'd guess it is of mid-eighties vintage but I've really no idea apart from that. Can anyone shed any light on what I've got here?

Thanks

It looks like a TRZ Model 70

Yup, it's a TRZ. Had one just like it.

Anybody know what the significance of "TRZ" is? What it stands for? With the TRZ, Targa and some other models, Sheaffer was looking quite modern in the '80s. Then in the '90s they went retro.

Dave

Hi,

When the TRZ was introduced, I had the distinct impression - and I can't now recall whether that impression was encouraged by Sheaffer advertising, point-of-sale, etc. - that the "TR" portion of the designation was somehow intended to relate to the first two consonants of the contemporary "Targa." If you allow that the letter "Z" was intended to suggest sportiness, energy, etc. (a naming convention that endures today), that would make the TRZ a sort of "younger," sportier cousin of the Targa - a pen with which it shared some styling attributes.

By way of comparison, consider the current naming practice used for the latest generation of Lincoln automobiles: MKX, MKZ and MKS. The "MK" is an allusion to the "Mark" series of Lincolns - beginning with the Continental Mark II in 1956 - and each of the appended consonants carries that same "sporty/high-performance" association.

Anyway: just a thought, based on a decades-old notion that may or may not have been founded in objective reality.

Cheers,

Jon

I have three TRZs includng the gold one above. The other two; one is silver and the other is matte grey. I love love love them. I think the nib is the same as in the Fashion model, but the TRZ is so sleek and small I can carry it in my jeans pocket.

When used with Higgins Calligraphy ink, my TRZs also won't bleed through Moleskine/Markings paper which is a big plus. And I can clip 'em to the spine of the notebooks too.

Delicate little faery pens.

TRZ. They can use the same nib assembly as the Fashon pen, and used the slim Targa converter. The Montiverdi mini converter can be used if you can't find one of the original Sheaffers. Sheaffer was supplying the minis as replacements when the service center closed back in March.

Thanks all for your informative replies! I'm new to this place and very impressed by the friendly atmosphere and level of expertise.

I once tried to get a broader nib for this pen, unsuccessfully. Can anyone shed any light on that?