I have a SHEAFFER MILLENNIUM BALANCE ED FTN PEN complete with the clock, bottle of ink and the special box. The cap of my pen has 2 bands. Earlier there had been discussion of the list that the cap should have one wider band with the word "millennium" engraved on it.

I have noticed an auction on EBAY with the pen identical to mine (http://cgi.ebay.com/SHEAFFER-MILLENNIUM-BALANCE-ED-FTN-PEN-NEW_W0QQitemZ150297187667QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item150297187667&_trkparms=39%3A1%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A13%7C240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ebayphotohosting).

Are the 2 of us wrong?

Bobby

The Millenium Edition Balance II had 1 wide cap band with engraving and has a much darker blue/violet/black acryllic barrel. IMHO: Sheaffer packaged Blue Cobalt Balance II pens to sell off the rest of their clock inventory.

Thanks,

Bobby

Hi,

A mind reader, pretty much what I was going to say. Strangely enough I have 2 Millenium Balances and neither came with the clock, given the number of Cobalt Blue Balances I see with them I wonder if many Milleniums 'escaped' hence the surplus of clocks.

By the way the Cobalt Blue is actually a very nice colour as well.

Andy

The Millennium is the fourth from the left.
The Cobalt Glow is the seventh from the left.



The two together. The Millennium on the bottom.



I don't know WHY Sheaffer sold the rest of the Boxes with the Cobalt pens.
How many people got ripped off thinking they were getting a Millennium?
IMHO, at $137 the buyer paid too much.

I also cannot speak to why Sheaffer decided to package Cobalt Glows as Milleniums, but they did. Another question arises from you photo. I take it that the 5th pen from the left is an Aspen. My Aspen is idenitcal in color, but has two cap bands. Mine is not an Amber Glow but an Aspen, with box and papers. So I wonder why the variant there, too?

I love this photo reminds me I still have several I still have lots of Balance IIs to go before I get the full set.

Andy

The main point being Sheaffer only "packaged" Cobalt Glows in the Millennium box.
They were still Cobalt Glow pens, they were not Millennium pens.
The Millennium pens actually have "Millennium" engraved in that single cap band, as can be seen in the bottom photo.

The fifth pen is an Aspen.
I have never seen an Aspen colored pen with two cap bands.

Actually, the Sheaffer Aspen Special Edition has two cap bands. That model came in a special box. There is a Levenger version of the pen with one cap band.

Cheers,

Jim Mamoulides
www.PenHero.com

Was the Levenger version rhodium trimmed?

Didn't the Aspen have some material issues as well, wonder if the replacement caps were different from the originals.

Kurt

I don't know if my Aspen Special Edition is a Levenger version or not, but it has the single band and is not rhodium trimmed.

Regardless of all else, these are gorgeous pens. I particularly like the 14k gold nib used on the solid color pens -- actually a bit more than the 18k nibs used on the "glow" series. All are great pens, however.

Did any of the boxed sets come with a Millennium pen?

Thanks,

Bobby

Bobby,

Yes; I have a box with a clock and bottle of ink with my Millennium.
I have them in a box somewhere.
I'd have to dig them up for a photograph.

Glenn

My Millennium also came in the boxed set. The color in the pen's material is a deep, rich blue that is nearly purple. It is a lovely pen.

Originally, all Millenium pens were in a boxed set. As Sheaffer ran out of Millenium pens, they put Cobalt Blue pens in the sets.

Bought one when they first came out, rolled off a desk a year or so later and the barrel cracked in half. Sent to Sheaffer and was REALLY disappointed to get Cobalt Blue as a replacement (no more Millennium parts in stock). To me, there was something irreplacable about that dark blue.

Even wrote Sheaffer earlier this year after the closing of the factory/shipment of parts East to see if any parts showed up, but alas none did.

If anyone reading this just can't stand that dark blue and would like to trade for the Cobalt, maybe I can help!