Sheaffer ink bottles through time

[mrcharlie]

No, you probably can't draw that conclusion, given that this very thread mentions at least two colors (burgundy and king's gold) that were available in bottles, but apparently lacked a number code.

 

What he said; the number codes stopped being used at the same time the color lineup was changed for the first time during Textron ownership, ie when they stopped using the words Washable (which became Deluxe for a short time) or Permanent for every color, eliminated some colors, and started using the word "ink" in large but lower-case bold letters on the box and label. I don't know the exact year, but they have retailed ink for about 30 years since the end of the old number codes.

[Skyppere]

 

What he said; the number codes stopped being used at the same time the color lineup was changed for the first time during Textron ownership, ie when they stopped using the words Washable (which became Deluxe for a short time) or Permanent for every color, eliminated some colors, and started using the word "ink" in large but lower-case bold letters on the box and label. I don't know the exact year, but they have retailed ink for about 30 years since the end of the old number codes.

so the message is actually, "keep looking, you never know."

[mrcharlie]

I think Amberlea is suggesting you pm/email Sam at Pendemonium and ask someone about bottles of Sheaffer Pink who likely knows; most of us don't have the reference catalogs or experience to be sure.

[amberleadavis]

Considering that this is a fairly young company (ancient by Nevada standards), I'm saddened by the loss of institutional memory. Sheaffer really ought to know what inks they produced and when they were distributed.

 

GM even knows to preserve it's history. Though Kodak did some great stuff.

[bernardo]

Here is a 1937 bottle

 

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y119/pennemo/INK/Vintage_Skrip_zps008c3600.jpg

 

Beautiful!

[amberleadavis]

I think Amberlea is suggesting you pm/email Sam at Pendemonium and ask someone about bottles of Sheaffer Pink who likely knows; most of us don't have the reference catalogs or experience to be sure.

 

 

Yes, that's what I meant to say.

[AAAndrew]

Don't forget the small bottles. I have one, 12ml, with the maroon and gold label, of burgundy. It came with a Legacy I bought myself in 2000 for passing the Foreign Service Officer's exam. I never used it back then, and only just opened it recently. It's a nice color. I'll check the archives to see if anyone's got a recent equivalent.

[Skyppere]

Institutional memory or should I say amnesia. it IS too bad. Sheaffer made upwards of 150 DIFFERENT styles of Targas but there's no comprehensive list. If you go to http://www.sheaffertarga.com/

it lists all known targas but barely a year goes by without someone offering one that has never been seen before... Too bad that they didn't keep detailed records... alas.

skyppere

[trauha]

Pengoddess/Pendemonium in the photo has a lovely painting of the Sheaffer Factory on the wall in the picture of the Skrip bottles.

SInce nobody commented on that art work, I thought I would point it out.

 

Ultimate collectors' item :-)

 

Tapani

[T4TEXAS]

I do not remember exactly when I bought a dozen of the 12 ml sample bottles, likely early 90s, from a pen shop that was clearing them out along with the 50 ml bottles, I assume due to the design change. I have them in jet black, blue-black, blue and red. Unless the red is the burgundy AAAndrew reported above.

[Skyppere]

These were the Skrip colors no later than the late 1940s:

 

Color codes:

0 Permanent Red

1 Washable Brown

2 Permanent Blue Black

3 Permanent Jet Black

4 Washable Blue

5 Permanent Royal Blue

6 Washable Black

7 Washable Emerald Green

8 Washable Purple

9 Washable Melon Red

10 Washable Persian Rose

11 Washable Peacock Blue

 

The "Washable Purple" picture above that says "9 Colors" on the label is probably from the early 1940's; it advertises the Triumph pen on the inner top flaps. The colors listed on the bottom of that box are colors 0 through 8 in the list above, except that it says "Green" instead of "Emerald Green".

 

I think that the current "Blue", starting in the 1980s, is neither Washable Blue nor Permanent Royal Blue, but I'm not 100% sure of that. It doesn't look like either one of those when used, but perhaps my vintage Washable Blue and Permanent Royal Blue inks don't behave the same as they did when new, due to some sort of degradation over time. However, I have more than one bottle source of each of the vintage Blues, and both of each look/act the same.

 

It may be possible that the 1980's blue through now is the same as the older Washable Blue, but more saturated. I have yet to find a definitive write up of what Sheaffer did with the colors in the 1980s, when they switched labels to the one above with the huge font size "ink" on the label. They ditched Washable Black and Melon Red, keeping Jet Black and Red. They seem to have ditched both blues for "Blue", but as I said I'm not 100% sure that "Blue" in unrelated to one of the old blues. They stopped using the words Permanent and Washable at this time. Previously, they had used "Deluxe" instead of "Washable" for a short time.

I have a mental image of a bottle of Skrip pink ink. Has anyone ever laid eyes on such a thing or am I just dreaming? Ooops! I just noticed that I have already raised this topic in this thread. NEVER MIND!

skyppere

Edited October 15, 2014 by Skyppere

[GlenV]

I was looking through this old thread, cool info on Sheaffer ink bottles

I was playing on photoshop to make labels for some old bottles Ive been ending up with

Fun

[Ramchandra]

Now after looking all this I am going to buy 3 bottel's of evey new ink I am able to buy;

 

One for use

Second for backup

(My current policy)

 

Now the third one will be strictly for Archival purpose only

[eharriett]

I was looking through this old thread, cool info on Sheaffer ink bottles

I was playing on photoshop to make labels for some old bottles Ive been ending up with

Fun

I was thinking of this very thing. Id love an archive of labels. I have a bunch of vintage inks where the label is coming off.

[TSherbs]

This is an old thread, but wow, was it ever helpful for me in identifying an older bottle I just found in my mother's house while clearing it out for sale. Thanks FPN.

[sandy wp]

On 3/5/2013 at 4:06 PM, Sailor Kenshin said:

 

I may actually have examples of all bottles....the oldest version found at a garage sale. Free. Still in dog-eared box.

Any chance you have the 12ml with the maroon label?  Does it have an integrated ink well? 

[Runnin_Ute]

The only Skrip ink I have ever had is a 2 oz well bottle - yellow and blue label of Emerald Green- black domed label

 

Sheaffer's

Skrip

WRITING FLUID

Emerald #72 Green

 

to the right of the above:

W.A. Sheaffer Pen Co.

Fort Madison, Iowa

 

to the left of the above"

2 oz

59 cc

Made in USA

[Sailor Kenshin]

22 hours ago, sandy wp said:

Any chance you have the 12ml with the maroon label?  Does it have an integrated ink well? 

 

 

I just had a look at my bottles, but none of them are that small, even those with maroon labels.  Sorry.

[inkstainedruth]

Interesting thread.  Not sure how I missed it in the past.  I think most of my bottles of vintage Skrip are the two oz jars with the inkwell shelf, except for the 3/4 full pint bottle of Skrip Peacock (since decanted into smaller bottles); the bottle -- and the 8 oz. bottle of vintage Quink Permanent Violet also decanted into smaller bottles -- were given away to someone in my local pen club, because I'm not a glass collector and the bottles didn't fit inside the boxes I store ink bottles in.

I'm wondering now, with the discussion of whether or not Sheaffer made a pink ink, whether Persian Rose was their definition of "pink" (having never actually seen any, but I have read that the old formula of PR Arabian Rose was similar in color to Persian Rose).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[jmccarty3]

Somewhere I saw a rumor that Sheaffer was bringing back the old inkwell bottle. Anyone have any information about this?