Need Help Identifying Schaeffer Pen

[spongbob741]

found a bunch of these old pens and need help identifying them.

[JonSzanto]

1. It will help if you spell it "Sheaffer".

2. Did they come in boxes or with any papers?

3. What does that label say on the body of the pen?

4. These aren't that old. At least considering how long Sheaffer has been making pens.

 

Answers to the above, and a couple more photos (for instance, with the front part screwed off the barrel of the pen so we can see the threads and how the ink supply is connected) would help.

 

BTW: To begin with, this is a desk pen. It has no cap because it normally is placed in a holder that sits on your desk. So, having said all the above, the educated guess is that this is a fountain pen from a Sheaffer Imperial desk set ("Imperial" being the model of the pen), made c. 1970's, and would looks something like...

http://www.speerbob.com/ebay/impcartridgeds1.jpg

Edited June 11, 2014 by JonSzanto

[spongbob741]

Here one is in the plastic.

The sticker says SCHEAFER T.D. MED

Here is a gold one and the sticker reads SCHEAFER CART. MED.

Here are all of them in box

[JonSzanto]

Well, that adds more information! Just by showing those two, I'm fairly certain we are already looking at two different models: the difference is the filling system.

 

The first, labeled "TD", stands for the "Touchdown" filling system. Normally, you wouldn't unscrew the front on that pen, but the back end, and it would pull out part way, you'd stick the tip in the ink, and push down. (You can read all about that filling system right here). It is probable you would need to restore this before use, only because the sac can get stiff and brittle, and the seals (o-rings) might need to be checked.

 

The second is much more straight forward: a "cartridge" pen (cart). The front unscrews, and an ink cartridge (or convertor, optionally) is stuck onto a protruding little tube (so much of this is harder to describe than what it really is!).

 

I honestly don't know how many different desk pens there were over the years, I only have one myself. But the desk pens do date back to (I think) the 20's or 30's. At some point, you might consider opening all the packaging up, taking some good photos, and then posting in the Sheaffer forum for IDs (optionally you can search a number of the better pen sites, such as the Richard Binder site linked above). There are some very smart Sheaffer people here, including Roger W., who has a very large Sheaffer desk collection.

 

Lastly: very nice find. While desk pens are still somewhat of a niche, it looks like you have a very nice cache of them!