Is This A Balance?

[siamackz]

[Freddy]

A military version of the Balance c.1941-1942. Defender

 

Profile at Ravens March Fountain Pens.

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=7325

 

Fred

 

We the People....

Edited February 10, 2018 by Freddy

[Chrissy]

A military version of the Balance c.1941-1942. Defender

 

Profile at Ravens March Fountain Pens.

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=7325

 

Fred

 

We the People....

 

Your link says it's a Defender, a military clip equivalent of the Admiral

[crescentfiller]

 

Your link says it's a Defender, a military clip equivalent of the Admiral

 

 

It does indeed.

Note the link in the upper left-hand corner. It sends you back to the Balance page.

 

As the Balance line persisted, the external shape amended slightly. The tail became less tapered and more rounded, more of a mirror of the cap. In 1938, Sheaffer began to apply model names to the various styles of Balance; before this, they had used the same sort of number-code as their fore-bearers, which was not particularly obscure (when compared to some) but also somewhat unsatisfying for the owner to relate.

The last innovation of the Balance line before it can be said to have ended was the military clip. This amendment appeared in 1940, to expand Sheaffer’s market to members of the armed forces. The regulations of the US military required any pen worn be of a shape that allowed the flap of a pocket to lie undisturbed. Parker had this concept well in hand (and had since well before the clouds of war loomed), as did Waterman, simply beause of the way they chose to apply their clips. Sheaffer’s pens, on the other hand, might well have attracted Freud’s interest through their flauntingly out-of-pocket nature. Some bright chap in Sheaffer’s design wing came up with a solution that was cheap and elegant all at once– mount a fairly mundane clip the wrong way up, then bend is back over the top of the cap. Not only did it meet the regulation, in arguably a more complete way than Parker’s top jewels allowed, but it was striking and allowed a separate line aimed directly at the military just in time for the military to become a very numerous sub-population.

Balance models I’ve examined (in order of increasing cost):

• Junior
• Craftsman
• Miss Universe
• Admiral
• Defender
• Milady
• Lady Sheaffer
• 74T
• Sovereign
• Vigilant
• Statesman
• Premier

[Chrissy]

Thanks. So is it a Balance Admiral ???

[siamackz]

Thanks so much for the link and help guys.

 

From what is can see its a vigilant because:

1. It matches the slender dimension and the length

2. It has the white dot at that position with the military clip

3. It has the platinum mask lifetime nib

[Lazard 20]

A military version of the Balance c.1941-1942. Defender

 

Profile at Ravens March Fountain Pens.

 

http://dirck.delint.ca/beta/?page_id=7325

 

Fred

 

We the People....

 

 

 

No, Defender was $5.00 and without White Dot.

[Lazard 20]

Let´s see S´S with military clip:

 

SKYBOY $10.00, "Skyboy" on clip. White Dot. about 13,1 mm(1). cap band diameter.

VALIANT $10.00, Smooth clip. White Dot. about 13,1 mm. cap band diameter.

VIGILANT $8.75. Smooth clip. White Dot. about 12,0 mm. cap band diameter.

DEFENDER $5.00. Smooth clip. non WD. about 13, 1 mm. cap band diameter.

COMMANDANT $4.00. "Sheaffer´S" on clip. non WD. about 12.00 mm. cap band diameter,

 

So this particular fountain pen only coul be Valiant (if have about 13 mm in cap band), or Vigilant (if have about 12 mm.).

 

 

(*) Platinum mask lifetime nib by itself it is not decisive since all of WD (Skyboy, Valiant and Vigilant) have it.

(**) Like Conklin years ago, Sheaffer'S had production normalized so, using the same barrel, they only had to vary to caps with elongated clip to make other models

(1) comparing different diameters of Sheaffer´S ´30 and ´40.

 

Edited February 11, 2018 by RamonCampos