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What the heck is this thing? My word. I have tried to figure out precisely what this pen is and you can go by the nib shape, cap and placement of the imprint and the type of filling system and usually get to a precise model. But I can not for the life of me find another pen with this exact same set of characteristics. It is an Imperial with a regular long V inlaid nib (not the short V or dolphin) but the nib (not the clip) actually says Sheaffer’s LIFETIME on it. It is a 14k nib and one of the ones with the USA on the lower part of V at the bottom of the section. It has the three prong cap grabby thing. Confusingly the imprint is not right at the top of the barrel but down about a half a centimeter from where the section and barrel meet. It is a touchdown filler. The cap has a white dot but no “LIFETIME” on the clip and is gold plated. & here is the most baffling of all. The clip has grouped lines but not the usual thin five line groups. This has fatter three line groups. I never never seen an Imperial that combines all these characteristics. I have googled endlessly. I am not sure why I care but I oddly want to know what the heck this pen is. SHEAFFER IMPERIAL LIFETIME TOUCHDOWN HAMBERGER BALANCE SENTINAL DELUXE JR XXXVII (The most confusing product line naming scheme in the history of capitalism, they might as well have individually named each pen as it came of the line) The good news is that it is a super pen. Writes as well as my Targa but without the gaudy over the top 70s porno-tastic finishes, is maybe a tad thicker in the section (Targas are thicker than you think) and is kind of a PFM jr. Less girth, clean design, and no mosquito but also not a C/C pen. In a weird way a kind of a nice convergence of the pfm-imperial-targa axis. But what this is, I have no idea. As I said, I have never seen one that combines these specific characteristics.

Hi Guys I have purchased the pen below, while i wait for the pen to arrive i have been doing some googling and belive the pen to be a 1976 Sheaffer Imperial. However the confusing part for me is that all of my googling has only found 14k pens where this one is 18k even on ebay i can only find 14k models. Just wondering if i have correctly idenfied the pen? I am intrested to know anything you can tell me about my newest pen. Thanks

My first post here. I have a parker jotter, presumably Imperial. It has 1. Millerias-like lined pattern 2. Brass threads 3. Wider barrel that takes the original T-ball jotter 4. Cap Band has "Parker" and Made in USA" 5. Parker logo above the cap band in the lined aread of the cap It is gold plated (I'm assuming it's plated, not filled, because there's no GF inscription) but it looks more like rose gold, not yellow - even the threads on the barrel look more like bronze than brass. I'll appreciate any help in identifying this pen.

Hello FPN, I'm currently on a crusade to find a Parker Imperial Vacumatic. Actually, I'm open to any vacumatic with a gold cap in general. According to my research, it was made for a very brief period of time and is rather unusual. I've seen it go on sale, starting at about $400. If anyone could direct me to one at a fair price, it would be greatly appreciated. I would usually post this as a WTB in the classifieds (which I have done), but I'd like to get the opinions of the experts and owners of this pen. Thank you in advance!

Looking for Esterbrook pens made in Mexico (see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/269966-trying-to-enliven-an-esterbrook-pen/) in La Lagunilla market in Mexico City last Sunday, I found this pen in one of the stalls full of small antique objects and/or second-hand stuff of every kind imaginable. The nib was a sort of extra-fine, and this convinced me to give it a serious thought. Because in fact I have never liked a lot this kind of engraved silver pens, and it had this touchdown system that I have never used. But I knew it was an Imperial, and therefore there was a chance it could write like the Sheaffer nib I lost last January (see https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/index.php/topic/267147-why-i-am-here-or-just-another-tragic-story/). Well, I charged it with water, and everything seemed in order, so I payed the 800 mexican pesos (+/- 62 US) that the seller accepted to receive after he initially voiced 1,000 (+/- 76). Now, the pen needs some polish, and the mouth if the cap is not perfectly round, so it does not close in every angle with the same ease. A close look at the nib reveals that it has a lot of use, and also that it was submitted to some manipulation (like an attempt to polish it with a hard abrasive). The main issue is that the nib is too wet, so wet that it is hard to appreciate the thinness of the line it produces, and it also skips a little. The touchdown system charges well, but I don't know if it is normal that it takes only about .5ml of ink. I don't notice any variation when I do two or more "pumps". I am very happy with this purchase, even though the pen might need a little help from my friends...

Hey all, Lord Z here! I just went pen shopping...ish. I went to an antique mall, looking for pens from people who know nothing about pens, and so miss-price them. Anyway, I found a nice vintage pen for $50, and it was gold-nibbed, so I thought I would look it up. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. I cannot find the pen anywhere online. So here I am. What I need: Model. Price. Barrel material. Anything else you can scrounge up on it. Characteristics: MISC: I found the company: Imperial Pen and Pencil Co. Went bankrupt in 1951. Other than that, I can't find much. Nib: 14k, fine or medium, springy, maybe minor flex. Nib Markings: Imperial, 14k, USA Body: Black, tapered ends, gold clip, silver band on barrel marked "Imperial" with a crown. Action: lever fill. Large-ish ink sac. Measurements: I have not measured the pen yet, but if you need me to, I can. It is very big, perhaps the size of a Conway Stewart Wellington and similar in shape. Photos: Thanks a ton, Lord Z

Hi fellow FPNers, Anyone able to identify this? Of note (to my mind at least) is the shape of the clip - particularly the open end, which does not appear to have the rolled under portion. Here's the pic.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sheaffer-Imperial-Sterling-Silver-Fountain-Pen-Mint-CL034-/201058900190?&_trksid=p2056016.l4276 I looked around a bit at other sterling Imperials. Seemed like a decent price with the broad nib and all. Did I make a mistake?

Love this Australian made Sheaffer. Converter currently filled with Diamine Rustic Red

I absolutely love my Sheaffer No-nonsense (priced around 900 INR or 14.5US$). In fact I liked the fine nib and plain simplicity of it so much that I went forward and picked up a sheaffer Imperial 440 at a price of 26 US$ (1600 INR), Usually priced at 2400 INR (39 US$) in India, this was definitely a bargain. Now the problems: 1. I dip-tested it with Waterman havana brown and pelikan 4001 royal blue. (of course, flushed the nib with water before switching inks). and the nib feels like a safety pin. 2. Flushed it thoroughly with lukewarm water loads of times and even had soaked it previously for 3-4 hours. No improvements. 3. I searched for tutorials, and saw one where one can unscrew the feed section. Mine was too tight, so I tried with hot water at 60-70 Celsius (140-158 F). It just wont unscrew. (Don't own a hair-drier and that is NOT an option) Now the thing is, sending it back is NOT an option as I'll get back my money, but they won't replace the pen. Also, I'm staying at Pune, India and I don't believe we have ANY sheaffer outlet/repair shop in our country(forget about region). So I am relying on you guys to help me out. And my question is a simple one for all sheaffer gurus out here. "Please help me improve this Sheaffer" At this moment, my 20 INR (0.32 us$) Kale pen writes better. Also, it's the vaccumetric converter filled, blue one, that you can see on any website.

Howdy, I'm currently waiting for bidding to close on this pen: http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTA2NFgxNjAw/z/pVEAAOxydlFSvZoI/$_57.JPG REALLY bad image, but it the best overall shot on the auction. So the guy has it listed as an Imperial 330 - Afaik, the shape could possibly be, but I wasn't aware they came in Touchdown and I can't find anything to suggest they did with a google search. The 14k nib also gave me pause, but that could just potentially be because he did a nib swap. Is this just an Imperial IV that's been incorrectly identified? Also, the colour is just really washed out in that pic, it is actually golden coloured. Also, this will be my last "help me figure out this pen" because, god help me, I'll have a sheaffer imperial by the end of this week if it kills me

First off, this is my first actual post. So howdy! Secondly, I've been doing a bit of research on a pen I found while looking for my first Parker 51 (I figured I might start with what a lot of people would consider 'the best'). One of the sellers had another pen that's currently sitting at 1 bid and $13. Ends tomorrow (In about 15 hours). The only detail given is it's a "Sheaffer Imperial Grey" and has a 14k nib. From a quick google search, I -think- it looks like a 1964 model because of an ad I stumbled on, but it's hard to tell. http://i.ebayimg.com/t/Vintage-SHEAFFER-GREY-IMPERIAL-U-S-A-FOUNTAIN-PEN-14K-Nib-NICE-/00/s/MTQwOFgxNjAw/z/dXsAAOxy4dNSr69j/$_12.JPG?rt=nc So that's the pen. Does anyone know exactly what type it is? When it was made? And also if there are any reviews. If it's a good solid pen, then I might have to just skimp on Christmas grog and pick this up because from what I can see of it, it looks really damned pretty. If it writes as nicely as it looks, then it's getting bought. Also, sorry if this would go better in the Sheaffer sub-forum, but I figured that if I posted here, I might get more balanced opinions etc. Cheers for all your help (in advance!). - Josh

So, I found this pen among a drawerful of my Dad's things. I partially disassembled it and realized I didn't know what I was looking at. Now that I've done some research, it looks to be a PFM Mark III. However, when I opened it up, I found 2 issues that seem a bit problematic: 1) The sac protector was a bit ink-stained; plus, it came off without much coaxing after I opened the pen up 2) The threaded section on which the sac protector sits is uneven (appears to be broken or perhaps corroded). The pen has probably been sitting in the drawer, with at least some ink in it, for 15+ years. When I rinsed all the parts, it took some time for the ink to flush out. I let the parts air dry and reassembled the pen. Once I figured out what it was, I was able to draw in fresh ink by extending the piston and then submerging the tip in ink and depressing and screwing in the blind cap. I find the pen flows quite a bit of ink, but seems to be writing OK. My question is, does this mean the mechanism is in tact? I did not see any sign of a sac, but I thought it might actually be integrated into the metal part I referred to as the sac protector. I did not see (or really look for) any part of the snorkel mechanism either, but I figure that could all be hidden within the pen. I read on Richard Binder's site that you can test the snorkel by filling the pen with water and seeing if it squirts - I'd give that a try, but the pen is inked now, and I hate to dump the ink just to find out that everything's OK. Can someone with more experience with these pens give me some direction as to next steps? Should I just write with it until the current ink load runs out, or am I asking for a mess? Thanks, Eric

Ok, I need the wisdom of the Sheaffer experts. I came across this while perusing an antique store recently. I did not get it, just took exceedingly crappy cell phone pics: As you can see (I hope anyway, the pictures should be good enough to see this at least), the section is cracked to the point of missing a piece, right where the threads are. Normally I would say that means this pen is toast (at least the nib). But what I don't think can be seen as definitively or easily is that the nib is a stub. I know it is really difficult to remove an inlaid nib, but what are everyone's thought on trying a nib transplant to another pen? since this pen would cost me around $7 or so, I was thinking of trying to find another parts pen to take the nib section from and getting the two switched. Is it worth it?