Mismatched Sheaffer Targa?

June 27, 2014

I have been checking eBay for a pencil in order to complete a Sheaffer Targa set. While searching for Targa's today, I found a listing with title 'Vintage "Sheaffer Targa" Mechanical Pencil-Blue/Green Marbled- Made in USA 1980s', http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Sheaffer-Targa-Mechanical-Pencil-Blue-Green-Marbled-Made-in-USA-1980s-/141319998470?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20e7540c06.

I started admiring Sheaffer Targa ballpoint pens, pencils, rollerball pens, and fountain pens (I like having sets) during the 1980's. Since I had examined Sheaffer Targa's during many visits to pen stores as well as viewed Sheaffer Targa's in catalogs produced by many pen stores (great pictures!), I became very familiar with Sheaffer Targa's during my years in college and graduate school when I could not afford to buy them.

Since pen catalogs include several series by pen makers, I became familiar with other Sheaffer series as well; Sheaffer Targa pens/pencils and Sheaffer Connaisseur pens are those I know by sight/characteristics and by name. During all the years of admiring Sheaffer pens/pencils, especially Targa's and Connaisseur's, I have never seen a mismatched (blue top and green striped bottom) Sheaffer pen or pencil like this one. In addition, based on the various Targa pencils that I own and those which I have examined in the past, I have never seen a Sheaffer Targa pencil with innards (plastic overlay for bottom section of pencil rather than full metal section topped with eraser) as displayed in the seventh picture in this listing; the inside of the top cap does not match top sections for Targa's that I own or those I have examined as well.

While I have no intention of purchasing this pencil, I am curious if it is, indeed, mismatched as well as to what series this pencil belongs; unless there are other Sheaffer Targa's which I have never seen in person or in printed catalogs, this pencil is not a Targa as the top and pen clip are not those of a Targa. Since I am not a Sheaffer expert, I thought that I would ask the FPN membership about this pencil. Is this pencil mismatched? To what series does this pencil (and/or its top and bottom) belong? Thanks! : )

Edited June 27, 2014 by elysee

June 27, 2014

Don't look like any Targa I've ever seen!

June 27, 2014

No part of that pencil is from a Targa. The pieces are possibly from a Fashion or a TRZ, but definitely not from a Targa. The cap does not have the right top ornament or clip to be a Targa, and the barrel has a pattern that no production Targa ever had. (Note: There were more prototype models made than production models, and I don't keep track of the prototypes. But Gary Ellison does, you can look up Targa prototypes at http://sheaffertarga.com.)

The only Targa model where the top and bottom don't match is the Savoy, which has a black top with 10* gold rings along with a solid black bottom without any decoration. But at least the black parts do match. All other Targas have matched caps and barrels. And, as far as I know, the production Savoy only came as a slim fountain pen and perhaps a ballpoint. It was not available as a pencil or a full-sized fountain pen.

*Yes, I can count. The leftmost ring in the photo is the normal part of the cap/clip assembly and the rightmost ring is the normal cap band. The 10 rings are those added decorations in between.

Savoy:

http://bulk-share.slickpic.com/album/share/UQTzgTxOWTcD0Q/3623130.0/800/p/Sheaffer_Slim_Targa_677_Savoy%2C_Black_with_10_Gold_Rings%2C_closed.jpg

Edited June 27, 2014 by sexauerw

June 28, 2014

No part of that pencil is from a Targa. The pieces are possibly from a Fashion or a TRZ, but definitely not from a Targa. The cap does not have the right top ornament or clip to be a Targa, and the barrel has a pattern that no production Targa ever had. (Note: There were more prototype models made than production models, and I don't keep track of the prototypes. But Gary Ellison does, you can look up Targa prototypes at http://sheaffertarga.com.)

The only Targa model where the top and bottom don't match is the Savoy, which has a black top with 10* gold rings along with a solid black bottom without any decoration. But at least the black parts do match. All other Targas have matched caps and barrels. And, as far as I know, the production Savoy only came as a slim fountain pen and perhaps a ballpoint. It was not available as a pencil or a full-sized fountain pen.

I am very familiar with Gary's site, http://sheaffertarga.com/sheaffer%20targa%20homepage.htm, as I purchased one of my Targa pencils from Gary. Gary is very helpful and I enjoyed "talking Targa's" with him via email. Even before contacting Gary about the pencil that I purchased, I had enjoyed visiting Gary's site to view Targa's.

As mentioned in my post, the top and pen clip for the blue/green pencil are not those of a Targa.

I am familiar with the Savoy, and the cap and body of the Savoy actually do match; rings do not count in regard to "matching". The Savoy is not the same as the blue/green pencil as the pencil about which I asked has two different colors and two different finishes.

Edited June 28, 2014 by elysee