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Two Sheaffer Snorkel Fiesta Reds - Different Shades? Also - Snorkel Ballpoint?


ELSpartan44

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I am now a demonstrator away from having the full rainbow of Snorkels...

 

I recently acquired Mandarin, fern, and my first Fiesta red all at once. The photo below is from the seller, with the left pen being vermilion and next being the (seemingly near mint) Fiesta:

fpn_1490056746__snorks1-1.jpg

 

After purchasing it, I came across a pen listed as used (with snorkel stuck) Fiesta red on eBay, with a colored section that I kinda wanted, so I got it as well, thinking I could just swap out the section and resell the used one. Problem is that they are different shades of red...

fpn_1490056986__0320171928.jpg

 

It is difficult to photograph, as my lighting/ photography suck, but they are certainly different in person. The left one (clipper/ PdAg nib) is more of a traditional red, while the right one (sentinel/ 14K nib) has some orange in it. Different lighting:

fpn_1490056868__0320171928a.jpg

 

I included the other pens for color reference (L to R): pastel blue, pastel green, fern from above, Mandarin from above, fiesta from above, fiesta from eBay, pencil, black, pastel gray ballpoint??, Pencil

 

Unfortunately I do not have my vermilion set (or rest of collection) with me to compare to right now. Can potentially have it in a couple weeks.

 

My understanding is that vermilion was non-white dot with matching section, and fiesta was white dot with both black and matching sections.

 

Does anyone have both of the section types on verified fiestas to confirm they are the exact same shade? Could be that mine are different due to use/ light exposure?

 

Bonus: is the gray ballpoint part of a Snorkel set? Read somewhere it replaced the Stratowriter ballpoint? Anyone know if there is a modern refill that fits?

 

I can update with a pic comparing to vermilion when I return home, if there is interest.

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  • Brian-McQueen

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Firstly, great color collection so far! I really like the Pasel Green with the "Broad" chalk-mark.

 

Secondly, you are correct in that Fiesta was sold as White Dot only with either black section or Fiesta-colored section; Vermillion was sold as non White Dot with Vermillion-colored sections only. That being said, it is extremely easy to put a triumph nib (from a White Dot pen) and angled snorkel tube into a Vermillion body. That seems to be what happened in this case. The Vermillion color is a little more saturated than Fiesta. You could make the Vermillion into a Sovereign with the proper nib and cap, and then sell it.

 

By the way, if you need Periwinkle, Peacock, Sage, and Buckskin, I can hook you up.

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Wow. That's​ an awesome collection you have there. I'm good with all of the "normal" colors now, besides demo and a gold plated model, but thanks for the offer.

 

I really wish that I had the rest of my Snorkel collection with me to compare the fiestas to my vermilion set. May have to return the colored section one if it is actually a vermilion body.

 

I like the reverse trim one that you have there. Still think my favorite so far is my flexible stub nibbed Snorkel.

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Depends on how much you paid for the one you thought was Fiesta. Could make it into a proper Vermillion and make some money...

 

Flexible stub Snorkels are really, really great. I have one and it is probably my favorite nib ever.

 

I have one of those nibs. It was on a black Statesman I happened onto in an antiques store cum pawn shop in southeastern PA a year ago Thanksgiving, and it was marked at a lower price than the green one with a what looked like a boring F nib, because it was Palladium Silver instead of 14K. And then the guy at the counter cut the price by more than 50% because the pricetag was faded, which he said meant the pen had been there for a while.... Before I said anything other than "I'd like to buy this one...." But it wasn't until recently that I realized it ALSO had some flex to the nib. (Vintage Skrip Peacock looks just awesome coming out of that pen, BTW.... B))

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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Interesting... and in a Triumph nib? Mine is 14K traditional nib. Agree with using Peacock Skrip with it.

 

I was able to compare my vermilion set to the two "fiestas." Turns out you were right, and the eBay one is actually a vermilion pen that someone must have swapped the nib and cap from at some point.

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Ruth, you have a flexible stub Palladium Silver nib?

 

Yup.... I knew the nib was seriously wicked cool the second I saw it. I just didn't realize it had some flex until recently. :headsmack:

The guy who keeps track of the mailing list for Steel City Nibs hates me. Especially after hearing what I paid for it. (Plus of course $40 US to get it restored...). Which beats the blue Statesman with an EF nib for $50 that I was ASSURED had been restored by the people in the antiques mall in OH where I bought it... (really kinda not... :roller1:).

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

"It's very nice, but frankly, when I signed that list for a P-51, what I had in mind was a fountain pen."

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  • 2 weeks later...

What beautiful collections, EL and Brian! Out of curiosity, I did an ebay search for "Sheaffer FP red" and stumbled across a "red/orange" Cadet with SM1 nib (a later one as the section matches the barrel). I wasn't particularly interested in buying another pen at the moment but it wasn't outrageously expensive so ... :rolleyes:

 

ETA: Tracked down further info - it's Vermillion, not Fiesta Red.

Edited by chromantic

It's hard work to tell which is Old Harry when everybody's got boots on.

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  • 5 years later...

I know that this thread is very old, but a friend of mine recently reminded me of it. At the time when I responded to this post, I did not know that Vermilion could be found in the Sentinel model. That’s the only white dot model that came in Vermilion. So OP’s pen was likely a correct Vermilion Sentinel.

 

It is now my understanding that Fiesta was only offered with a black section.

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