Sheaffer Balance ID help (Balance 350 or 875?)

[hunter186]

Hello!  I've had this pen for years, and I've always wondered what the actual model (and rough dates) would be. 

 

It's a compact model, 4.75" long.  I don't really trust my calipers, but I think it's around .42" in diameter.  I think that would match the "short/slender" size that Richard Binder lists.  (So maybe a 350 or 875?)  No white dot on the cap.  Nib is a Feather Touch #5, and it's a beautiful XXF.  

 

From Richard Binder's photos, the clip looks most like the Balance clip redesigned in 1934/1935, but I can't tell for certain. 

[hunter186]

So maybe I just didn't do enough research!  With a loupe I can just make out a '500' stamped under the imprint, which I think would make it a $5 pen.  The size and nib I think would make it a Milady model, but I gather they didn't have model names until 1938?  

 

Still unsure on the clip - I think it might be the last revision ("radius" clip).  So my guess is a Milady model, and somewhere between about 1936 and 1942.  

 

How wrong am I? 😀

[Boiling Black Coffee]

Milady. Typical one.