Sheaffer
Pens and Ephemera

Parker cornered the market on orange pens in the 1920s and '30s. Orange Sheaffer pens are much less common to find. Our Sheaffer 5-30 is a long, slender beauty of a vintage pen, even if it has a fair amount of shallow bite marks in the tail end. Our pen is fully restored with a new ink sac. No cracks and minimal brassing. The pocket clip is the straight and flat type. Best of all, this pen has a semi-flex nib. You can write a normal fine line fairly easily, but with a little gentle practice you can write an extra-fine to roughly .75mm wide line. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.3cm capped.

In the 1980s, Sheaffer made a series of slender luxury pens to fit the times. This one is called the Sheaffer Fashion. We love its deep green with golden accents. It actually takes Cross rollerball refills, and we include one with your purchase. The cap and barrel have a brass construction underlying the green. It is a nice, durable writer. There is a little scratching on the nose cone of the pen. Otherwise it is in great shape. 13.7cm capped.

The business uniform of the 1950s was a grey-flannel suit. This handsome Sheaffer Admiral would have matched one nicely. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. Its only flaws are doozies. There is a nasty crack on each side of the loose pocket clip. Click the headline for close-ups. We showed the worst crack in the main photo. However, the pen works great. It is marked an F2, but we find it to write more of a smooth extra fine. 14.2cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

Sheaffer Preludes remain a popular modern Sheaffer. This one shows a bit of wear, but it is still in good working order. It comes with its original box and papers. Also included is its original aerometric-style, squeeze-bar converter. The nice thing about it is that modern Sheaffer cartridges and converters still fit. You will write a nice fine line with a little feedback. It is a steel nib that is marked medium, but we tested it and feel it is more of a fine. The lining of the box has come unglued, as you can see the photo. 13.3cm capped.

There's nothing like writing with a junior-sized Sheaffer Lifetime. Possibly a little overlooked, these are fantastic pens with great nibs. Yes, the nibs are firm, but they also are smooth. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. It shows some wear from use and some brassing on the pocket clip and cap band. However, it remains a solid pen nearly 100 years after it was made. You will write a smooth, wet fine to extra-fine line with its thick 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. The nib photo shows a hairline crack in the nib from the section through the second 6 in the serial number and into the U of U.S.A. on the imprint. The nib seems stable and still writes well. The pen measures 11.2cm capped.

Levenger teamed up with Sheaffer to make a new series of pens for the Connaisseur line. Each color of the line was named for one of the most famous seas on the planet. This is the Sheaffer Levenger Connaisseur Mediterranean. It is a handsome sapphire blue with gold-plated trim. Our preowned pen takes modern Sheaffer cartridges and short converters. Unfortunately, we haven't any for this pen. No cracks or serious problems. Only light wear from use. You will write a very nice fine line with its 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 14cm capped.

Golden Brown striations make for a very handsome Sheaffer Balance Lifetime fountain pen. The clear imprint finishes with the number 875. Though not a model number, it helps to identify its slender but standard-length size. It also represented the original price of $8.75. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac. Closely examine the pen and you will see wear and a couple of deep scratches that are small. However, the design pattern obscures most of that at a casual glance. No cracks. Light brassing on the ball of the pocket clip. You will write a very smooth extra-fine line with its two-tone 14k gold nib. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.7cm capped.