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View Full Version : Sheaffer Balance. Happy David.



david i
November 22nd, 2015, 09:30 PM
This was waiting in my mail room in NYC when I returned from my usual two weeks each month out in Janesville.

One more to add to the world's largest collection of off-catalogue Sheaffer Balance cap-band pens.

Black long slender fish scale cap-band. Mid 1930s.


http://vacumania.com/penteech2/sheafferbalance_fishscale_blackstand950a.jpg

regards

-d

Mags
November 23rd, 2015, 01:41 AM
Very nice David.

Ytah
November 23rd, 2015, 06:45 AM
Wow, what kind of nib?

david i
November 23rd, 2015, 10:41 AM
Wow, what kind of nib?


14k gold?

Pointy?

Tipped with a blob of hard metal "iridium"?



Yes, I am being a bit snarky, but humor me. This quite fair question touches on one of the key schisms of today's hobby of pendom ;)

Look for my next post to see the nib on this one.

First, though I offer my article from about a decade ago, "User vs Collectors"


Link User vs Collector (http://www.vacumania.com/website/peneducationuser.htm)


This one is a collector's pen. A 1930s Sheaffer Balance with a special off-catalogue cap-band. I probably have the heftiest collection on the planet of Balances with this fish-scale cap-band. Do I have a dozen? Even after 10+ years of looking? I'm probably overdue to count.

In the article linked above, I fall heavily into the collector category. I hunt old pens for rarity, beauty, cachet, quirk of personal interest. Most 1930s Parkers and Sheaffers have firm fine or firm medium nibs.

To me, the point just doesn't matter. Nib should be clean and intact, or if the nib has problems then the my cost to buy it should factor that in. Some nibs are easy to find and cheap. But some are pricey and nearly impossible to find.

My customers (Vacumania, below) tend to buy collectable pens from me. They expect a restored and smooth writing pen, but 90% offered are firm fine or firm medium.

Exotic points are neat, and today they add to desirability and to ease of sale, but most of my customers specifically hunting special points (the "user" side of the spectrum) generally want clean basic examples of given series, but with the funky point (flex, oblique, stub, etc). Most of them are not interested to pay 3x typical value for a rare collectable variant of a 1930s pens only to have to pay another big bonus to get a 1930s pen with a flex stub nib.

This black Sheaffer of course is for my own collection, but the point matters not a bit to me on this one. The rarity and significance of the pen certainly are enough ;)

This one likely takes a lower-range "Sheaffer 3" monotone gold point.

Look to my next post to see the irony of this discussion ;)

regards

david

david i
November 23rd, 2015, 10:47 AM
OK.

Here is the nib on this pen. Thoughts?


http://vacumania.com/penteech2/sheafferbalance_fishscale_blackstand950bNib.jpg


regards

d

amk
November 24th, 2015, 11:10 AM
Thanks for the chuckle! Lovely pen, by the way.

mhosea
November 24th, 2015, 11:43 AM
Here is the nib on this pen. Thoughts?


Looks like you're going to need to have it re-tipped. ;)

I don't think I've ever seen a feed look quite like that.

Otherwise seems to be in nice condition. Maybe somebody cracked the nib by pressing too hard and broke it off a very long time ago, sparing it the dreaded buffing wheel at the pen shop.