Start them young with a Sheaffer fountain pen

[FredRydr]

This sat on the counter of the late Bert Heiserman's The Pen Haven in Kensington, Maryland.

73266

He always priced it so it wouldn't sell. He enjoyed it too much to let it go.

[welch]

My first fountain pen was a Sheaffer school pen, about 1957, in 4th grade. I can't remember if the school gave us the pens or if my parents bought it at a drugstore.

A few years ago, someone posted a beautifully researched story about Sheaffer's program of giving schools packets of school pens, each with cartridges and a booklet on writing cursive. A brilliant marketing idea -- "start them young" and they will always choose a Sheaffer pen. Unfortunately, the entire fountain pen world turned upside down and fountain pens shook out, gradually replaced by ballpoints for at-school and portable typewriters cheap enough that families could buy one and their kids could type papers.

[welch]

And I must be remembering this, by Lexaf in 2018:

https://fpgeeks.com/forum/showthread.php/23706-Sheaffer-School-pens-How-it-started

[Jon Szanto]

The earliest remaining example of my use of a Sheaffer School pen:

https://imgur.com/mfzM5Vc.jpg

[Marsilius]

I can't remember if my first was a Sheaffer or a No-Nonsense, probably the former. But both were purchased at the local convenience store in the stationary area. That and an ICEE.

[sirtoti]

Sheaffer's always had a very nice school pens /entry line. It's a bit of a shame how the brand works nowadays. Probably the most innovative brand in fountain pen's history, since my point of view.

[Ron Z]

My first fountain pen was a Wearever cartridge pen, which produced an intense an life long dislike of the brand. It has not abated in the last 57 years. My next one as a Sheaffer school pen, and it saw quite a bit of use before it disappeared into a parallel universe.

[welch]

I forgot my Sheaffer school pen when IO got a Parker 45 for Christmas, about 1960. Ah, the smooth medium point! The converter that I used everyday, and the large cartridge I carried as backup.

I remember the Sheaffer as scratchy.