Is this a Sheaffer Balance?

[sharmon202]

Can anyone tell me if this is a Sheaffer's Balance? It has a ball at the end of the clip which I know tells something about the year. I am confused, there is no white dot. 3-25 on the nib. I have done some research but cannot tell specific details about this one. I apologize ahead of time as I am not the photographer some on this forum are. Thanks for any input.
DSC06189.JPGDSC06191.JPGDSC06195.JPG

[Jon Szanto]

Take a look here, Jon (Rosen) is a knowledgeable collector. A lower price-point variant of the Lifetime Balance models. Nice pen.

[jar]

IIRC up until the late 1930s Sheaffer used model numbers for the pens, 3-25 would be a pen with a #3 nib and a twenty-five year warranty, 5-30 with a larger #5 nib and a thirty year warranty and then the ones with a white dot with a lifetime warranty. This began with the flat top pens and carried on through the Balance era until model names like Craftsman or Admiral or Milady or Statesman or Crest were introduced.

[Lady Onogaro]

I have a Sheaffer (an ebonized pearl) that has only the words "Sheaffer Junior" and Made in the USA on it. It does not indicate that the nib is 14K (it is gold colored), but the nib is very smooth--it's a very nice writer. Can anyone tell me something about it? Is a gold nib always marked as a gold nib (I haven't tried to pull the nib to see if there are any markings further down). And is a "junior" pen for a woman, necessarily, or was it meant to be a pocket or purse pen?

[jar]

I have a Sheaffer (an ebonized pearl) that has only the words "Sheaffer Junior" and Made in the USA on it. It does not indicate that the nib is 14K (it is gold colored), but the nib is very smooth--it's a very nice writer. Can anyone tell me something about it? Is a gold nib always marked as a gold nib (I haven't tried to pull the nib to see if there are any markings further down). And is a "junior" pen for a woman, necessarily, or was it meant to be a pocket or purse pen?

Gold nibs were often not proof marked at that time. Sheaffer Junior was a specific model, short and slender with a nib marked "Junior". IIRC it sold for under $3.00. It was meant for youths as a first good pen I think.

[Jon Szanto]

BTW: Who's going to break it to Sandy that the warranty expired on the pen long ago?

[Roger W.]

Yes it is a balance. From the early 1930's as the 3-25, a flattop carry over was replaced with a 3 nib by the mid 30's. Any streamlined Sheaffer made in the 1930's is a balance and there are white dot and non white dot models. Yours would be a 3TC unless it is short then a 3MC.

Roger W.

[kirchh]

IIRC up until the late 1930s Sheaffer used model numbers for the pens, 3-25 would be a pen with a #3 nib and a twenty-five year warranty, 5-30 with a larger #5 nib and a thirty year warranty and then the ones with a white dot with a lifetime warranty. This began with the flat top pens and carried on through the Balance era until model names like Craftsman or Admiral or Milady or Statesman or Crest were introduced.

Originally, the '3', '5', and '7' in the 3-25, 5-30, and 7-30 (flat top only) lines corresponded to the pens' prices, and the second part of the model number represented the guarantee duration. However, Sheaffer dropped the guarantees by 1930, and the price no longer necessarily matched the first part of the model symbol. So, Balances such as the one shown here did not have 25- or 30-year guarantees. The 3-25 and 5-30 lines did not carry through until the individual models got names around 1938; they were dropped a few years earlier.

--Daniel

[kirchh]

Yours would be a 3TC unless it is short then a 3MC.

Roger W.

3VC. 'M's are Petites.

--Daniel
P.S. This one looks full-length.

[lowks]

What's a reasonable price for a usable Sheaffer Balance now ?

[david i]

Yes it is a balance. From the early 1930's as the 3-25, a flattop carry over was replaced with a 3 nib by the mid 30's. Any streamlined Sheaffer made in the 1930's is a balance and there are white dot and non white dot models. Yours would be a 3TC unless it is short then a 3MC.

Roger W.

Emphasis added.

I would disagree with the portion of Roger's statement emphasized in bold.

regards

david

[david i]

What's a reasonable price for a usable Sheaffer Balance now ?

Context dependent. Model/Color/Condition/Venue all affect what would be reasonable.

A small black low-tier Balance found unrestored at a flea market would have a different reasonable price from a gem Carmine oversized Balance with off-catalogue cap-band offered retail/restored/with-warranty by Gary Lehrer.

I would imagine you could get a fairly clean, working slender Balance from collector for $75 if you hunt about. Retail/restored/warrantied might start around $100. Flaws can lower price, not a bad thing if you want just a colorful user. I have a couple that would run $1400 or so Big range.

You can see many pens with retail prices both in my sales list AND more so at the Sold Pens Archive at the Vacumania link in my signature, below.

regards

David

[Farmboy]

Yes it is a balance. From the early 1930's as the 3-25, a flattop carry over was replaced with a 3 nib by the mid 30's. Any streamlined Sheaffer made in the 1930's is a balance and there are white dot and non white dot models. Yours would be a 3TC unless it is short then a 3MC.

Roger W.

Emphasis added.

I would disagree with the portion of Roger's statement emphasized in bold.

regards

david

Care to elaborate on the issue that causes disagreement with the emphasized portion?

I ask as I've been thrust into becoming a Sheaffer person of late.

Todd

[david i]

Yes it is a balance. From the early 1930's as the 3-25, a flattop carry over was replaced with a 3 nib by the mid 30's. Any streamlined Sheaffer made in the 1930's is a balance and there are white dot and non white dot models. Yours would be a 3TC unless it is short then a 3MC.

Roger W.

Emphasis added.

I would disagree with the portion of Roger's statement emphasized in bold.

regards

david

Care to elaborate on the issue that causes disagreement with the emphasized portion?

I ask as I've been thrust into becoming a Sheaffer person of late.

Todd

No doubt.

Todd, think about what you and Doug had talked about selling me, prior to realizing the collection did not have one.

Think about what I wrote on in the last Fountain Pen Journal.

Notice what is showing on the home web page for the Journal.

regards

david