Whatever became of my beloved school pen?

[PecosPeet]

I got my first FP at school in 1966. It was a Sheaffer that I have not been able to find in any online description of Sheaffers.

When I first saw a photo of a Serwex 362 (see below), I thought it was my old Sheaffer - it looks almost exactly like what I remember writing with for those 6 years. Except, the Sheaffer I had was a lever fill. No cartridges!

IMG_6427.jpg

My pen was navy with a stub nib - I'm guessing about 1.5mm. Aside from the cap, I recall that it looked rather like a Balance. But, the standout feature would be the cap. It has a small top above the clip ring. And I remember it as having either a double or triple cap band. I have not been able to find any Sheaffer pen with a cap similar to my school pen.

The pen was sold by the school - I'm guessing for about a dollar back in 1966. We all had to have stub nibs, so it was likely a special order from the factory - at least for those nibs. (I remember a number of occasions where the cap came off in my pocket and I had to spend the rest of the day at school with a large ink stain on my shirt. I imagine there are very few school kids that avoided such a fate.)

I have seen some Fineline pens that look similar, but I recall my pen was a Sheaffer - either written on the clip or nib or both - and I have not seen a Fineline that has the Sheaffer name on it.

Has anyone seen something like this? Any ideas on where I might have some success locating one? This is purely for the nostalgia. But I am getting obsessed with my search and it is taking up too much time lately!

[carlos.q]

I suggest you take a look at Teri's Sheaffer model identifier at Peyton Street Pens:

http://www.peytonstreetpens.com/reso...models_part_1/

[PecosPeet]

Thanks Carlos. Peyton St was one of the first sites I checked out. But nothing close there. I think I have looked at every Sheaffer listing on the Bay for the last 4 or 5 months and never seen anything close. I do keep getting caught by a Fineline and also a Venus lever fill that sometimes pops up under the Sheaffer listings. I still get excited that I've found it with every one.

Too bad my old one is probably in some landfill - I lost a lot of stuff when my parents did a clean out many years ago. Including all my Dinky cars. Sad.

[welch]

In the late '50s, we started "real" writing with a Sheaffer school pen. That model was clear, with a rounded blind-cap, and used cartridges. The next model, best I remember, had some in tinted blue or green...maybe other colors, but those are two I remember. All with steel caps.

We used fine points, either because we were nudged that way or because the local drug store only carried fine. Perhaps the American market leaned toward fine points? Hmmm...That would explain why US Parker made so many more 51's with fine (or finer) points than medium.

Anyway, EBay has many of the clear and translucent Sheaffer cartridge "school pens". Solid-color plastic barrels and caps? I don't remember them, but that was a long time ago. Good luck with EBay, which, for better or worse, is probably the best place to look!

[mrcharlie]

Search for images of Sheaffer Cadet and see if that is what you remember. I have one from the 50s or 60s, TD fill. PenHero has a page with text and pictures of some Cadets.

If you are sure it was lever, I don't know any more. I'm not a real "collector", and as far as I know most collectors eschew the simpler/budget/economy models. There have been a couple "real" knowledgeable Sheaffer collectors sometimes on FPG; perhaps one of them will see this item and know what your pen was.

[pajaro]

There are lever filled Cadets. I have at least one.

[HughC]

From the time you mention the only lever option would have been a Fineline. There where no lever fill Sheaffers during the '60's or '50's either.