A Black Pen Society Sheaffer Balance, they way they oughtta look :)
The pen is a long-standard Sheaffer Balance, more or less 1935-1941, though I have yet to clarify if this transparency pattern pins the start date to slightly later. Early plunger-fill pens seem to have had a spiral clarity pattern. The "radius" clip was in play by 1935 and of course black was used throughout Balance's entire run.
A high-line Balance-- one that would gain the model name Statesman in 1938-- a top-quality pen from its era, but also a fairly grass roots (if that term can be mapped to pen models) Balance, in the context of collecting. A good entry-to-series pen for collectors, with big Lifetime nib, but generally affordable price. Full size but not oversized.
I picked this up in quite affordable fashion. Plunger-fillers are tricky restos. The trim was tarnished. The barrel was dark. But, I could see the gem in the rough. Peeking through the ink covered barrel were specks of glorious barrel transparency, something that often fades (clear goes yellow then orange then red then opaque) in fashion collectors call ambering. The trim was clean. The imprint sharp.
Still, I didn't fully anticipate the gem that would return from restoration by my friend Gerry Berg, who specializes in plunger-fill Sheaffers.
Yeah, basic black. You can see why it sold well back in the day. Perhaps I will put this on the Black Pen Society page over at the Fountain Pen Journal website.
I've had good luck with plunger-fill Sheaffers the last few weeks, what with getting some gems back from Gerry and from the Kennedys.
There was a time I would have been thrilled to add this one to my collection. But, I have others. Still, that frisson remains when handling a pen that has survived 80 years in nearmint condition. I'm lucky that 16 years in the hobby have not left me more jaded, though I do like Jade Celluloid fountain pens
regards
-d
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Originally Posted by Jeph
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