Sheaffer Crests 1938-55

Sheaffer’s introduced a pen with a metal cap and celluloid barrel in 1938 and called it the Crest. From then until the end of the Snorkel era, around 1959, there was always a Crest in the Sheaffer’s lineup. Beginning in 1941, with the introduction of the first Tuckaway, there was a Crest version in the Tuckaway style as well. They did not actually call the 1941 Tuckaway a Crest, but it certainly qualifies for the label and when the Triumph nib was introduced in 1942, there was a Crest in the Tuckaway line, and continuing until the end of the Tuckaway era in 1948-49.

I have attempted to acquire one example of each model of the Crest. I would like to find matching pencils whenever possible. The pictures below show my collection as of December, 2021

Lady Crest (black), Crest (golden brown), Lady Crest (golden brown) and matching pencil, Crest (black) and matching pencil. These are all in the open nib style introduced in 1938.

Same as above. Note that they couldn’t figure out how to affix the “white dot” on the metal cap, so it is placed either on the end of the barrel, or just above the lever. Also note that the caps are rather pointy vs the more rounded style of later Crests. Sheaffer’s wanted to have the cap flush with the barrel, so moved the threads to the end of the gripping section.

Crests with Triumph nib. See next picture of identification

1942 (black), 1945 (black, lever filler), 1948 (brown, vac-fill), 1945 (brown, vac-fill), 1951 (brown TM), 1955 (teal, Snorkel)

1948 Crest Threesome Pencil, Stratowriter ballpoint, fountain pen

1948 Crest Threesome, Pencil, Stratowriter ballpoint, fountain pen

Earliest Crest Tuckaways. 1941 Vac-fill and pencil, 1941 lever fill and pencil, 1942 Triumph nib and pencil, 1942 Triump nib (golden brown), 1945 pencil (note “clasp” that first appeared in 1945

Same as above. Note the rounded nose on the pencils. Tuckaways were intended for purse or pocket, so a sharp nosed pencil would have snagged.

1948 Crest Tuckaways. Left three are a “Threesome” set, pencil, fountain pen, and Stratowriter ballpoint. Note that the ballpoint is longer than the fountain pen because it used the same refill as the full-sized ballpoint. On the right is a brown 1948 model. In this year, Sheaffer’s moved to injection molding, so the previous striped celluloid patterns disappeared from the lineup.

Same as above.

Adding One More to the Sheaffer Compact Collection

Some time ago I posted about my Sheaffer Compact mini collection. I have continued to add pens and pencils to that collection, gradually filling in missing pieces. I have continued to update the original post, which can be found HERE

Just arrived today, a Sheaffer Compact I pen in grey. This is one of the somewhat later production models without the ink view windows in the barrel that marked the first version. It is, of course, fitted with the PdAg nib and stainless steel clip and cap band. It has the original version “short” clip, unlike the apparently late production version with the longer clip.

It’s a beauty, showing no real hints of having been used, although it did arrive with an empty ink cartridge installed.

Vintage Ballpoint Collection

My collection of vintage ballpoints has grown to the point that I felt a need to organize  and document it. About half of the collection had been acquired one at a time, but late last year I “won” the collection of the late Jack Price (Columbus, OH), so I needed to merge the two sets and arrange them physically so that I could store and access them easily.

Since I make pen boxes from former cigar boxes, the obvious solution was to make a set of boxes of similar size for ease of storage. I didn’t quite achieve that goal, but I do now have a set of boxes in two sizes, so the storage problem is definitely simplified, and the pens are sorted into the boxes by brand name, which simplifies access. My Sheaffer and Eversharp pens were already either boxed or in displays, so I did not change their disposition.

Most of these ballpoints were made in the USA between 1946 and 1950 – the so-called classic era for ballpoints – and only a few are from other countries, notably Birome from Argentina and Biro by Miles Martin in the UK.

I have photographed each box, plus the strip of handwritten labels that identify the pens in that box. In addition, I have photographed the Sheaffer and Eversharp displays and some individual pens that aren’t in any of the above-mentioned spots. The photos are in the galleries below. You can click on any image to open the gallery for larger views.

Boxed Pens

Box #1

Box #1 Labels

Box #2

Box #2 Labels

Box #3

Box #3 Labels

Box #4

Box #4 Labels

Box #5

Box #5 Labels

Box #6

Box #6 Labels

Box #7

Box #7 Labels

Box #8

Box #8 Labels

Displays

Birome & Miles Martin Biro

Kimberly, Eversharp CA desk pen, Esterbrook set, Romur pen/lighter, Sheaffer Stratowriter RA-1, Eversharp CA Retractable

Reynolds Rocket, Kimberly, Eversharp Skyline CA, Eversharp Fifth Ave CA, Sheaffer Stratowriter, Sheaffer Stratowriter Tuckaway

Eversharp and Eberhart Faber

Slim Jim, 2x Wahl Ball, 2x Eversharp CA Retractable, Eberhart Faber, 2x Kimberly Pockette, 2x Eversharp Reporter, 3x Kimberly Pockette, Kimberly set

Eberhart Faber Masterstroke

Eberhart Faber Masterstroke showing mechanism and refill

Sheaffer

RA-1 Retractable and proposed but never manufactured matching pencil

Prototype retractable Stratowriter in nickle and gold, never manufactured

Prototype aluminum capped Stratowriter, never manufactured

Stratowriter Tuckaway

Lifetime Sentinel Stratowriter

Admiral Stratowriter

Valiant Stratowriter

Valiant Stratowriter

Compact II Trio

Valiant “Threesome”

Crest “Threesome”

Parker

First Year Jotter

51 Jotter

Miscellaneous

Golden King trio

LIfelong trio

Esterbrook SJ, TJ, FJ set

Esterbrook jewels, distinguishable by touch

 

Some vintage ballpoints

Here are several very early ballpoints. I intend to edit this post later to add details:

Miles Martin Biro showing refill

Biro made in France showing refill

Biro made in France

Miles Martin Biro

Birome Argentina

Tie Score

Tie Score

Sheaffer Compact I and II

In a previous post, entitled “Sheaffer’s Small Pens Through the Years” I briefly described Sheaffer’S Compact, the little brother to the Imperial and Sheaffer’S first cartridge-filling pen. Since then, I have focused some of my attention on collecting representative examples of this interesting little pen.

Compact production was short, from 1960 to 1962. It seems likely that they were discontinued when the full-size cartridge-filling version of the Imperial was introduced in 1963.

There were two models of Compacts, the Compact I with PdAg nib and stainless steel hardware, and the Compact II with 14K gold nib and gold-filled hardware. Within each model there are two or three versions: in both Compact I and II, the early production pens have ink-vue windows in the barrel, while later production pens do not have the windows. Also, the (probably) very late production Compact I pens have a slightly longer clip. This longer clip is the same length as that on the Imperial pens. It should be noted that the cap on the Compact pens is identical to that on the Imperial pens, except for the clip. My guess is that at some point Sheaffer’S simply decided to use the Imperial cap/clip and not continue to make the shorter clip. I do not have any examples of a Compact II pen with a long clip, so they may not have been made.

Both the PdAg and 14K nibs used in the Compact pens are in the AC21 (short arrow) pattern. One occasionally finds a long arrow nib, but it is not clear whether these are very, very late production, using Imperial parts, or perhaps field swaps or repairs. The Imperial (long arrow) nib units are interchangeable with the AC21 units, so any (or all) of these may be correct.

In addition to the Compact I and II pocket pens, I have one desk pen that appears to fall into the Compact line. It is fitted with the same AC21 nib unit as the Compact I and its barrel, with the typical long taper of a desk pen, is fitted with ink-vue windows identical to the early production Compacts.

Compacts were made in black, blue, burgundy, green, and grey. I have examples of each color, with black being a complete set. I also have one black Compact II “Threesome” consisting of fountain pen, pencil, and ballpoint pen in the original case. I am not certain whether this was a cataloged item or not. The case bears the arrow nib logo on the lid, so  is consistent with the era. The pencil is the short pencil that matches the pen, but the ballpoint is a standard “reminder clip” pen. Since the standard ballpoint is fairly short, it looks good with the short pen and pencil.

Some of my pens are stickered with original model and price. Prices were as follows:

Compact I pen: $5.00

Compact II pen: $10.00

Compact I pencil: $4.95

Compact II pencil: ?? I have no stickered example

The images below are annotated with model and variation information. Click on any image to open the gallery for larger views of all the images.

Black complete set

Burgundy set

Blue and Green

Grey

Black Compact II threesome

Black desk pen with ink vue windows

Cap comparison Compact vs Imperial

My Sheaffer Military Clip Collection

When the US entered World War II, Sheaffer found itself without a pen that met military regulations. The requirement was that a pen in a shirt pocket could not make the pocket flap bulge upward nor could the tip of the clip be visible below the flap. Sheaffer’s side-mounted clip on the Balance line met neither of these requirements. They quickly and cleverly devised a way to comply: they essentially mounted the clip upside-down on the cap and curved it over the top of the cap and down the other side. Pens and pencils with this style of clip were made from 1942-44.

Even though Sheaffer introduced their brand-new Triumph pens in 1942, the military clip models were a continuation of the previous Balance line. They were made in four colors: Black, Golden Brown, Marine Green, and Carmine. In each color there were a total of ten items: two pencils and eight pens. From lowest to highest price they were as follows, with each named model available in both vac-fill and lever fill versions:

Commandant – slender diameter, narrow cap band, Sheaffer’S imprint on clip, Sheaffer’S 3 nib. Lever fill may have 350 imprint on barrel, and vac-fill, 400.

Defender – large diameter, narrow cap band, no imprint on clip, Sheaffer’S Feather Touch 5 nib. Lever fill may have 500 imprint on barrel, and vac-fill, ???

Vigilant – slender diameter, wide cap band, white dot, no imprint on clip, small Sheaffer’S Lifetime nib. Lever fill may have 875 imprint on barrel, and vac-fill, ???

Valiant – large diameter, wide cap band, white dot, no imprint on clip, large Sheaffer’S Lifetime nib. Lever fill may have 1000 imprint on barrel, and vac-fill, 1000.

There were two pencils in each color, one with the narrow band Sheaffer’S imprint on the clip, and 300 price imprint; and one with the wide band, no imprint on the clip, and 400 price imprint. On the Vigilant and Valiant pens, the white dot is located partway down the cap, just below the tip of the clip.

NOTE: the details in my descriptions above are based on the pens in my collection. Some of my pens do not match these descriptions exactly, perhaps due to wartime parts scarcity or later repairs, such as nib replacement. The numerical imprints listed on the barrel are the MSRP in dollars (400 = $4.00). Sheaffer seems to have been quite inconsistent on adding this price imprint, and where I have ??? listed, none of my pens in that model/type have the imprint.

As of the date of this post, I have a complete set of the Golden Brown and am continuing to search for missing items in the other three colors. I also have one unusual item, a Marine Green pencil with a very wide Jeweler’s band. As I understand it, pens and pencils with a Jeweler’s band were special items only sold by jewelers. I have not yet seen a military clip pen with a Jeweler’s band. Note: David Issacson does have an interesting thread on Military Clip pens that includes a photo of several pens and pencils with Jeweler’s bands. CLICK HERE FOR THAT THREAD.

Another variation is the Skyboy imprint. Sheaffer made some pens and pencils with the standard Balance clip that were imprinted Skyboy on the clip. They also made some with the military clip and Skyboy imprint. So far as I can tell, the Skyboy imprint was simply an advertising gimmick and there is no actual difference between items with that imprint and those without it. I do not have a Skyboy pen or pencil.

The gallery below shows my sets of military clip pens, arranged by color. Click on any picture to open the gallery for larger views of all the pictures.

Golden Brown – complete collection

Marine Green with missing items

Marine Green

Black with missing items

Black

Carmine

 

 

A dare I say Rare, Charles H Ingersoll pen.

Rare is a term that is used far too often these days, but I think that this pen deserves it. Why? Primarily because Charles H Ingersoll’s pens were twist fillers from the very first in 1924, continuing it would seem, all the way to the end of the company in the throes of the Great Depression. He insisted that his pens always have a 14K gold nib – not cheap gold-plated or plain steel – while managing to meet a cost goal to enable a “dollar” pen. The twist filler was one of his ways to hold down cost, and until a week or so ago, I had never seen nor heard of a Charles H Ingersoll pen with a lever filler, but here it is.

I have learned much of what I know about the Charles H Ingersoll (CHI) pens (not to be confused with the Ingersoll pens and pencils made in Minnesota) from a number of well-done posts on Fountain Pen Network by “Johnny Appleseed,” so when I saw this pen for sale, I consulted him before buying it. He assured me that he has a couple of CHI lever fillers in his collection, and speculated that these were made near the end of the company’s life in an effort to offer a more up-to-date product.

In my other posts here, I mentioned that the CHI line included all metal, celluloid, and bakelite pens, chronologically in that order. This lever filler is bakelite, so that fits the end of the company scenario. In addition, there are other touches that appear to me to be cost-saving measures.

The bakelite pens have a Waterman style pocket clip attached to the cap with a pair of rivets. This lever filler has that same style clip, but when it is compared to a slightly earlier pen, it is visibly cheaper – a simpler stamping, not gold-plated. Also, since the 14K nib was a major feature of the line, his nibs from the beginning were custom-imprinted with the CHI 14K logo, but this pen has a generic Warranted 14K nib – still 14K gold, but perhaps a bit lower cost than a custom imprinted one. Finally, it does not have a cap band at all, unlike the earlier bakelite pens.

Despite these cost-cutting measures and the more modern lever filler, the company must have found it impossible to compete in the difficult financial environment of the early 1930s, when even Parker and Sheaffer were struggling to stay afloat.

My Charles H Ingersoll lever filler is in excellent condition, made of bakelite in the color CHI called “Olive Green.” The Warranted 14K nib has a moderate amount of flex, and seems to be a fairly smooth writer. I have done a purely cosmetic cleanup of the pen, and it fairly gleams. It still needs a new ink sac and perhaps a little tweaking of the nib.

Click on any image to open the gallery for larger views of all the pictures.

Another ballpoint – the very first Paper Mate

The Frawley Pen Company introduced their Paper Mate ballpoint pen in 1949, just after the early ballpoint frenzy had slowed to a crawl due to poor performance. The company had developed a new ink which dried “instantly” and this no doubt was critical to the success of the new pen.

Despite a precipitous drop in market interest in ballpoints, the Paper Mate pen managed to survive, and when the company spent $2 million on advertising in 1953, sales really took off.

I had been told that the first Paper Mate was essentially a re-branded Blythe ballpoint, but I have my doubts about that now that I have both Blythe and original Paper Mate pens in hand. It is true that the Paper Mate uses the same type of mechanism as the Blythe, and that both are made from a combination of aluminum and plastic parts, but there are no interchangeable parts between the pens, which are completely different sized.

The pictures in the gallery show the simple mechanism – just push the button down and to one side to extend the refill and flick it back to center to retract – and also show the Blythe and Paper Mate side by side for comparison.

Click any image to open the gallery for larger views.

More Norman/Normandy Ballpoints

Not long ago I posted about the Norman or Normandy line of ballpoint pens that were made by Norman Gerstenzang, Inc. of New York City during the ballpoint frenzy of the mid to late 1940s. The company called itself “The world’s largest manufacturer of all-metal pens,” and their pens were mostly made of brass, sometimes gold-filled.

For some reason the company labeled some of its pens Norman or Norman “G” and others Normandy, even though there seems to be no difference beyond the name. With the latter, they played on the history of the Norman invasion of England and named their pens Knight, Long John, and Page. They also produced early multi-color retractable pens. This advertisement shows their lineup at one point.

Since my previous post, I have come into possession of more pens from this company, including some that only differ from the Norman by the addition of “G” on the clip. Perhaps this shows a progression in the naming from Norman “G” to Norman to Normandy…

One particularly interesting pen is very similar to the Page in the advertisement, but where the Page has a reversible pen/pencil insert, this one has the same sort of insert but with red and blue ballpoints.  Perhaps it is the forerunner to the Two Rite retractable.

 

The clip imprints are the only difference in some of these pens. Here are clips labeled Norman or Normandy in the picture on the left and labeled Norman “G” on the right.

Norman/Normandy

The pen I thought was the Long John in the previous post may have been some other model, because I now have a pen that matches the Long John picture in the ad, with plastic barrel and brass cap.

The gallery below contains pictures of all these pens. Click on any image to enlarge:

Early advertising ballpoint from Delco

Not just an imprint on some cheap pen, no, Delco had a ballpoint made to resemble a shock absorber!

The refill seems to be from Holt, and it is possible that Delco made the rest of the pen themselves in order to keep employees onboard at the end of WWII. Your guess is as good as mine on this one.