Sheaffer
Pens and Ephemera

If you are new to vintage pens, and you are looking for a great pen to experiment with, we highly recommend this Sheaffer TouchDown fountain pen from the 1950s. In addition to being fully restored with a new ink sac and O-ring, it is just a plain, good dependable writer. You will enjoy its smooth, 14k gold nib as it writes a standard fine line. Our vintage pen does show a little wear from use, but that means it has a bit of history and charm. It might even have a mismatched cap and barrel that fit perfectly together. BUT, we think it will show you the joy of vintage writing and pique your interest in a whole new rabbit hole to our crazy little hobby. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.4cm capped.

The Sheaffer Valiant Snorkel was first released in 1952, and you know you have a first-year model when this beautiful 14k gold snorkel comes out from under the nib. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. It has seen its share of action, as you can see some cracks and impressions on the burgundy plastic cap and barrel. It is imprinted with the name "F. Stanfield." You will write a fine line with its two-tone 14k gold Triumph conical nib. It digs into the paper a little if you are heavy handed and/or sometimes at the tops and bottoms of letters. 14.2cm capped.

In the 1980s, Sheaffer made a series of slender luxury pens to fit the times. This one is called the Sheaffer Fashion. We love its deep green with golden accents. It actually takes Cross rollerball refills, and we include one with your purchase. The cap and barrel have a brass construction underlying the green. It is a nice, durable writer. There is a little scratching on the nose cone of the pen. Otherwise it is in great shape. 13.7cm capped.

The business uniform of the 1950s was a grey-flannel suit. This handsome Sheaffer Admiral would have matched one nicely. We restored this vintage pen with a new ink sac, O-ring and point seal. Its only flaws are doozies. There is a nasty crack on each side of the loose pocket clip. Click the headline for close-ups. We showed the worst crack in the main photo. However, the pen works great. It is marked an F2, but we find it to write more of a smooth extra fine. 14.2cm capped.

Sheaffer Statesman fountain pens were part of the 1950s blast of snorkel pens. We restored this vintage pen with a new O-ring, point seal and ink sac. What makes these a little different is the "palladium silver" Triumph nib. We find it firmer than the gold conical nibs. Ours writes a dry, extra-fine line with a little feedback. There are no cracks or brassing. Some light wear from use. Its snorkel sticks out a little farther than we would like, but it works well. Pen measures 14.2cm capped.

As ballpoints were gaining popularity in the 1950s for their no-mess filling and writing, Sheaffer got clever with its TouchDown filling system and upgraded it to have a "snorkel" that dipped in ink and never needed wiping down. Quite the feat of engineering, it was a brilliant and popular solution for people who preferred writing with fountain pens. This is the Sheaffer Sentinel model of that snorkel pen in the less-common color known as "buckskin beige." Our vintage pen has been fully restored with a new ink sac, point seal and O-ring. Aside from a little mark on the barrel and a hint of a dimple left of the pocket clip on the cap, this pen look pretty sharp. You will write a nice medium line with its two-tone 14k gold "Triumph" nib. 14.1cm capped.

We love the over-complexity of Sheaffer Snorkel pens. We replaced the O-ring, point seal and ink sac on this Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen. We test drove this Rube-Goldberg of filling systems to make sure all was in order. There are no cracks or deep scratches on the cap or barrel. There is a little dimple just left of the pocket clip and a little flat dent on the top of the cap. You will write a firm, fine line with its two-tone, 14k gold nib. Classic mess-free filling in an age where competition against the ballpoints was fierce. A wonderful vintage pen. 14.1cm capped.

Starting in the 1950s, Sheaffer began making cartridge-only pens with disposable plastic cartridges. Our Sheaffer Lady Skripsert was one such pen. It is quite attractive in its black-and-gold Tulle design. The cap and barrel only show a little wear from use, which is pretty good for a purse pen. The section shows more wear, and the nib is missing a fair amount of its gold plating. Click the headline for close-ups to see the extra-fine nib is just tweaked a little out of line. You'll write a very sharp extra-fine line with some scratch. The inkfeed seems a little out of alignment, and we couldn't slip it back into place without causing more damage. Sheaffer discontinued the slender cartridges for this pen, but the woman we got this from found a way to rig a standard international cartridge to fit. We left it in the pen as a demonstration to be reused. 13.7cm capped.