Sheaffer Pen Identification

History

• Sheaffer has been making ballpoint, fountain and rollerball pens since 1912. The company was founded by Walter Sheaffer, a jeweler in Iowa, who developed the first commercial lever-fill pen in 1913 and a number of other innovations since.

Types

• The Sheaffer company created a number of industry firsts and many lines of pens that have since become collectibles. In the 1920s, the Sheaffer Vacuum Filler was released which used a long plunger to fill it with ink. Around the same time, it introduced the "lifetime" pen which was guaranteed for the life of the owner. Other pens include the signature "white dot;" the Sheaffer Jade, the first successfully mass-produced plastic pen; the Balance, which started the trend for more streamlined pens; the WASP, a cheaper pen sold in dime stores; the Triumph nib, released in the 1940s; and the 1950s' Snorkel.

Identification

• Other than company marks, the best way to identify Sheaffer pens is by looking for writing on the nib or in comparison of the nib with known Sheaffer pens. You can find a number of photos of Sheaffer pens on the company homepage and collector sites.