Sheaffer Balance
Record status
Individual type · research required
Period
from 1929
Maker / issuer
SheafferThe Sheaffer Balance is a streamlined celluloid fountain pen introduced from 1929 that served as an early example of the tapered profile that became standard for writing instruments. Manufactured by the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company of Fort Madison, Iowa, the Balance was produced across numerous sizes and colour patterns.
Sheaffer pens of this period incorporated the company's proprietary filling mechanisms. The original lever-filler mechanism invented by Walter A. Sheaffer remained in use through the end of the 1940s, alongside an alternative sac-less plunger design that was introduced in the early 1930s.
Evidence at a glance
- Linked sources
- 2
- Photograph views
- 1
- Catalogue references
- 0
Counts describe this entry’s documentation, not authenticity, rarity or completeness. Photographs may show one specimen; check each caption and licence.
Historical context
Walter A. Sheaffer founded the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company in Fort Madison, Iowa, incorporating in 1913 to manufacture his lever-filling fountain pen. By the 1930s, the company advertised its pens as filling instantly from any inkwell with one touch of a finger and cleaning automatically during filling. Produced from 1929 in numerous sizes and colour patterns, the Balance formed part of this production era, which utilized the traditional lever mechanism through the late 1940s alongside a sac-less plunger design introduced in the early 1930s.
Identification
- Recognition pointers (from background sources)
- Streamlined celluloid body featuring a distinctive tapered profile. Manufactured across numerous sizes and varied colour patterns. Operates via either a lever-filler mechanism or an early 1930s sac-less plunger system.
Catalogue references
No catalogue numbers recorded. Numbers are only published once transcribed from a verified edition of a standard catalogue — they are never inferred.
Research required
- Size and colour pattern listings require transcription from a specialist reference.