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I just got one of these on a whim for just a little bit over $25, without knowing what it really is. In my experience, anything from before the 60's (and also any lever filler) is very few and far between in my country. So I tend to get anything that's not too pricey. After some reading, it turned out to be a Sheaffer Vigilant with a military clip (I really like the look of this clip, btw!). But all the examples I've seen online has the Lifetime 2-tone nibs. I initially thought this was the Commandant, but this has the white dot below the clip and the imprint on the body does say 875 instead of 400. So was the #33 nib an option for the Vigilant or was this the result of some modification to the pen? If it's the latter, am I right in thinking that it's a downgrade? The pen does have signs of repairs. It may even be a case of failed repair. There was no trace of shellac between the section and body (I can easily pull the apart, though it's still snug enough), and the feed is halfway out as you can see on the picture above. It also has a major crack from the tip down to just before the bushing, which has lots of chipping itself. Maybe this was the reason for the repair being abandoned halfway. In any case, it seems to have happened a time ago, since the sac has turned to dust and is still in the pen. (Yes, that's the remnants of some creepy crawlies inside the feed) I'm planning to try to repair this myself. Just some simple repairs to make it usable, not a complete & proper restoration. With the feed in such a condition, I don't think some experimenting would hurt. The feed itself also seems to have a longer tail than what I see in pics online. Is that normal? I think it may be long enough to get pressed by the pressure bar when filling.

Hello, The pen below is a slender type, bears the 875 price code, but doesn't seem to fall into either Short or Standard length category. It measures: 12,9 cm capped 11,7 cm uncapped 5,85 cm - cap length 38mm - clip length It actually looks like the cap and the barrel are not really the original set. Was there any irregular length 73 Lifetime pen or it's just a mixture of two different models? Or maybe the expression "the right size for the Milady's handbag" didn't mean the same all the time? And would a First Lady/Lady Sheaffer cap on a Sovereign barrel be enough to justify the size of the capped pen or it should be, say, First Lady cap on the later Vigilant barrel? Is the end of the barrel - as per the 1941 Repairmen manual - the New Style Tapered end? What do you think? Maybe someone can actually check which swap among Slender pens could give a 12,9 cm specimen? Thanks in advance for any answers, hints or ideas, Regards, Maciek http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l347/Yaner70/s03_zpskzomitdj.jpg http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l347/Yaner70/s04_zpsw4ktywm2.jpg http://i328.photobucket.com/albums/l347/Yaner70/s06_zps9kccarz7.jpg