When did Sheaffer started making STEEL imperial inlaid nib?

[Pepin]

I just received a white dot desk set with a walnut wooden base. The auction pictures were blurry but the nibs looked to be inlaid. I paid a rather high price for the set since I thought it was the imperial touchdown models for the pens. The pens turned out to be steel nibbed cartridge type model but with inlaid nib. When did Sheaffer start making inlaid nibs in steel and were these pens substantially lower in price than the 14k inlaid nibs?

[wednesday_mac]

From here:

 

"In 1995, during its extended "nostalgia" phase, Sheaffer reintroduced the Triumph. This time, the pen was intended to span the wide middle of the market between entry-level pens (like the School Pen or the No-Nonsense pen) and the more expensive Crest. The new pen was redubbed the Triumph Imperial; one might have argued that this mouthful of a name was too princely to adorn what was after all a basic steel-pointed cartridge filler, plus it also probably gave Sheaffer collectors a case of cognitive dissonance (the term "Triumph" seemed to suggest a Triumph point, which was nowhere to be seen on this model, although it was offered on the Crest). Still, these models came in quite a wide variety of styles and finishes during their three-year run."

 

The link referenced above has an extensive history of the entire Triumph line and mentions price, but since the history of the pen covers 30+ years and has multiple models, the price really varied.

 

Penspotters also says, "Sheaffer's nostalgia fever began to wane after the takeover by Bic in 1997. Among the first models to go were the Triumph Imperials, which went out of production in about 1998."

Edited July 6, 2009 by wednesday_mac

[jar]

I just received a white dot desk set with a walnut wooden base. The auction pictures were blurry but the nibs looked to be inlaid. I paid a rather high price for the set since I thought it was the imperial touchdown models for the pens. The pens turned out to be steel nibbed cartridge type model but with inlaid nib. When did Sheaffer start making inlaid nibs in steel and were these pens substantially lower in price than the 14k inlaid nibs?

 

Steel nibbed models were around almost from the beginning IIRC.

[Pepin]

I just received a white dot desk set with a walnut wooden base. The auction pictures were blurry but the nibs looked to be inlaid. I paid a rather high price for the set since I thought it was the imperial touchdown models for the pens. The pens turned out to be steel nibbed cartridge type model but with inlaid nib. When did Sheaffer start making inlaid nibs in steel and were these pens substantially lower in price than the 14k inlaid nibs?

 

Steel nibbed models were around almost from the beginning IIRC.

 

The inlaid nib (esp. the design on the PFM and Targa) has been for the most part 14k gold. I'm just really surprised that these were produced in steel, as simple cartridge fill, and with white dots.

[jar]

I just received a white dot desk set with a walnut wooden base. The auction pictures were blurry but the nibs looked to be inlaid. I paid a rather high price for the set since I thought it was the imperial touchdown models for the pens. The pens turned out to be steel nibbed cartridge type model but with inlaid nib. When did Sheaffer start making inlaid nibs in steel and were these pens substantially lower in price than the 14k inlaid nibs?

 

Steel nibbed models were around almost from the beginning IIRC.

 

The inlaid nib (esp. the design on the PFM and Targa) has been for the most part 14k gold. I'm just really surprised that these were produced in steel, as simple cartridge fill, and with white dots.

 

I have a steel nibbed, white dot Targa pen/pencil set that I bought many moons ago so they do exist. IIRC it was still a pretty expensive set at the time.

[knewmans]

My first 'good' fountain pen was a steel nibbed white dot imperial bought at university 1974. Its still in my rotation if I can get it back off my daughter! :mad:

Edited July 7, 2009 by knewmans

[Pepin]

My first 'good' fountain pen was a steel nibbed white dot imperial bought at university 1974. Its still in my rotation if I can get it back off my daughter! :mad:

 

I have conjectured that imperials with steel nibs were made sometimes in the early 70s so the date above is helpful.

[sexauerw]

I have a Compact I Cartridge Pen that dates from 1960 or 1961. That model introduced the stainless steel inlaid nib and was priced at $5.00. The similar Compact II, which had a 14K nib and gold trim instead of the chrome trim of the Compact I, was priced at $10.00, the same price as a PFM-I at the time. (Data shamelessly taken from Jim Mamoulides' www.penhero.com web site. Thanks Jim!)

 

Here's a link to Jim's article: Compact Cartridge Pens Article

[publius]

I have a Compact I Cartridge Pen that dates from 1960 or 1961. That model introduced the stainless steel inlaid nib and was priced at $5.00.

Are you absolutely certain that the nib in question is steel? Might it not be palladium-silver? I understand they are difficult to tell apart, although sometimes stainless will be attracted to a magnet ('non-magnetic' austenitic stainless will form a certain amount of ferromagnetic martensitic microstructure due to work-hardening) — e.g., the steel nib on my Waterman Phileas is, whereas the steel nib on my Reform 1745 is not.

[sexauerw]

I have a Compact I Cartridge Pen that dates from 1960 or 1961. That model introduced the stainless steel inlaid nib and was priced at $5.00.

Are you absolutely certain that the nib in question is steel? Might it not be palladium-silver? I understand they are difficult to tell apart, although sometimes stainless will be attracted to a magnet ('non-magnetic' austenitic stainless will form a certain amount of ferromagnetic martensitic microstructure due to work-hardening) — e.g., the steel nib on my Waterman Phileas is, whereas the steel nib on my Reform 1745 is not.

 

I was going by Jim Mamoulides' write-up, he was using the 1962 Sheaffer Service Manual as a source. I refer you to the article that is linked in my previous post.

 

PFM-I and PFM-II did have Pd-Ag inlaid nibs but I don't believe that Pd-Ag inlaid nibs ever appeared on any later model. As far as I know, all subsequent inlaid nibs were made of 18K gold, 14K gold, gold-plated stainless steel or unplated stainless steel. My PFM-I and PFM-II pens have PdAg clearly stamped on the nibs, the Compact I Cartridge Pen (CICP)nib has no marking as to the material. It is also not attracted to a magnet, but then neither are the nibs of three other Sheaffer pens that I tried that have nibs known to be stainless steel. The CICP nib appears shinier and less scratched than the two PdAg nibs, but that could be explained by that pen having been used less, I don't know the histories of the three pens. In short, I don't have any way to verify first-hand that my pen truly does have a steel nib, but I have no reason not to believe Jim's article either.

[Pepin]

I have a Compact I Cartridge Pen that dates from 1960 or 1961. That model introduced the stainless steel inlaid nib and was priced at $5.00.

Are you absolutely certain that the nib in question is steel? Might it not be palladium-silver? I understand they are difficult to tell apart, although sometimes stainless will be attracted to a magnet ('non-magnetic' austenitic stainless will form a certain amount of ferromagnetic martensitic microstructure due to work-hardening) — e.g., the steel nib on my Waterman Phileas is, whereas the steel nib on my Reform 1745 is not.

 

I always assume that if it doesn't say "Pd/Ag" then it's steel.

[sexauerw]

Assumptions can be dangerous, Sheaffer did make some PdAg Triumph nibs that were not marked as such.However, I don't know of any inlaid nibs that they did this with.

Edited July 12, 2009 by sexauerw

[Pepin]

Assumptions can be dangerous, Sheaffer did make some PdAg Triumph nibs that were not marked as such.However, I don't know of any inlaid nibs that they did this with.

 

interesting. :hmm1: