Need Help Deciding Which Vintage Sheaffer Imperial To Buy!

[kittywonghf]

Hi guys, I need a little help with choosing which vintage Sheaffer Imperial to buy!

 

Recently I've been looking on eBay and am quite intrigued by the vintage Sheaffer pens with the inlaid nibs, they're absolutely gorgeous! Anyway, I've spotted three good deals and am having trouble deciding which is more worth it. I would like to hear your opinions!

 

1) Sheaffer Imperial 330 NOS, Black, Fine steel nib. £59 (Also comes with ballpoint pen)

• The price is attractive to me especially as there is both a fountain pen and ballpoint included, and they are both new old stock.
• However I have been told the weight of the pen is not ideal as it is cheap (?) plastic, can anyone weigh in on this?
• Comes with converter.

 

2) Sheaffer Imperial 444 Flighter, Chrome, Fine steel nib. £70

• The price is higher for this one and I'm not sure if it's worth it, but the metal body does look good and it should weight better.
• Converter is not included.
• The description says the pen is "unused" and there is still a sticker on the barrel, but there is no box, and also an "imperfection" on the barrel.
• In working condition.

 

3) Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown VI (I believe), Gray, Fine 14k nib. £? (Auction, I'm aiming for lower than £50)

• 14k gold nib is a steal if I can win at a low bid.
• Filling mechanism is interesting, can anyone vouch for how good / bad it is?
• Used. Has a few scratches that are not very noticeable but there none-the-less.
• In working condition.

 

So those are the three I'm looking at, can anyone give any advice? Thanks!

[mitto]

Hi guys, I need a little help with choosing which vintage Sheaffer Imperial to buy!

 

Recently I've been looking on eBay and am quite intrigued by the vintage Sheaffer pens with the inlaid nibs, they're absolutely gorgeous! Anyway, I've spotted three good deals and am having trouble deciding which is more worth it. I would like to hear your opinions!

 

1) Sheaffer Imperial 330 NOS, Black, Fine steel nib. £59 (Also comes with ballpoint pen)

 

• The price is attractive to me especially as there is both a fountain pen and ballpoint included, and they are both new old stock.
• However I have been told the weight of the pen is not ideal as it is cheap (?) plastic, can anyone weigh in on this?
• Comes with converter.

2) Sheaffer Imperial 444 Flighter, Chrome, Fine steel nib. £70

• The price is higher for this one and I'm not sure if it's worth it, but the metal body does look good and it should weight better.
• Converter is not included.
• The description says the pen is "unused" and there is still a sticker on the barrel, but there is no box, and also an "imperfection" on the barrel.
• In working condition.

3) Sheaffer Imperial Touchdown VI (I believe), Gray, Fine 14k nib. £? (Auction, I'm aiming for lower than £50)

• 14k gold nib is a steal if I can win at a low bid.
• Filling mechanism is interesting, can anyone vouch for how good / bad it is?
• Used. Has a few scratches that are not very noticeable but there none-the-less.
• In working condition.

So those are the three I'm looking at, can anyone give any advice? Thanks!

 

 

You would have to restore / resack the Imperial IV. Don't go after the seller saying 'it is in working order'. Unless s/he explicitely says the pen is restored. Even a NOS Imperial touchdown pen that has not yet been inked may need complete restoration or at least resacking. Yet, it is an Imperial and better choice.

 

The other two are not Imperials. These are triumph 330 and 444. Good cartridge / converter pens.

 

Good luck.

Edited March 31, 2017 by mitto

[kittywonghf]

You would have to restore / resack the Imperial IV. Don't go after the seller saying 'it is in working order'. Unless s/he explicitely says the pen is restored. Even a NOS Imperial touchdown pen that has not yet been inked may need complete restoration or at least resacking. Yet, it is an Imperial and better choice.

 

The other two are not Imperials. These are triumph 330 and 444. Good cartridge / converter pens.

 

Good luck.

Thanks for the response! I have contacted the seller and the imperial IV has indeed been given a new sac, so does that count as "restored"?

 

Also if possible could you comment on the weight of the pens in comparison to others like the Lamy 2K / Al-Star / Pilot MR etc.? Thank you!

[the_gasman]

Those prices seem a little high for a steel-nibbed Triumph – I have bought mine for £20-30, with gold nibs, through the auctions. Last week, I bought a steel-nibbed, plastic-bodied navy blue Triumph at a local house-clearer's yard for £5 (I talked the price up from £2 because I felt sorry for him!). The latter pen was clogged solid with old ink but a long soak later it writes absolutely beautifully – it is now probably one of the smoothest writing pens that I own.

 

I haven't weighed it but it feels similar to a Lamy Vista.

 

Cheers,

David.

[catbert]

Check out Peyton Street Pens for NOS Sheaffers in working order. I have a couple: a 440 (the metal-capped version of the 330, I believe) and an Imperial II Deluxe. The 440 with an EF nib feels small and precise in hand. The Imperial II Deluxe is a wetter writer, has better plastic, a touchdown filling system (which I enjoy), and a short triumph rather than inlaid nib. Both are probably lighter than the pens you cite for comparison.

[Tresconik]

All seem overpriced.

[Uncial]

All seem overpriced.

 

That's what I was thinking, especially considering the condition of some of them.

I think some see the hugely over-inflated prices that many junk pens command on ebay at the moment and think they should charge the same.

[bogiesan]

Huge difference between Imperials and what Peyton Pens (probably more accurately) calls quasi-Imperials. Shop very carefully and consider the reviews of the dealer.

I have a nice set of six widely ranging Sheaffers that I have purchased from Teri at Peyton. Personally, I have steered away from touchdowns because of the fiddliness of the mechanism but that is, of course, what draws many fans to that line of Sheaffer pen.