Sheaffer Id Help (46 Special Nib With Mismatched Flat-Top Body?)

February 10, 2018

Hello all,

Its been awhile since I've posted in the Sheaffer forum, as I sold nearly all my vintage pens about a year ago when I thinned down my collection. I've decided to get back into it and recently picked this up on eBay this past week.

The pen measures 5.2 inches capped, and 4.5 inches uncapped from the end of the barrel to the tip of the nib. The barrel is 0.45 inches at the middle, widest point and tapers only slightly towards the end. The cap is 2.4 inches long and 1/2 inch wide. The clip reads SHEAFER'S and is 1.5 inches long. On the end of the barrel there is an F imprinted (see pictures). The nib is what throws me off about the pen. It reads SHEAFFER'S 46 SPECIAL. I have very limited knowledge of the 46 Special models, however after some digging on the forum I was under the impression that all the original models were chased.

After some research I found this website with some information on the flat top models:

http://newpentrace.n...e090701114.html

Would I be correct in thinking this pen is from the 20's, as there is no white dot anywhere, the feed has the notches cut into it, and the clip is straight and not the 'humped" design? The barrel is also imprinted and reads as follows:

W.A.SHEAFFER PEN C^o
PAT.AUG.25-08-FORT MADISON,IA.U.S.A.
DEC.10-12-JAN.27-OCT.20-NOV.24-14

The site says that this would put the pen sometime in the early twenties.

I have let the pen soak overnight and removed the old sac. The nib and section are still soaking, but I would like to replace the sac and use the pen. The problem is that I am unsure as to what size sac to purchase, since the model is a mystery to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

February 10, 2018

The Pen Sac company says it should take an 18 straight.

The 46 started out in 1923 as a replacement for the 34 model (the 46 would be replaced by the 5-30). It was originally hard rubber with special wavy chasing available both in black and red hard rubber. Sheaffer did not like working red hard rubber and warned that for daily use customers should be steered to black. With the adoption of radite in late 1924 production of the 46 switched to plastic which was smooth not chased. Radite was marked for the first two years for who sourced the plastic to Sheaffer - C for Celluloid Corp.; D for DuPont; and F for Fiberloid. The 46 was not a lifetime pen so no white dot would be on the pen with the white dot being adopted in late 1924. The pen would have been made from late 1924 until late 1926.

Roger W.

February 11, 2018

The Pen Sac company says it should take an 18 straight.

The 46 started out in 1923 as a replacement for the 34 model (the 46 would be replaced by the 5-30). It was originally hard rubber with special wavy chasing available both in black and red hard rubber. Sheaffer did not like working red hard rubber and warned that for daily use customers should be steered to black. With the adoption of radite in late 1924 production of the 46 switched to plastic which was smooth not chased. Radite was marked for the first two years for who sourced the plastic to Sheaffer - C for Celluloid Corp.; D for DuPont; and F for Fiberloid. The 46 was not a lifetime pen so no white dot would be on the pen with the white dot being adopted in late 1924. The pen would have been made from late 1924 until late 1926.

Roger W.

Roger,

Excellent, thanks very much for your informative reply. After browsing several other posts I was hoping you would be the one to respond and shed some light on this pen. Would you have any idea on the value of the pen today? I would say the condition is good, but by no means OS. There are a few shallow scratches here and there, but no cracks that I can see. The pen still has a nice luster to it, and there is only minor brassing on the clip and cap band, with the lever appearing almost new. Should I ever choose to sell it, I would like to offer a fair price. Thanks again!

February 11, 2018

Roger,
Excellent, thanks very much for your informative reply. After browsing several other posts I was hoping you would be the one to respond and shed some light on this pen. Would you have any idea on the value of the pen today? I would say the condition is good, but by no means OS. There are a few shallow scratches here and there, but no cracks that I can see. The pen still has a nice luster to it, and there is only minor brassing on the clip and cap band, with the lever appearing almost new. Should I ever choose to sell it, I would like to offer a fair price. Thanks again!

Value has dropped a bit from 15 years ago but, a safe range would be $60-$80.

Roger W.