Strange duo, any idea?

[rarehoneysuckle]

Hi there everybody! For those of you who know your Sheaffer pens I could really use some knowledge here.

My mother has had these 2 mechanical pencils forever now & has been asking me to get information on them & to possibly sell them for years. I finally attempted to do just that for her but it turns out that I had underestimated the Sheaffer company completely. I've found myself certain on a specific model just to find myself back to confusion after descriptions/other models.

The 2 pencils to begin with are not of the same set- they both most likely belong to different fountain pens? Underneath the gold band on both of them you can pull that bottom cap off to expose the eraser/lead or twist it to get more lead. I do see that one is "350" and the other "400" but I've only had luck with "white dot" or "military clip" that seem to bump up the price. I believe they may have been paired with a white dot but neither have military clips. They are both celluloid I believe. The smaller/shorter pencil (picture 1+2) I am guessing is pearl black or brown & feels a bit fatter. The longer one (picture 3+4) seems to be marine green.

They are kept inside a Sheaffer case that, to me, seems older. It may sound odd but I can just tell by the smell of the inside, hopefully someone knows what I'm talking about.  

Can anyone on here kindly give me any information and/or an estimate if we were to possibly sell these? I'm a pen lover myself so the thought of selling these kills me but my mother is now ill so I am praying these may help.

[joss]

Hi,

These are two pencils of the Sheaffer Balance era (1937-mid 1940s). The numbers 350 and 400 refer to their original price ($3.50 and $4.00).

These pencils may have been part of a pen set. The 400 pencil would typically be paired with a Sheaffer Balance fountain pen number 400, 500, 875 or 1000. The 350 pencil would be paired with the cheaper Sheaffer Balance 350 or 400 fountain pen.

As to value: best is to check the sold items list at ebay for a very rough estimation.

 

Not sure about the age of the pen case but the font of the 'Sheaffers' imprint on the lid suggests to me that the case is younger, not older, than the pencils.

[terim]

If it's any help, we sell those models for between $40 and $60 if they are working, no personalization, and no cracks.

 

Green and brown are probably the most common of the striated colors. A little more desirable are carmine and rose-glow striated models.