1941 Golden Brown Sheaffer Balance Vigilant - Vacuum-Fil - fine nib

Military uniform regulations in the early 1940s required the flap on a shirt pocket to close without anything inside peaking out or the flap poking up. This led the pen companies to invent clever and interesting clips that are now commonly called military clips.

Sheaffer's military clip pens have appropriately marshal names. Valiant, Vigilant, Defender and Commandant. The Valiant and Vigilant have white dots and LIFETIME nibs. The Defender has a Feather Touch 5 nib and the Commandant a #3 nib. They are identical in every way but the clip to the standard Statesman, Sovereign, Admiral and Craftsman models, respectively. This Vigilant is a long, slender pen.

This pen has the name Margaret C. Salling imprinted on the barrel. It has no flaws in the celluloid. There is a touch of plating loss but only on the end of the clip. The barrel has very nice transparency. The filling system has been fully restored and is guaranteed for at least one year. The nib writes a lovely, smooth, wet line and has just a hint of bounce.

Length
Capped - 130 mm (5.1”)
Uncapped - 116 mm (4.6”)
Posted - 150 mm (5.9”).
Diameter
Cap - 12.1 mm (0.48”)
Barrel - 10.5 mm (0.41”)