1943-5 Carmine Sheaffer Triumph Sovereign

Wartime Sheaffer fountain pens can be tricky to identify. Sheaffer continued to make a few pens while they switched the majority of their factory to producing defense stuffs. There are no pen catalogs during the war years. Sheaffer did publish for their dealers a Service Policy and Pricing Chart in 1951. It includes a large, but incomplete, section of tables to help identify Sheaffer pens from the 1920s through 1951. You can find a pdf of this document at the PCA web site.

Sheaffer produced Triumph pens from 1942 to 1948 in 4 easy to distinguish generations. This pen is a 2nd generation (striped celluloid grip section). I thought it a Statesman (writing sample) but it is a Sovereign (875 price code). The above ID charts have a Sovereign with a narrow "wire" cap band and a white dot above the clip. I believe the 2nd generation Sovereign got a cap design change mid-generation. I don't know which cap came first?

Triumph Sovereigns are not among the most common models (Statesman & Valiant). I don't have statistically significant data for my opinion that this cap with the white dot at the peak is the least common of the two variants. That is, I think there are more wire band 2nd generation Triumph Sovereigns.

Yada yada yada... This pen is in excellent condition. No plating loss, excellent clarity/transparency and a smooth, wet and lovely nib. The only flaw is a couple of light marks through the knurling on the filler knob. Not easy to see unless you look very closely. The cap posts to provide ample length for comfortable writing - and I have large hands.

The filling system has been restored with modern synthetic materials. They will last for decades with an occasional bit of silicone grease applied to the filler rod. The filler restoration is guaranteed for at least one year.

 

Length
Capped - 127 mm (5”)
Uncapped - 106 mm (4.2”)
Posted - 142 mm (5.6”)
Diameter
Cap - 12.8 mm (0.5”)
Barrel - 11.4 mm (0.45”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
Fine - extra-fine