1947 Marine Green Sheaffer Sovereign fountain pen

Wartime and post wartime Sheaffer pens are sometimes difficult to identify. This is especially true with open nib pens. Open nibs being the standard shaped nibs as opposed to the conical Triumph nibs that Sheaffer focused on from 1942 through the end of the Snorkel era in 1959. In the 1940s the most prevalent open nib Sheaffers were the entry level Craftsman (33 nib) and Admiral (Feather Touch 5 nib) models. I am attracted to the less common open nib pens.

There are no wartime Sheaffer catalogs. The key identification resource is a 1951 service guide that has diagrams and parts lists. The guide covers most pens from 2nd generation Balance through the Thin Model Touchdowns. Though it is somewhat incomplete in that this particular pen is not exactly represented. There is a page for the solid color $8.75 Sovereign from 1948 with a white dot over the clip. This striped celluloid pen from ~1947 lacks a white dot. I'm making a guess that this pen is also a Sovereign.

Not that it really matters what the pen is called. The important things are the marvelous condition of the pen and this lovely nib. The celluloid and plating have no discernible flaws. The ink view grip section retains good clarity for viewing the ink level. The Vacuum filler is freshly restored and holds a generous volume of ink - far more than any modern cartridge or convertor.

This nib is a gem. It writes a generous, wet and stubby fine line. It is not ground to a stub but has that stubby shape to the point that offers pleasant, subtle line variation.

The cap is postable on the barrel end to offer ample length for my large hands and high grip.

Length
Capped - 127 mm (5”)
Uncapped - 110 mm (4.3”)
Posted - 147 mm (5.7”).
Diameter
Cap - 12.7 mm (0.5”)
Barrel - 11.5 mm (0.45”)

Filler
Vacuum-Fil

Nib
Fine & bouncy