Carmine Sheaffer Balance Sovereign Fountain Pen

This is an uncommon pen.

I'm always baffled when collectors say that Rose Glow is the rarest Sheaffer Balance celluloid. I will admit that perhaps they did not sell well and there may be fewer of them than other colors. Though I find that speculative. In Balance celluloids, Carmine is among those made for the shortest duration as determined by the Sheaffer catalogs. First is Blue (1932), next is Carmine (1940-1) then Grey Pearl (1934-6) & then Rose Glow (1936-9). In fairness, only the 1939 Junior was offered in Rose Glow. I've seen more Rose Glow Juniors than any other model. Is personal experience any better than speculation?

This lovely Carmine Sovereign is in very good condition. The celluloid is in excellent condition with no cracks or faults. There is a ring of faint teeth marks around the end of the barrel - adjacent to the filler knob. I could have sanded away the teeth marks but I don't like to remove that much material. As is, they are faint and cosmetic only. The barrel transparency is good and will allow observation of the ink level. The plating is excellent apart from very small spots of plating loss on the edges of the clip ball.

During war time Sheaffer made filler rods from celluloid covered carbon steel. These tend to rust and disintegrate. I have custom made an oxide coated stainless steel rod that will last the life of the pen.

The nib writes a lovely, smooth & wet line that is in the fine to extra-fine range. The Sovereign is a long, slim pen that fits nicely in my large hands. The nib is narrower and a bit softer - though not truly soft - than the wide, thick and beefy nibs from the larger Statesman and Premier.

Length
Capped - 138 mm (5.4”)
Uncapped - 119 mm (4.7”)
Posted - 157 mm (6.2”).
Diameter
Cap - 12.1 mm (0.48”)
Barrel - 10.3 mm (0.4”)

Filler - Vacuum-Fil

Nib
fine -- extra-fine