1955 - 1959 Sheaffer Lifetime Clipper Fountain Pen; Touchdown Snorkel; Restored

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1955 - 1959 Sheaffer Lifetime Clipper Fountain Pen; Touchdown Snorkel; Restored:
$78.05

1955 - 1959 Sheaffer Lifetime Clipper Fountain Pen; Touchdown Snorkel; Restored 1955 - 1959 Sheaffer Lifetime Clipper Fountain Pen; Touchdown Snorkel; Restored

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Description

This Sheaffer\'s Clipper Lifetime Fountain Pen in Burgundy has been completely serviced. I disassembled the pen completely - removed the nib section, the filling system etc. I ultrasonically cleaned all of the components and installed a new ink sac, barrel O-ring seal and also a new Point seal that the Snorkel filling tube passes through. This Touchdown Snorkel filling system is now in very nice working order. The Clipper was made from 1955 to 1959. The Sentinel and the Clipper were essentially the same pens, with the same caps, same size, both had Triumph nibs, but the Clipper had the PdAg (Palladium Silver) nib and the Sentinel had the 14K Gold Palladium masked nib. At this time, Sheaffer had 14 different Snorkel models with the top of the line being the Masterpiece with a 14K Gold Cap and Barrel and was priced at $110.00. The Clipper was priced at $18.50 - about in the middle of the pack. In today\'s dollars, the Masterpiece would cost $994.66 and the Clipper would be $167.28, so not a cheap pen at all! Sheaffer\'s lowest priced Snorkel would cost about $76.00 today.

As mentioned, I installed a new Barrel Seal. This is an important part of the restoration process. Old seals can dry out and get hard. If not replaced, when attempting to fill the pen you\'ll most likely only fill it with air, not ink. To fill the pen, unscrew the barrel knob and extend the Snorkel tube. Put the Snorkel tube into a bottle of ink then press the barrel knob all the way down somewhat quickly. Unlike say a syringe, the Touchdown filling system fills on the down stroke, not as it is fully extended. After pressing the knob all of the way down, rotate the knob clockwise to re-tighten it into the end of the barrel and retract the Snorkel tube until it is flush with the feed. This Snorkel design was completely unique to Sheaffer. It was a technological innovation and was one of the cleanest ways to fill a fountain pen - no nib wiping required. On the downside, it was much more expensive to manufacture and it hit the market at about the same time that ballpoint pens were coming into vogue. In addition, the ink sac is not very large.

The barrel on this Sheaffer has the following imprint: \'W. A. SHEAFFER PEN CO.\' then \'FORT MADISON, IOWA, U.S.A.\' and below that \'MADE IN U.S.A.\'.

The nib on this pen is a Sheaffer\'s - made in the U.S.A. and is Sterling Silver with a Palladium mask. It is a Triumph Closed Nib, meaning that it goes all the way around the feed. I\'d judge it to be about a \'F\' point; quite stiff and very smooth. This nib is gorgeous - very long and visually stunning. Notice that the tip of the nib curves upward slightly. It is not bent. Sheaffer engineers designed it this way on purpose for two reasons. First, it adds a bit of stiffness. Second, and a lot of pen users don\'t know this, but the nib is meant to be used upside down as well, to write with a different width line. With the nib tip curved, it is easier to write with the nib upside down. An upside down nib will yield a thinner line.

This Lifetime Sheaffer pen measures about 5 1/2\" closed and 6 1/4\" with the cap posted. This is a long pen. The condition of this pen is just superb! I only see the typical light wear micro scratches on the cap, barrel and filling knob but nothing readily visible. The cap only has light scratches - no dings or dents - none. The gold-filled clip and wide cap band are both brass free and are nice and tight on the cap. The White Dot sits just above the clip. Oh, this is one of those Sheaffer designs where the cap will loosen and tighten with about one turn of the cap - a nice \'quick draw\' feature.

Overall, a gorgeous vintage fountain pen for a Sheaffer that is around 55 years old! If you are looking to add to your Sheaffer collection, or just want a very fine daily writer, then this is a very good one for you to consider. The cap posts nicely and the pen is well balanced. After rebuilding it with new seals, the Snorkel tube extends and retracts very smoothly - one of my best restorations! It\'s a slender pen in girth, and with the cap posted it is still quite comfortable and actually quite long. Of course, the Triumph nib is uniquely Sheaffer and this one is quite exquisite! I especially like the \'Palladium Silver\' imprint in cursive. Cursive is hardly ever used on pens. Oh, there is a name imprint on the barrel \'F. H. BARTLING\'.

U.S.A. First Class Mail is $4.80. Insurance is included. International shipping is via calculated First Class Mail. Insurance is included. I gladly combine shipping for multiple purchases. I ship same or next business day.

I WILL ONLY PUT THE CORRECT INFORMATION ON THE CUSTOMS FORM. PLEASE DO NOT ASK ME TO CHANGE ANYTHING AS IT IS ILLEGAL IN THE U.S.A. AND I\'D PREFER NOT TO DO JAIL TIME!

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