1941 Carmine Sheaffer Balance Statesman - fine point

  Sheaffer introduced carmine celluloid in their 1941 catalog. And that is the final catalog year of the Sheaffer Balance line with the Triumph line introduced in 1942. That makes carmine pens among the  Balance pens produced for the shortest duration. That doesn't make this pen rare, but I think it is less common than some collectors realize. The condition is nearly as perfect as could be wished. The celluloid condition, color, and clarity are remarkable. See the photo looking down the barrel of the disassembled pen. And that was taken prior to polish. The only notable flaw is a couple of spots of lost plating on the edges at the end of the clip. The fun thing about this is that it reveals the underlying clip material is silver rather than brass. Brass was not available for things like during this wartime period. LengthCapped - 138 mm (5.2”)Uncapped - 121 mm (4.8”)Posted - 157 mm (6.2”)DiameterCap - 13.2 mm (0.53”)Barrel - 11.6 mm (0.45”) FillerVacuum-Fil Nibfine