| Clips:
Sheaffer’s Balance |
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| Dating
a Balance: Over its long life, Sheaffer’s
original Balance design underwent several changes. One
of the most visible was an evolution in clip design. This
article shows you the different clips used on Balance
pens and gives you hints about determining the age of
a Balance. It is important to understand that new variations
were first used on Lifetime models and then extended to
lesser pens; thus, a Balance without the White Dot is
likely to have been made as much as five years after the
periods described here. The information here is as accurate
as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely
authoritative. |
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| In
the Beginning: When Sheaffer introduced the Balance
in 1929, the pen bore a long humped clip that was essentially
the same as the clip used on later models of the flat-top
pen that preceded the Balance. Here is an early Balance
cap with the long humped clip. Note the round ball; the
shape of the ball becomes important later. |
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| Subtle
changes: In 1931, Sheaffer modified the clip
very slightly, shortening it a little and rounding its
top so that it doesn’t stick out straight, as shown
on the clip here. Like its predecessor, this version is
referred to as a long round ball humped clip. |
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| A
shorter clip, but still a round ball: In 1933,
Sheaffer shortened the clip further and slightly streamlined
its top. This new clip, called a short round ball humped
clip, was used for two years, 1933 and 1934. |
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| The
flat ball appears: In 1935, Sheaffer flattened
the top surface of the ball, leaving the remainder of
the clip unchanged. This flat ball humped clip was used
for only one year. This clip is the prime example of a
design that continued long after it was discontinued on
Lifetime pens; it was still in use on lower-priced pens
into the 1940s. |
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| The
clip loses its hump: In 1936, Sheaffer redesigned
the clip, streamlining it. The flat ball remains, but
it is smaller. This clip was used for about three years,
from 1936 to 1939. |
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| The
war years: In the years immediately before and
during the Second World War, Sheaffer offered a military
version of the Balance. This clip is essentially an ordinary
streamlined clip with no visible ball, but it wraps over
the top of the pen so that the user can button his pocket
flap without having the pen show. |
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| The
final version: The last clip version, appearing
at about the same time as the military clip, is fully
streamlined, with no visible ball. This clip remained
in use until the basic Balance design was discontinued. |
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| Post
script: When Sheaffer reintroduced the Balance
in the 1990s, the company chose to bedeck the new old
pen with the 1935 flat-ball humped clip. Well done, Sheaffer! |
