Product Description
Type Vintage lever filling oversized fountain pen.
Product Name Balance Lifetime (this is an oversized model and very fat). Circa 1938, pens got model names and this one would be "Premier."
Manufacturer and Year Sheaffer, made in Canada -- 1936-42 (those were the years they made the Balance in this color and with this clip). The nib is marked Canada, but the middle line of the barrel imprint is obscured and it starts with "(OF ...." so we are guessing this might have been the Canadian imprint.
Length 5-5/8"
Filling System Lever filler. We've restored it with a new sac and it's working perfectly.
Color Green striated celluloid with gold plated trim. It has a white dot above the clip and the radius clip. The cap band is 1/8" wide.
Nib FINE gold nib. It's smooth and firm. It says Sheaffer Lifetime, Made in Canada, on it. There is a groove on the left side of the nib (difficult to see in the photo) which we usually attributed to the usage of a straight-edge to draw lines. The nib is not damaged, and normal writing pressure will not be impacted by this groove.
Condition This pen is gorgeous, but it does have a hairline cap lip crack so we are only rating it "very nice condition." It's a very shiny over-sized pen in a beautiful color pattern and with lots of shine. The barrel has marks caused by the cap lip and moderate scratching except near the end where there is heavier scratching and surface marks. The lever has plating wear and a strip of pitting. The crack on the lip climbs to the bottom edge of the cap band, and is shown in the photo below. The tip of the cap has the typical fissures that follow the striated pattern. There are also some tiny dot marks near the top of the cap and otherwise moderate scratching. The cap band has microscratching, some plating wear along the lower edge, and a few tiny dots of pitting. The white dot looks great. The imprints are mostly clear, though the Canada imprint is mostly gone.