1934 Sheaffer Balance 3-25 Petite SOLD ($125 US)

Hello there! Welcome to Inkquiring Minds. My name is Doug, and I'm back with another pen resurrection Sunday video.

This seems to be turning into a trend. Last week, I resurrected a tiny ebonite lever-fill pen that I estimated was made around 1920. Today, I’m bringing you a slightly larger pen: a Sheaffer Balance 3-25 Petite in blue celluloid, which dates back to 1932-1934. I picked it up at a local antique store just a couple of weeks ago. 

Before 1929, most fountain pens were made of ebonite or black hard rubber (BHR) like the one I showed you last week. Most of these pens had a black, tube-shaped design with flat top and bottom finials. However, in 1929, Sheaffer revolutionized the fountain pen industry by introducing the Sheaffer Balance, a torpedo-shaped fountain pen made from celluloid plastic. This innovation allowed pens to be streamlined and available in a variety of vibrant colors beyond classic black. The Sheaffer Balance is likely the most copied pen shape in the history of fountain pens. 

Sheaffer produced the Balance from 1929 until the late 1940s. Although Sheaffer did not date stamp their pens, you can estimate when a pen was made by examining the shape of the clip and the color of the celluloid. This particular pen features what's known as a short round ball humped clip—simply referred to as "short round." 

Given the blue celluloid color, I can estimate that this pen was manufactured between 1932 and 1934. It’s important to note that this pen was made in Toronto, Canada. The fountain pen plants in Canada, such as those for Sheaffer, Parker, and Waterman, often deviated from U.S. standards, but it's most likely from 1932 to 1934. 

Now, let’s triage this pen and see what it needs to come back to the land of the living!

THOUGHTS

So, what are my thoughts on this resurrection? Well, I'm pleased with this one. The experience of finding it was incredibly fun. I regularly visit one of my favorite antique shops, where there are a couple of booths that tend to have fountain pens now and then. One particular booth has been a mixed bag for me over the years; I've encountered a lot of junk there. Occasionally, I’d see an interesting fountain pen, but most of them were Canadian-made steel nibs that were either bent or corroded.

However, when I spotted this pen with a Schaffer clip, I knew I needed the key for that booth. Once inside, I took a closer look. The first thing you do, of course, is take off the cap and check: "Is the nib missing? Is it steel? Is it twisted beyond recognition?" Thankfully, this pen looked like it was in really great shape, although it did show some wear after many years.

I eagerly paid the vendor's asking price and couldn't wait to examine it at home. While these pens are not exactly rare, they are relatively uncommon. You can find them on eBay from time to time. This particular pen might not appeal to everyone because it is quite small.

To give a sense of scale, I compared it to a Pilot Metropolitan; as you can see, the Sheaffer is significantly smaller. If you have large hands, this pen may not be suitable for you. However, in my medium-sized hand, it feels a bit small, but it writes beautifully. I'm thrilled with how well it polished up, especially the nib, which now looks like it is brand new.

I didn't have to do much to it; I simply polished it with 8,000 and then 12,000 grit micromesh to eliminate some feedback. The nib was already in excellent shape, and it appeared to have been previously repaired.

Inside the barrel, I found a latex sack that wouldn't hold much ink anymore because it was somewhat flaccid. Installing a new sack gave this pen a new lease on life. Hopefully, one of you might be interested in owning this pen. I wouldn't be able to write with it for extended periods because it is so small, but those with smaller hands might appreciate this blue celluloid pen from 1934. It fits beautifully in a purse and is a lovely piece of vintage memorabilia that is functional.

I've decided to sell this pen for $125 USD. If you're interested in purchasing it, please send me an email at inkquiringminds@gmail.com, and I will provide you with instructions on how to pay via PayPal. Shipping to most places in continental North America is around $10 USD.

If you’re interested, just send me your address, and I’ll give you a shipping quote. And that wraps it up for me—another dead pen back to life!

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Thank you for watching!

And that's all she wrote.