Product Description
Type Vac filler fountain pen and mechanical pencil set.
Product Name Balance 350 fountain pen, this is the long slender version. Circa 1938 this model would have been renamed the Balance Craftsman. The pencil is a Balance 400.
Manufacturer and Year Sheaffer, made in USA -- Circa 1937 (The clip was only officially produced in 1935 but was made for a decade longer and the color was introduced in 1937).
Length the pen: 5-7/16 inches; the pencil: 5-1/4"
Filling System Vac filler. This sacless filling system uses a long syringe-like plunger rod tightly fitted into the cylindrical ink chamber that on the downstroke creates a vacuum inside the ink chamber that draws ink into the pen through the feed. Sheaffer adapted this filling system to the Balance line in 1935. The pencil takes .9mm leads.
Color The pen has a black cap and a black and amber (see thru) striated barrel, The pencil is solid black. Both have gold plated trim.
Nib FINE 14k Sheaffer's #3 nib is fairly smooth with a nice quantity of tipping material. It is very firm. See writing sample, below. The nib has a little give, but no real flex.
Condition Excellent condition for this handsome pen and pencil set. The Balance 350 pen: The barrel has light to moderate scratching throughout and horizontal capping lines at the top. The cap has light scratching throughout with heavier scratch marks toward the very top of the cap. The section looks great. The clip and cap band are excellent, though there's a small patch of brassing on the band. The Balance 400 pencil: The pencil has light to moderate scratching throughout and some bite marks at the top. There are some deep scratches where the cap meets the barrel. The clip and cap band are excellent. Neither piece has cracks, dents, or chips. Imprints are all crystal clear.
