Sheaffer

Walter A. Sheaffer’s company in Fort Madison, Iowa, built on his lever filler of 1908; the Snorkel (1952) is the best-known system.

Walter A. Sheaffer was a jeweller in Fort Madison, Iowa, and patented a fountain pen filled with a lever on the side. He started the W. A. Sheaffer Pen Company.

The Balance of 1929, with a streamlined barrel, and the Snorkel of 1952, in which a tube extended to fill the pen, became classics. Sheaffer also made the Targa of 1976.

The white dot on the clip or cap, since the 1920s a sign of a lifetime guarantee.

• Pens and writing
• Sheaffer Snorkel
• Sheaffer Balance
• Sheaffer PFM
• Sheaffer Targa