1950s Sheaffer Snorkel Clipper Fountain Pen

Vintage: 1950s

Make: Sheaffer

Model: Snorkel Clipper

Color/Pattern: Burgundy, polished SS cap

Materials: Bakelite C-11, stainless steel cap, gold-filled trim

Filling System: Snorkel filler. Sheaffer's famous Rube Goldberg Snorkel filling system, which provides a clean fill even from the very bottom of the bottle since only the Snorkel tube needs to be submerged, not the nib or feed. This pen has received full filling system overhaul with all seals and sac replaced. Guaranteed to fill to capacity with good pressure and no leaks. To fill one: (1) turns the blindcap to fully extend the Snorkel tube from the feed; (2) pulls the blindcap back to fully extend the pump; (3) submerses the Snorkel tube in ink; then (4) depresses the blindcap back into the barrel with one smooth stroke. 

Length: This full-sized model measures 5 9/16” capped.

Nib: Palladium Silver conical nib with the earlier, cursive imprint an upturned “Waverly” point to enhance smoothness. It lays down a smooth and consistent XF line.

Condition: Cap is clean with no brassing or dents and just one small ding parallel to the white dot on the left side of the cap. Not really noticeable unless pointed out. Plastic has a smooth, lustrous surface with no deep scratches or other noteworthy blemishes aside from a faint scratch on the barrel from posting the cap over the years. Manufacturer imprint on barrel is factory deep and fully legible. 

Details: In 1952 Sheaffer built on the design of the Touchdown by the addition of an ink-sucking tube that extends from the feed. Since only this “snorkel,” as Sheaffer styled it, needed to be submersed in the ink to fill the pen, the user was relieved of the onerous task of wiping excess ink from the nib after filling. The Clipper model is distinguished by its two-tone, polished stainless steel cap with gold-filled cap band and clip as well as by its Palladium Silver conical nib.