Matching (III)

The controversy is always there: Is that pen original or a copy of another? Which company did father that idea?

The Sheaffer Balance is a well known pen from the thirties, marketed in 1929, though—about which there is a lot of information. That pen combined a number of features to make it very attractive and a success—lever filler, colorful celluloid bodies, “torpedo” shape, lifetime guarantee…

Becoming an icon it was bound to be copied and imitated. The pen I am using to write this chronicle is one of them.

It is a lever filler called Hawaiian: "Registered Practical Pen", the inscription on the barrel says. It is made in green celluloid and follows very closely the design patterns of the original Sheaffer, including the white dot sign for lifetime warranty.

The white dot!

The main difference lies on the nib. The Hawaiian uses a very rigid and apparently untipped steel nib. However, it is fairly smooth.

The inscription on the nib reads "Hawaiian / PRACTICAL / GOLDEN PEN / -<5>- / S. Y. S. Co."

I bought it through an online auction thinking it was a Sheaffer Balance. Only once I got my hands on it I discovered the fake. But the price had been cheap and I decided to restore it and now it is a decent writer.

I have no information on this manufacturer.

Hawaiian Balance in green celluloid – J. Herbin Vert Empire

Bruno Taut
Madrid, December 8th, 2010
labels: Sheaffer, Hawaiian