In My Collection

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Dating a Balance by its clip: Over its long life, Sheaffer’s original Balance design underwent several changes. One of the most visible was an evolution in clip design. This article shows you the different clips used on Balance pens and gives you hints about determining the age of a Balance. It is important to understand that new variations were first used on Lifetime models and then extended to lesser pens; thus, a Balance without the White Dot is likely to have been made for several years after the periods described here. (Revised March 2, 2008)

In the Beginning: When Sheaffer introduced the Balance in 1929, the pen bore a long humped clip that was essentially the same as the clip used on later models of the flat-top pen that preceded the Balance. Here is an early Balance cap with the long humped clip. Note the round ball; the shape of the ball becomes important later.
Subtle changes: In 1930 or 1931, Sheaffer modified the clip very slightly, shortening it a little and rounding its top so that it doesn’t stick out straight, as shown on the clip here. Like its predecessor, this version is referred to as a long round ball humped clip.
A shorter clip, but still a round ball: In 1931 or 1932, Sheaffer shortened the clip further and slightly streamlined its top. This new clip, called a short round ball humped clip, was used into 1934. Some reference books state that this streamlined version came into use in 1933, but I have in my collection a Blue 3-25 Balance, engraved on its band DL TO EMP 5-26-'32, with a clip of this design.
The flat ball appears: In late 1934 or ealy 1935, Sheaffer flattened the top surface of the ball, leaving the remainder of the clip unchanged. On Lifetime pens, this flat ball humped clip was used for only one year; but it continued to appear on lower-priced pens long after it was discontinued on Lifetime models, probably into the 1940s.
The clip loses its hump: In late 1935 or early 1936, Sheaffer redesigned the clip, streamlining it. The flat ball remains, but it is smaller. This clip, known as a “radius” clip, was used well into the period of the Second World War.
Button your pocket, mister! In the years immediately before the Second World War and into the ealy war years, Sheaffer offered a military version of the Balance. This version’s clip, which made its appearance in 1940, has been described as an ordinary radius clip cleverly adapted to wrap over the top of the pen. It isn’t exactly what it seems, however; it uses existing design features, but it is a unique design made specifically as a military clip. Its anchor is similar to that of Sheaffer’s standard radius clip (shown above) but is somewhat beefier, the clip is significantly longer than a standard clip in order to span the greater distance over the cap and down the other side, and there is no visible ball protruding sidewise at the open end. The over-the-top clip design complied with military regulations of the time by allowing the pen to seat deeper in the pocket so that the user can button his pocket flap without having the pen show.
The final version: The last clip version, appearing on “civilian” pens late in 1945, is spring loaded (U.S. Patent Nº 2,473,690) and fully streamlined, with no visible ball. The pen has been restyled to a more cigarlike shape and is technically no longer a Balance. This clip design, however, remained in use until at least the 1990s, on pens such as the reintroduced Crest.

Post script: When Sheaffer reintroduced the Balance in the 1990s, the company chose to bedeck the new old pen with the 1935 flat-ball humped clip.

The information in this article is as accurate as possible, but you should not take it as absolutely authoritative.

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