Another Bloody Disaster

When I was in college training to become a journalist, a wise professor of mine once told me that a good journalist doesn't tell you what to think, but what to think about.   Therefore, I was pleased that the article I wrote on the military clip Sheaffer pencil a few weeks ago generated so much discussion about military clip Sheaffers in the online community.

The discussion turned up a small piece of information that leads me back to the subject. 

To recap, Sheaffer offered five models of pens with the military clip: the Skyboy, Valiant, Vigilant, Defender and Commandant.  The Skyboy was accompanied by a pencil also marked "Skyboy" on the clip, and the Commandant pen, the lowest-priced model in the lineup, was accompanied by a pencil marked "Sheaffer's" on the clip.  As for the Valiant, Vigilant and Defender, the same pencil appears to have accompanied all three.

In the course of researching that article, I learned that while Sheaffer military clips were catalogued by the company in black, red and brown; during the discussion of the article that followed, I learned that green examples such as my Valiant/Vigilant/Defender pencil pictured in The Catalogue, while uncatalogued, also turn up from time to time.   That led me to wonder whether the Skyboy and Commandant pencils could also be found in green. 

Historically, I've been an accidental Sheaffer collector.  Most of the examples I've acquired over the years have come to me in a group or boxful of items, and almost always it was some other item that induced me to make the purchase.   However, since I have always appreciated the quality in a Sheaffer pencil, the Sheaffers that have come into my possession generally "check in, but they don't check out."  Unless I've had another example that was identical to a new one arriving by box or by lot, I'd keep it rather than trading it away. 

This was the first time, I actually went out and searched for a Sheaffer pencil, and within just a couple days, I'd tracked down my green Commandant . . .

NOTE:  This article is now included in the print version of The Leadhead's Pencil Blog, available anywhere you buy books, or also from The Legendary Lead Company.

To order, here's the link:  Volume 1 at Legendary Lead Company