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The
Modern Sheaffer Crest 1989-1998 by Jim Mamoulides 12/27/01 - Updated 7/4/05
Revival! The modern Crest pen line was inspired by the 1952-1959 Snorkel pens, though executed as a much simpler and modern cartridge / converter pen. Sheaffer took the name from the gold filled cap / plastic barrel Snorkel model and spent three years developing the new Crest pen before its launch. The modern Sheaffer Crest line was introduced in the September 1989 catalog and was produced until 1998. This new line filled the gap between the flagship Connaisseur line, which sold for US $200 - $375, and the Targa line's US $65 - $210 price range. Regular Crest models were priced in the US $200 - $250 price range.
The line went through at least one major revision shortly after introduction in 1989, possibly as early as the very next model year. The initial model appears to have been aimed at a lower end market, with a stainless steel nib and a stronger 1950s Snorkel appearance. The line was apparently quickly revamped for a more upscale slot in the Sheaffer catalog. Side by side, the modern Crest shows the very strong influence of the Snorkel pens. The cap and barrel are the same dimensions, with the modern Crest having less taper on the barrel end. There is no end cap for a Touchdown plunger, so the barrel end is smooth and blunt. The cap itself, when done in gold electroplate has a four straight lines and blank design, instead of the staggered single line pattern on the Snorkel Crest cap, which is gold filled. The White Dot on the Crest is mounted on the top of the clip instead of on the cap top as on the Snorkel, but the clip is spring loaded on both. The Triumph nib is nearly the same size and shape, though the engraving on the Crest nib is not as deep. The Snorkel has a 14 karat gold nib, where the late model modern Crest has an 18 karat one. The Crest section is smooth instead of spiral grooved as on the Snorkel, but both share metal section threads, though the Crest's are gold plate instead of the Snorkel's chrome plate. In all, the Crest is successful modern rendition of the classic Sheaffer design of the 1950s. The Crest model name was originally given to any pen in the line that had a gold-filled metal cap. The first Crest was introduced in 1937 as the first Sheaffer with a metal cap and plastic body. The pen was originally not named, but in 1938, Sheaffer gave it the name"Crest", and used that name through 1959 for pens with gold plated or solid gold caps and plastic barrels. The original Crest had a cap with a pronounced taper, followed in 1942 by a Triumph nibbed version, and in 1945 with a more bullet shaped cap. This more rounded cap became the model for all following caps, having a staggered single line pattern engraved, a design that continued through the Touchdown, TM, and TM Snorkel pen lines. The modern Crest borrows elements from this final cap design.
Unlike it's namesake, the modern Crests were not defined by their gold plated caps. Certain models are all lacquer, palladium plated, sterling silver, or gold plated caps and barrels, making the Crest line more of a renaissance in the spirit of the Snorkel line than the one gold cap model. Instead of gold fill, the modern Crest is finished in 23 karat gold electroplate. The choice of 18 karat gold for the two-tone Triumph nib is more in line with other modern pens, instead of the original 14 karat two-tone nibs. Sheaffer re-introduced a number of revival pens in the 1990s including the PFM-like Legacy, the Triumph Imperial, and the Balance II. The Crest is now discontinued. The Mighty Morphin' Crest - Was There A Mark I?
One of the great things about researching and writing about pens on the internet is that invariably someone will approach you with new and often radical information about a pen model that you thought you had wrapped up. Kees van Leijenhorst contacted me with some very surprising information about the modern Sheaffer Crest. He had a 1989 catalog that shows the early Crest models, and it clearly shows a number of significant variations from the modern Sheaffer Crest pens that most people see in the field. It also appears, after checking through other Sheaffer catalog information from just a year or two later, that if this earlier pen was produced, it went through a major revision into the pen that is widely known today. This pen, if it was produced, should properly be called the Sheaffer Crest Mark I, to set it apart from other variations that may exist. More on that later on. The Mark I pen is characterized with the following differences from the later versions:
It's notable that this Mark I pen is positioned in the catalog after the Targa and before the Triumph pen lines, indicating it was a lower price pen than the Targa, as would be expected from a stainless steel nib pen line. The later versions, with an 18 karat gold nib, was positioned and priced above the Targa. Identification guide and features:
I only have catalog information to offer for the Mark I pen. The fact that Sheaffer went to the trouble of printing up catalogs with the pen in this form indicates that this pen at least was made in some pre-production form. I have yet to see any actual examples, and would imagine that they are quite uncommon. Leapin' Model Numbers! Crest Mark II
A later Sheaffer catalog, possibly 1990 or 1991, reveals another early modern Crest mystery. The catalog text clearly states that the nib is 18 karat gold with a palladium plated mask, yet the nib illustration shows a 14 karat gold nib in that style. Sheaffer clearly thought about offering the pen with a 14 karat nib, but I have yet to see any examples. There are four models:
Identification guide and features:
The gold plated caps show the same longer engraving than seen in later versions of the modern Crest, but this is the principal difference between the Mark II and Mark III pens. Although none is shown in the catalog, there may have been capped rollerball pens. Crest Models - Mark III The first Crest pens were listed in the September, 1989 catalog and came in two versions: gold plated caps with either black or red laquer barrels or all gold plated cap and barrel. The earliest catalogs show the pen with a stainless steel nib. Soon afterward, Crest pens clearly have 18 karat gold nibs, but some cap variations. By 1992, the pen arrived in its final form and more styles were added. In 1992 Sheaffer added an all sterling silver pen with alternating plain and engraved bands down the length of the barrel and cap, an all gold plated pen, and an all palladium plated pen. The plated pens were also brass base construction. An all black lacquer cap and barrel pen and a gold plated cap and red lacquer barrel pen were also added in 1992. Additional lacquer colors, called the Nova Laque series, were introduced to the line in 1996. The first and only celluloid Opalite models were also introduced in 1996. Crests, by the final version, came in fountain pen, rollerball, ballpen, and pencil versions. The fountain pen and roller ball are essentially the same cap and barrel design with the roller ball having a different section and an insert in the barrel to hold the refill. The twist action ballpen and continuous feed 0.7mm pencil are the same design with different mechanisms installed. The pencil was introduced to the Crest line in 1996. Crest Palladium Electroplate
The all palladium electroplate model was introduced in 1992 and was continued the entire Crest series life. It was a significant departure from the Sheaffer Snorkel palette. No Snorkel model was made in an all palladium finish, making this a unique look to this revival style. This noble metal finish was actually priced lower than the lacquer finish models. Identification guide and features:
Crest Gold Cap / Laque Barrel
The 23 karat gold electroplate cap / Black Laque barrel model was part of the original release of the Crest line in 1989 and continued the entire run. The Red Laque version was also first offered in 1989, but was dropped in 1995. The look of these pens is strikingly like the Sheaffer Snorkel Crest of the 1950s, which was a gold plated cap pen with a plastic barrel. The modern Crest derives its name from this 1950s model. Identification guide and features:
Crest Black Laque
The Black Laque model was unique in the Crest line, having a simple gloss black finish on the cap and barrel. This model was introduced in 1992, and was the fourth model in the line. The Nova series pens were the only other pens in the line with Laque caps and barrels. Identification guide and features:
Crest Nova Laque
The Nova Laque models were introduced in 1996. Sheaffer had offered similar Laque finishes on the Targa line. The Nova Laque finish is noted for its 23 layers of Laque finish with hand decoration underneath, giving each pen a unique appearance. Sheaffer included the Nova Laque pens as part of its Color Palette Program. The Black Laque pens were the only other pens in the line with Laque caps and barrels.
Identification guide and features:
Crest Opalite
In 1996 Sheaffer introduced the Opalite series in two colors, Opalite Red and Marine Green, which were followed by Golden Brown later that year. The models were produced until the Crest line was discontinued. These are 23 karat gold electroplate capped pens with barrels made from natural cotton based celluloid in marbled patterns. The pen barrels are lightweight, compared to the brass constructed models, and are translucent. Identification guide and features:
Celluloid! Most Crest models have caps and barrels of all brass construction with a variety of lacquer and metal finishes. Of course, many of the models have gold plated caps. In 1996, Sheaffer went in the way-back machine and introduced a celluloid bodied pen, the "Opalite" series, the first real celluloid Sheaffer since the 1940s.
The Opalite models are made from a solid rod of celluloid that goes through several lathe turning processes. The rod stock is drilled to create the barrel and is then tapered at the barrel end. The cap threads are an installed metal insert. The barrels are sanded and polished, hand work that can be visible to the naked eye and shows by running fingers on the barrel and feeling for undulations from lathe turning and sanding. The resulting barrel is translucent, though very dark. Crest 23K Gold Electroplate
The 23 karat gold electroplate model bears a strong visual resemblance to the Sheaffer Snorkel Triumph, an all gold filled pen. It carries the strong engraved lines from the gold plated caps of the gold cap / laque models through the entire barrel. A handsome gift pen, introduced in 1992 and carried the length of the model life. It is the second highest priced pen in the line. No rollerball was offered in this model. Identification guide and features:
Crest Sterling Silver
The sterling silver model was the top of the line, introduced in 1992 and made throughout the life of the Crest line. No sterling silver model was in the regular production of the Snorkel, which crowned its line with a solid gold Masterpiece model. The sterling silver Crest has a unique alternating straight line / barleycorn pattern heavily engraved into the cap and barrel. Classic Pens used blanks of the sterling silver model as the basis for one of their limited edition pens, the 1993 released CP2, that memorializes Russian author Alexander Pushkin. Identification guide and features:
Performance I tested several Crests, with fine and medium nibs. Though slender, this is a long pen, being 5 5/8 inches long capped and 6 3/8 inches posted. Even so, the pen is well balanced in the hand, posted or not. The lacquer and plated pens have a very substantial feel, being made from all brass bodies, but being slim, they are not imposing in the hand, which bodes well for those with smaller hands. You will not consider these a lightweight pen. They weigh a lot more than the same sized mostly plastic Snorkel models they emulate. It's not Cross Townsend heavy, but it's not light. The Opalite pen, though made from celluloid, surprisingly, feels just as heavy as the metal pens. It could be the insert for the metal threads for the cap that adds the weight.
The finish of the pens is quite good, with the Opalite and the Nova lacquer pens being the most interesting. Both have a lot of depth and visual appeal. The gold electroplated caps appear to be well made and screw onto metal threads on the section, providing a positive grip. It would be hard to strip these. The clip is spring loaded, making it easy to slip onto many materials. A nice touch. The pen fills easily with a squeeze converter or standard Sheaffer cartridges. All the nibs I tried wrote fairly wet and even lines with no variation. The nibs are very firm indeed, with no give at all. One could write through carbons with this pen. This is a smooth writer, but not butter smooth, consistent across all samples.
In my estimation, the modern Crest is a nice mid-range pen that makes a good daily user for those who want a slender but solid pen and a stiff nib. As this is a discontinued model, new old stock pens appear to be available, as of this writing, at deep discounts, making this a pen to consider. Acknowledgement Thanks to Kees van Leijenhorst and Patrick Van Hoof for providing scans of the 1989 Sheaffer catalog and information on the earliest models of the pen. Scans from the 1996 Sheaffer Catalog were used to illustrate specific pens and are copyright © 1996 Sheaffer. Comments on this article may be sent
to the author, Jim Mamoulides |
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