The Sheaffer Imperial l was introduced in 1962 and was only made for a year or so, a very short production run. Any pen marked 'Sheaffer'S' rather than 'Sheaffer' was made before 1964, the 'S' was dropped when the company was taken over and ceased to be privately owned.
Finished in Royal Blue, Sheaffer's description of the colour, the pen is in excellent condtion throughout. It has a pristine surface, a clear imprint, and bright, unbrassed Gold fill to the clip and cap band.
The nibs were inset into the section and were either Gold plated steel or 14Ct. Gold, this pen has a Gold nib. It writes well, delivering a smooth line, perhaps a little on the fine side of medium, Sheaffer nibs tend to be a little finer than the equivalent Parker nib.
At 13.3 cm, capped and 14.5 cm. posted the Imperial l is a medium sized pen with a comfortable feel. At 13g. it is also a light pen, a very desirable attribute when writing for extended periods of time. The small muscles in the fingers can cope with this much easier than with a modern heavyweight.
The pen is a cartridge filler, a new ink cartridge is supplied with the pen, ink converters are also available for use with bottled ink. The box is marked 'Sheaffer', so it must be from a later pen but it is in exceptionally clean condition and suits the Imperial very well.