Sheaffer Gold Imperial, Model AS9G c. 1958-59

by Jim Mamoulides, April 5, 2024

Sheaffer Gold Imperial model AS9G in black c. 1958-59. Note the palladium silver nib, a non-standard feature.

Another Mysterious Early Imperial

Soon after I finished my original 2015 article on the all plastic cap and barrel Sheaffer Imperial model AS9, I started to look for more information on this very similar Sheaffer pen. It looks like Sheaffer took the Imperial AS9 and simply stuck a gold filled cap on it. However, taking the cap off reveals it’s a pull off type, not a threaded type as on the Imperial AS9. The second puzzler was the palladium silver nib when it seems like it should have a gold one.

After posting some photos online I received copies of the page in the Sheaffer's Repair Manual identifying it as the Gold Imperial, model AS9G. Sure enough, that also confirmed that the pen should have the C9W 9.25 karat gold Short Sheath Nib, not a palladium silver one. The nib itself screws onto threads on the section, and likewise the section screws onto the barrel, so either could be a replacement, but there could be another possibility: the barrel and section may be from another nearly identical and obscure pen with a chrome plated cap.

I've seen just a few photos of the chrome plated cap, chrome plated trim, and a palladium silver nib version, but have never seen any documentation or advertising for it. I would guess that pen would be model AS8, with the 8 standing for the palladium silver nib. This pen may actually represent both of these very uncommon pens with the cap from one and the barrel and section from the other. Regardless, for this article, I'll be focusing on the Gold Imperial AS9G.

Sheaffer Gold Imperial AS9G description in the Sheaffer Service Manual. Image courtesy Gary Ellison

As with the Imperial AS9, Sheaffer’s model letters and numbers are coded to tell you what the product is, with the first letter indicating fountain pen, ballpoint, or pencil, the second letter indicating what type of product, typically by what filling system is used, and third, a number indicating the point type for a fountain pen. AS9 translates to A=pen, S=Touchdown, long, and 9=9.2 karat gold Short Sheath Nib. The additional G at the end indicates the Gold Imperial AS9G should have a gold filled slip cap.

There is no mention of the Imperial AS9 or the Gold Imperial AS9G in the August, 1959 U. S. Sheaffer catalog, which features the PFM, Snorkel and Cadet pens. Neither pen makes an appearance in the 1961 catalog, which contains not only the much more familiar looking Imperial IV, but a line of pens complimenting that design and bearing the Imperial name.

Sheaffer Gold Imperial AS9G advertisement in the May 24, 1958 Honolulu Advertiser

The all plastic cap and barrel Imperial AS9 appears in the April 7, 1959 Sheaffer England Retail Price List and in an undated c. 1959 or 1960 Sheaffer brochure as the "new" Imperial. Initially, I thought the Gold Imperial, model AS9G, was a variant of the AS9 and would have the same production or catalog dates, but the timing and the slip cap design appear to be off.

The earliest mention of the Gold Imperial AS9G is in an advertisement in the May 24, 1958 Honolulu Advertiser showing it with a list price of $13.20, which includes the additional gold tariff tax. That and the page in the Sheaffer's Repair Manual are the only confirmation of the model and release dates I’ve been able to find. Given that it does not appear in 1959 and later price lists, brochures or catalogs, I believe the Gold Imperial AS9G, and possibly its chrome plated cap sibling, were offered only c. 1958-1959.

Identification guide and features:

There is limited original documentation on this early Imperial. The primary sources are a Sheaffer Repair Manual model description page and a 1958 advertisement. The example shown in this article has a palladium silver nib that is not standard for this pen, and should be gold. The barrel imprint reads, W. A. SHEAFFER PEN CO. over FORT MADISON, IOWA, U.S.A. over MADE IN U.S.A. The information below is from source material from the U. S. A.

• Injection molded resin barrel in solid colors: black, burgundy, blue, and sage green
• Gold filled clip stamped SHEAFFER'S
• Gold filled cap with linear engraving
• Slip on cap
• 9.2 karat gold short tubular gold nib
• Available nib grades not known but probably extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub as with model AS9
• Touchdown filler
• About 5 3/8 inches long capped and 6 1/8 inches posted
• Retail price was $12.00
• Not known if a matching pencil was made

Performance

Even though this Gold Imperial AS9G does not have the correct nib, I still took it out for a test drive as the both the palladium silver and gold nibs are firm and write similarly. It’s slightly heavier in the hand than the Imperial AS9, and for comparison is about the same size and weight as a c. 1951-51 Sheaffer Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pen.

Pulling the cap off, the barrel and section of this pen looks a lot more like a Touchdown Skripsert than the Imperial AS9 because of the lack of threads. It’s as if Sheaffer could not decide whether the Imperial AS9 and Gold Imperial AS9G pen were a successor to the Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pen or an upscale Skripsert Touchdown and decided to try both. Given the short sales life, it appears that neither was successful.

The $12.00 retail price places the Gold Imperial AS9G above the gold nib 875 Cartridge Pen and pennies between the Snorkel Saratoga and Sovereign. This may have been the Achilles heel: pricing it too high against other Sheaffer models.

Sheaffer Gold Imperial model AS9G in black c. 1958-59. Note the palladium silver nib, a non-standard feature.

The Gold Imperial AS9G may appeal to collectors who focus on Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pens, Skripsert pens and obscure Sheaffer pens. It has the 1950s Sheaffer bullet shape, good visual balance both capped and posted, and is well made. The smooth and slender section is not slippery and feels right in the hand.

Sheaffer Touchdown pens fill easily. Pull off the cap, unscrew the end cap of the barrel, pull out the plunger, dip the nib in the inkwell, push in the plunger, and count to twenty. Wipe the nib and section and you are ready to write. The nib is a smooth nail with a little feedback, like a pencil on paper. It writes evenly, but with no expressiveness. It would make a nice everyday writer, good for quick notes.

The Gold Imperial AS9G is less common than the Imperial AS9, making it very collectible, but it’s not a high value pen. It may get a premium over an Imperial AS9 and many Sheaffer Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pens. I have not seen all four colors, only black and burgundy, but if they were named in the Service Manual, I believe they were made, though who knows how many exist now. I’d really like to see all the colors, any pencils that may exist, and how they were packaged. A set of Gold Imperial AS9G pens would make an interesting collection!

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Brian McQueen for providing scans of the Sheaffer, England April 7, 1959 price list and the Sheaffer brochure (England), undated, c. 1959-1960.

Thanks to Gary Ellison for providing scans of the Sheaffer brochure (England), undated, c. 1959-1960, and service manual images.

Thanks to Ernst Bitterman for providing Sheaffer catalog images.

Links to Referenced PenHero.com Articles

Sheaffer Imperial, Model AS9 c. 1959-60

References

Advertisement, The Honolulu Advertiser, May 24, 1958, page 3

Advertisement, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, December 9, 1957, page 12

Advertisement, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, December 20, 1957, page 21

"Gold Imperial - AS9G", Sheaffer's Service Manual, undated c. 1961, page B24-C

"Imperial - AS9", Sheaffer's Service Manual, undated c. 1961, page B24-B

Sheaffer brochure (England), undated, c. 1959-1960

Sheaffer Catalog, August, 1959

Sheaffer, England April 7, 1959 price list

Sheaffer's Service Manual, 1962