Sheaffer Imperial, Model AS9 c. 1959-60

by Jim Mamoulides, August 13, 2015, updated March 29, 2024

Sheaffer Imperial model AS9 in sage green c. 1959-60

The First Imperial?

I admit I am often drawn to less celebrated or obscure pens simply because they represent a mystery that needs to be solved. One of my favorite non-pen collecting activities is reading or watching mysteries, especially those of the famous Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot. One of my many pen mysteries was embodied in a small Sheaffer Touchdown pen that I ran across several years ago. It is a solid black cap and barrel pen with gold trim and the Sheaffer's name stamped on the clip. So far, nothing special. I imagined that it was another Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pen. I've seen lots of them.

Unscrewing the cap revealed an unexpected two-tone short Triumph-like nib instead of the usual open or standard (and longer) Triumph nib. The Sheaffer's Repair Manual also calls the nib on this pen a Short Sheath Nib. Although it looks very similar, this pen is definitely not another version of the Sheaffer Thin Model (TM) Touchdown Pens made from 1950 to 1951. The nib on this pen first appears in 1958 on the Sheaffer Skripsert and Lady Sheaffer cartridge pens. I thought, "Is this some kind of Frankenpen?"

Examples of all four colors of the Sheaffer Imperial AS9, black, burgundy, blue and sage green. The foreground pens are all made in Australia. Note the screen printing on the barrel of the pen in the case. Image courtesy of Hugh Cordingley

No, believe it or not, this is an Imperial, model AS9 to be exact. By the way, pens aren't usually referred to by the model number, but it's necessary to distinguish this pen from later Imperials. The model number also says something about the pen's configuration. According to the "Identification Data" section of the Sheaffer Service Manual, the 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.

Sheaffer Imperial AS9 description in the Sheaffer Service Manual. Image courtesy Gary Ellison

The next part of the mystery is, if this is an Imperial, then why is it nothing like the later Imperials that look like junior size PFMs? How does it figure into the pantheon of Sheaffer Imperials? We need to work backwards from the introduction of the Imperial IV, the first Imperial that used an Inlaid nib, first mentioned in the January, 1961 Sheaffer's Review. The Imperial IV's profile is the one that comes to mind when the words "Sheaffer Imperial" are used today, one of Sheaffer's most familiar designs and variants of this later Imperial have been manufactured through the late 1990s. To distinguish that later Imperial from the one in this article, I'm going to refer to the Imperial shown in this article the Imperial AS9.

There is no mention of the Imperial AS9 in the August, 1959 U. S. Sheaffer catalog, which features the PFM, Snorkel and Cadet pens. The Imperial AS9 also makes no appearance in the 1961 catalog, which contains not only the familiar looking Imperial IV, but a whole line of pens complimenting that design and bearing the Imperial name.

Sheaffer Imperial AS9 advertisement in the November 17, 1959 Grimsby (England) Evening Telegraph

Sheaffer Creates One Convoluted Mystery

The earliest known reference for the Imperial AS9 is in the Sheaffer England Retail Price List dated April 7, 1959 under the heading "SHEAFFER'S NON-SNORKEL RANGE." Note that the model, AS9, is not used in the price list. It is shown in an undated c. 1959 or 1960 Sheaffer brochure as the "new" Imperial. This would make the Imperial AS9 an early use of the Imperial name on a Sheaffer pen line. There are examples of the Imperial AS9 with "IMPERIAL" screen printed on the barrel, as was the Sheaffer practice at the time.

Sheaffer Imperial listed in the Sheaffer, England April 7, 1959 price list. Image courtesy Brian McQueen

But is it the first Imperial? That distinction may belong to the Sheaffer Gold Imperial, model AS9G, a very similar pen with a pull off gold filled cap. The earliest confirmable mention of the Gold Imperial is a May 24, 1958 advertisement in the Honolulu Advertiser with a listed price of $13.20. More on that pen in an upcoming article!

Sheaffer Imperial AS9 shown in an undated c. 1959-1960 Sheaffer (England) brochure. Image courtesy Brian McQueen

Ready for a second puzzler? The AS9 may indeed be the first Imperial after all, depending on how you look at it. There are two retailer ads in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, on December 9 and 20, 1957, advertising a Sheaffer Imperial pen with a regular price of $6.60 at a special discount to $3.63 and $3.95. Unfortunately neither has an image or description of the pen. Given the price point close to the $6.00 list price of the Imperial AS9 and no other Sheaffer Imperial ads appearing anywhere else in 1957, it sounds like this may be due to a market test in Hawaii and the retailers were getting rid of them afterward. Given the short run of these pens, that may have been a bad omen for this model.

Sheaffer Imperial AS9 in burgundy and black with Imperial AS9G in burgundy

Given the information at hand, the Imperial AS9 was likely officially introduced early in 1959, in time for the April 1959 price list and following brochure, and was retired by the end of 1960, making way for the new PFM-like Imperials commonly associated with the name today. In another plot twist, that Imperial, the Imperial III, was a direct model name change from the 1960-1961 Sheaffer Target! This timing likely also holds with the new Imperial's two metal cap siblings, but those are covered in other articles (see references at the end).

Sheaffer Imperial model AS9 in burgundy and black c. 1959-60

Identification guide and features:

There is limited original documentation on this very early model of Imperial. The primary sources are a Sheaffer England Retail Price List dated April 7, 1959, undated catalog pages from 1959 or 1960, and the Sheaffer Repair Manual model description page. Examples of all four catalog colors of this pen exist and show U. S. A., Canada, and Australia imprints. Examples exist with both the plain gold nib as shown in the Sheaffer Service Manual as well as examples with a two-tone gold nib, which is likely a repair replacement or a production change. 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. or England.

• Injection molded resin cap and barrel in solid colors: black, burgundy, blue, and sage green
• Gold filled clip stamped SHEAFFER'S
• Gold filled 1/4 inch wide cap band
• Threaded cap
• 9.2 karat gold short tubular gold nib
• Available nib grades: extra fine, fine, medium, broad, and stub
• Touchdown filler
• About 5 3/8 inches long capped and 6 1/8 inches posted
• Retail price was $6.00
• Available with matching pencil

Performance

In the hand, the Sheaffer Imperial AS9 is basically the same size and weight as a Sheaffer Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pen made from 1950 to 1951. In a way, it looks like a parts bin pen, with a cap and barrel similar to the Touchdown Sovereign, but with a clip similar to the Touchdown Admiral. The Imperial AS9 barrel is longer than the Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pen and the filler knob is different. Removing the cap reveals a nib section that looks like it belongs on a 1958/1959 Skripsert. I would say that visually cheapens the pen a bit from the Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pens, which have a very similar nib unit to the ones used on the Snorkel. I would guess these design decisions were made to clearly distinguish the Imperial AS9 from the more expensive Snorkel line and establish it at the lower $6.00 price point, higher than the Cadet, but lower than the cheapest Snorkel, the Special.

Because of its similarities to the Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pens, the Imperial AS9 will likely appeal to 1950s era Sheaffer collectors. The pen has the same bullet shape, spare frills, and good visual balance both capped and posted. Unlike the ribbed sections on the Thin Model (TM) Touchdown and Snorkel pens, the Imperial AS9 has a smooth section, which feels just fine in the hand. I would imagine using a ribbed section on this pen would look odd with the smaller nib. As with all 1950s Sheaffer products, the Imperial AS9 is well made, with everything fitting tightly together.

This is a light pen in the hand, weighing only half an ounce. The Sheaffer Touchdown system is simple and fills efficiently. Just 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. Remove the nib and wipe it and you are ready to write! I'm glad the short Triumph nib unit is on this pen rather than an open nib. Visually it works well, and they are good writers. Both pens I tried write very nicely, very smooth and not overly wet.

Sheaffer Imperial model AS9 in black c. 1959-60. Note the two-tone nib, a non-catalog feature.

From a collector's point of view, the appeal of these pens is that they are pretty uncommon. When offered for sale, they won't be much different in price than Sheaffer Thin Model (TM) Touchdown pens, and generally less than Snorkels. They do sell quickly when offered. There are only four colors to find and having not seen enough of them to have an idea as to which colors are harder to get, observation says black seems to be the easiest, followed by burgundy. There are examples with plain gold as well as two-tone gold nibs, which leads me to believe that these are later repairs or that Sheaffer just used up whatever they had and shipped the pens out. Neither appears to have more collectible value, though the Sheaffer Service Manual shows the plain nib as the "correct" one. I also would consider that availability may mean a collection composed of both USA and Australian made pens. In my opinion, if you want to focus on something that may take some time to complete, not necessarily cost a lot of money, and would be a good "bet you haven't seen one of these" pens," completing a collection of the Sheaffer Imperial AS9 would be fun!

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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 Hugh Cordingley for providing detailed observational information and a photograph of all four colors of the pen.

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.

Thanks to Andy Evans of Andy's Pens for loaning the burgundy Sheaffer Imperial photographed in this article

Links to Referenced PenHero.com Articles

Sheaffer Target 1960-1961

Early Sheaffer Imperials 1961-1962

References

Advertisement, Grimsby (England) Evening Telegraph, November 17, 1959, page 6

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

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

"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 Review, April - May, 1960

Sheaffer's Review, June, 1960

Sheaffer's Review, January, 1961

Sheaffer's Service Manual, 1962