Sheaffer Balance 500; Fully Restored Fountain Pen, Lever-fil, 14K Feather Touch #5 Nib. (Has an experimental gray plastic nib)

 Name/Type: Sheaffer Balance Manufacture Year: Early 1940s Length: 5 3/16 Filling System: Restored Lever Fill Color/Pattern: Brown Pearl Nib Type/Condition and remarks: Feathertouch #5 1k Fine nib.  This pen is in good condition but what makes it special is it has a wartime plastic feed. This fully restored pen features a gray plastic feed, a rare find from a time when rubber was scarce. Due to the rubber shortage, Sheaffer experimented with different materials to make feeds, white plastic was more common. I have only seen two or three gray feeds.  It does have a crack in the barrel (in the threads). It has some micro-scratches as well as some brassing on the trim.