There is almost nothing
to distinguish between the Target and the Imperial III. In fact,
without the original packaging, it's a bit
of a guessing game which one any pen that looks like this might be--
the Target was the name this model went under in 1960 and early '61,
and from then until 1962 (when it was replaced by the 800) it was the Imperial III. Why
am I calling this a Target, then? Well, there's a somewhat
cryptic marking on the cap that includes what appears to be the date
1960, so I choose to believe it's the earlier version.
The main difference between this pen and the Imperial II is the point, which
is two-tone, and gives the impression of being a scaled-down version of
the gold point from a later Valiant.
This is a bit of trickery on Sheaffer's part, since in this case
it is the gold that is the plating rather than the silver-- this is in
fact the point from an Imperial II with some makeup on. This
doesn't mean much from a functional perspective, but it's the sort of
shenanigans that makes a consumer crabby if they're not aware of it
going in.
Specifications: Medium
palladium-silver two-tone
point. Touchdown filler. 13.5 cm long capped, 14.3 cm
posted.
Condition: Very slight matting from use. There's a brass
trim washer absent from between section and barrel, which appears in
the Imperials of this shape, but is seems that this is correct for the
model.
Repairs: Undid a previous "repair" that took the correct recurve
out of the point. Replaced sac and seals.
Location: My collection.
For sale?: I might
be convinced to sell it if you're anxious for one, but I'm not offering
it as on sale currently. If you want to try for it, contact me at:
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