The Lady Sheaffer was introduced in 1958 and remained in production until around 1980. This Lady 630, a high end version, is a 1979 pen, one of the last of the Lady Sheaffers.
The pen is finished with a brushed gold appearance but it has a high gloss surface, generally 'brushed' finishes are matt. With only very light usage marks, the pen is in excellent condition. It has a gold filled clip, which carries the Sheaffer 'White Dot' mark of quality, reserved for pens that retailed above a certain price. The gold filled 'Florentine Band', after an Italian style of engraving, is an unusual and most striking feature of the Sheaffer Lady 630.
The pen is a cartridge/ converter filler, two ink cartridges are inclued in the original box, along with a warranty and instruction leaflet showing that the pen was purchased from H. Samuels, the jewellers, in 1979. The pen has a 14Ct. Gold inset nib which writes with a very smooth, medium line.
At 13.2 cm. capped and 14Cm. posted the Lady Sheaffer 630 is not a particularly small pen, perfectly comfortable in use. It is interesting that Both Parker and Conway Stewart, with the Lady and Dinkie respectably, went for a standard pen in a smaller size but Sheaffer actually asked hundreds of women what they wanted from a 'ladies' pen and siize was not a top priority. They valued style and appearance much more highly, hence the Lady Sheaffer.
The Lady Sheaffer was made in a bewildering variety of finishes and trim levels. The White Dot, Gold nibbed versions, such as this 630, were at the top of the range and were correspondingly expensive, this meant that relatively fewer pens were sold. In addition, by the time this pen was made the whole concept of 'ladies pens' was less acceptable to modern women. This does not alter the fact, however, that it is an outrageously attractive, well made, and practical pen with a great pedigree but the result is that the Sheaffer Lady 630 is now quite an uncommon vintage pen.