In 1907, Walter A. Sheaffer used his jewellery expertise to create a device which would allow users to fill a pen with ink much easier, cleaner and be more aesthetically-pleasing. In 1912, Walter A. Sheaffer, dedicated his life savings to his idea of a pen-filling apparatus that initiates a lever system. By the 1930’s, Sheaffer pens had solidified itself as a leader in the luxury pen market. The fountain pens were advertised as the pen that “fills instantly from any ink-well, with one touch of a finger.” Instantly, Sheaffer became a household name and must-have product. They have been innovators in their illustrious existence. They pioneered different nib styles in the 1920 making them more reliable, they were one of the first pen manufacturers to move away from hard rubber materials to celluloid , they altered pen shapes and introduced innovation such as the snorkel filling system. Sheaffer was a family owned company up until 1966 when the diversified Textron Conglomerate aquired control of the firm, becoming Sheaffer-Eaton.The Sheaffer Iowa plant was their main production plant, employing over 1000 people at its height shrinking to 550 in 1997 when they were bought by Bic for $50m. Under Bic’s tenure the Iowa plant was closed in March 2008 with production moving to China and operational aspects like purchasing, warehousing etc moving to Slovakia. In 2014 A T Cross acquired Sheaffer for $15m and was under their tenure until August 2022 when they sold the company to William Penn Pvt Ltd from India.