The Sheaffer story begins with the invention of the lever filling fountain pen by Walter A. Sheaffer in Fort Madison, Iowa. The fountain pens of the day were cumbersome and messy to refill, requiring an eyedropper and a steady hand. Sheaffer's dissatisfaction with this inconvenience led him to seek a refilling method that would be simple and clean.

The result, the first practical lever filling fountain pen, earned Walter Sheaffer a U.S. patent in August of 1908. A single stroke of a slim metal lever filled the pen reservoir directly from the ink bottle. Local reception was so enthusiastic that Sheaffer decided to risk his life savings to establish the W.A. Sheaffer Pen Company in 1912.

Walter Sheaffer's pioneering spirit founded a company and a tradition of innovation and quality that coninues down to this day.

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