The Sheaffer Imperial 506 was made in the 1970s, it appears in the 1974 catalogue.

This is a new old stock pencil, it is unused and in perfect condition throughout. 

At 12.8cm. in length it is a full sized pencil, finished completely in polished chrome with longitudinal fine lines arranged in groups.  The clip carries the Sheaffer 'White Dot' mark of quality.

The eraser is unused and can be removed to access spare leads that are stored in the barrel.  A new lead can easily be fitted through the cone when required.

The pen has a rotary mechanism, operated by turning the cap to extend and retract the lead, it has a smooth action.

Mechanical pencils have seen an upsurge in popularity recently with new models ranging from a few pounds to over two hundred pounds. The vast majority of these new pencils, however, use the simple, and cheap to make, 'click action' clutch mechanism. The original rotary mechanism, as in this vintage pencil, is much more robust and is generally only found on the more expensive models.