Cross
Pens and Ephemera

American-made luxury pens are a rare treat in modern manufacturing, but this Cross Townsend rollerball pen was a staple of the 1990s. Gold-plated sophistication makes this pre-owned pen a must. Our pen shows some wear from use, but there are no dents, cracks or engravings. The cap has a tight snap closure. We include a free refill with this classic pen. 15cm capped.

Celebrating Chinese New Year, this Cross 2015 Year of the Goat fountain pen is a real head turner. Using the Cross Sauvage platform, this preowned pen was coated in Moonlit Black Lacquer leaving the golden outline of a goat. We believe the pen to be new old stock. The slightly scuffed up and worn presentation box still hosts the original cartridges and unused converter. There isn't a trace of wear on the pen. The only thing missing is whatever was in a square space inside the box, in front of the pen. As we suspect it to be N.O.S., we didn't dip the 18k gold nib to try it. It appears to be either a fine or extra-fine. Click the headline for close-ups. 13.2cm capped.

Cross Metropolis pens came out in the mid-1990s and really seemed to spruce-up the classic brand's pen line-up. They also were some of the last to be made in the U.S.A. Not made for many years, the pens have developed a cult following in recent years. This black-and-chrome model looks very close to mint condition. Twist the tail cap to advance and retract the working, black Cross refill. 13.3cm capped.

Cross updated its Cross Century pen line with a clipless "For Her." It has a love floral ring around the twist caps on both the ballpoint pen and pencil. Each pen is gold-filled, and neither seems to show much wear from use. The packaging is complete from when new, and this might very well be a New Old Stock set. The ballpoint refill works well, but the mechanism is a little stiff from lack of use. The pencil is in good working order.

We don't know the first thing about this brace of Cross mini pencils. They are very skinny and just about as wide as a tie clip pencil, but they don't have tie clips. The front writing instrument is made of solid sterling silver. It has some dents in the nose cone but it seems to work well. You twist the nose cone to advance or retract the lead that we think is .9mm. Its matching pencil is "1/30 10k Gold RGP." We think that mean Rolled Gold Plating. It works well, too, and there is much less damage or wear to the RGP pencil. Both measure 8.8cm.