Cross Century Made In Usa? How To Tell Usa Pens?

[CowboyBlue]

I recently purchased a "made in USA" vintage Cross Century rollerball and pencil set on ebay. Seller had a picture of the correct style box (tan velvet grip slots or whatever they are called) with an old price tag sticking up.The set I got is NOT that set, so I will be sending it back.

 

Is there some way to tell if the pens were made in the USA? Didn't they once have "made in USA" stamped around the tops of the barrels?

[sirtoti]

The Cross pens I own just state the origin when made in a different country. In my case, "Ireland", under the "CROSS" imprint, and just "CROSS" in the USA pens.

Edited March 4, 2014 by sirtoti

[Jerome Tarshis]

My older Cross pens all say "MADE IN USA." The two Cross pens I own that do not say "MADE IN USA" are my Radiance, a model generally thought to have been made for Cross by Pilot, ergo in Japan, and my Century II, an object of recent manufacture, presumably made in China.

 

I find exceedingly hard to believe that Cross ever made a pen in the United States and failed to mark it MADE IN USA. Americans tend to be proud of their industrial production, and, as we have seen in postings to this forum, some prospective buyers consider it a plus that a pen was made in the United States. That goes for other kinds of manufactured objects, too.

 

However, it should be borne in mind that "Made in USA" need not mean in reality what it seems to mean in our imaginations. Automobiles assembled in the United States rather commonly include parts or entire subassemblies made in some other country. It is widely believed that the nibs of early Cross Townsends were made by Pelikan, even though the pen said "MADE IN USA." The box included a legend indicating that part of the pen was made in Germany, although the pen didn't say that.

 

For all Cross is willing to tell us, the original Century fountain pen wasn't entirely made in the United States, even if it was marked MADE IN USA. We should not assume that the company's current pens, said to be made in China, do not include parts made somewhere else. Assembled in China, packaged in China, but as with automobiles and so many other products of our global economy, not necessarily every part made in one country.

[Florida Blue]

Of the older made in USA Crosses I've seen, mostly Century ballpoints or pencils, they were always marked "Made in USA" around the top of the cap just under the black rubber top.

[Wolverine1]

I just checked and Florida Blue is correct. Both my Cross BPs are from prior to 1998, and both are marked "Made in the USA" on the cap, right below the black rubber/plastic top.

Also, I have a Cross Morph BP, got it as a gift, but there are no markings anywhere to indicate where the pen was manufactured at.

[CowboyBlue]

I was told by the seller that she worked at Cross and bought up several lots of pens and pencils for later resale when the company left the US. She said that many of the latter models were not marked with the USA stamp.

 

Pity.