As one who treasures his Classic Century mechanical pencil, I'd love to acquire a Classic Century fountain pen, but only the Century II seems available. The Century II seems much thicker and not as aerodynamic as the Classic Century. Was there ever a Classic Century fountain pen? If so, what happened? Was it a good fountain pen?

Hello Adair,

Welcome to FPN for a start.

The short answers to your questions are, there was, it was superseded, it was good.

The more constructive answers run along the lines of there was a range of colours and finishes available, whether there were as many finishes available as there were in the ball pens and pencils I am not sure. I know there were the gold fill, matt black and the chrome, the ones that I have are the black, gold nib and trim, and the gold fill ones. They are slim pens but are thicker than the ball pen but still look streamlined and aerodynamic, I don't have access to a wind tunnel to be sure if they are.

There is no real long answer to your second question, A.T.Cross made the decision to replace the 'Classic' and that was it and all about it.

The Century Classics that I have, as well as the others that I no longer have, have all been good writers. I write with pens unposted so I couldn't comment on how they feel posted but they have all been easy to get along with , no vices, good flow, reliable starters, I found them comfortable to use although some people would find them too slim for long sessions but I have no issues with them but I have smalll hands and happily use Parker 180s.

I hope that this goes someway to answering your questions.

Cheers, John

Here are some amateur photos of my Classic Century FP and Century II FP.

Classic Century, XF nib, classic black:




Century II, M nib, glossy black:


The two side-by-side:
The Century II has a wider barrel, and a textured section.






It's been a long time since I used my Classic, so I don't remember its writing characteristics. And no, these pens are NOT for sale...

Hope you enjoyed the photos...

Wow. Beautiful photos. I guess that I will have to be vigilant on ebay. What a pity that Cross discontinued the Classic Century FP.

The Classic Century FP had excellent lines and classic visual appeal. Its was an understated elegance. The nib itself bespoke quality: a glossy smooth gold finish. Even the word "CROSS" and the letter indicating nib width appeared to have been stamped in a simple font yet polished over so as to appear understated. A pity that the nib/feed tended to work loose. If this single flaw were corrected and the pen reintroduced, I would buy another ... probably in a M or B and have it customized into a stub.

I used to have a century in matt black, was a wonderful wet writer with a great feel. And yes very comfortable posted as well. Used a standard Cross converter. It was the first expensive fountain pen that I bought!!! Unfortunately some creep nicked it from my jacket one day at work and when I got around to trying to replace it Cross had phased it out and only had the Century II, which did not do it for me.

If you can find one go for it, its very Parker 75 like in the shape of nib and size.

regards

Farooq

I have a Century in grey and it has a wobbly feed/nib. Can this be corrected? My silver Century has (sofar) not suffered from the same problem.

I'd not like to lose the grey pen, but it is weird writing with a flippy-floppy nib

Chris

Chris,

The wobbly feed/nib assembly seems to have been the critical failure of the Century Classics. I sent mine to Cross with a sincere letter for it to be returned if it could not be repaired, but I received a new Century II instead. Cross stands behind their products and will replace your pen. It's a shame ... the Century Classic was a very nice pen. I can appreciate your disappointment.

Russ,

It is a shame you lost your original.

I'll send it back to them and hope for the best. I actually only want a pen that will write not wobble.

Chris

Well, I liked the original Century so very much that I bought a whole bunch of them. I believe I have three (or maybe four) 10k gold plated ones and three 14k rose gold plated ones. Why? I figured I wouldn't have to buy any more fountain pens for the rest of my life, (and how very wrong I was since I now have about 50).

Of these, I use only one of the 14k pens as a daily writer and it has never given me feed or nib problems in years. Its a medium point, just perfect for my writing style and a delight to write. The only possible problem it has is that the cap is just a bit loose and turns easily on the pen, but is secure enough.

I have a black Classic Century just like the one in the above photos. I found it on eBay, and it was just about in mint condition. It's a fantastic writer. I just hope I never encounter the loose nib problems that seem to be common on these.

I'd love to have one of these pens in the chrome finish.

The Century is a nice pen, I have a classic and a Century II in chrome, both write very well although I don't use them so much nowadays.

The Century is a bit slim for me, and it is one of the pens I have donated to my wife for when she fancies an FP, the Century II is more my size.

Andy

Well, I sent my wobbly Century Classic in grey to Cross UK who happily replaced the section with a new one without the woble. Lovely!
Chris

Is not the other major difference that the Classic Century has a gold nib whereas the Century II's is gold plated steel?

I have a 14k plated Classic Century with a fine nib, but I don't use it: It writes really nicely but I find the cap very difficult to remove and replace as it is really tight. I cannot do either operation with one hand.

I also have a Century II which I do use occasionally: I don't think it writes as well as the Classic though.

Both versions are/were available with gold nibs and gold-plated steel nibs.

-Mike

I just received as a gift a Cross FP (lying around with a friend since quite some time) and was not sure which model it was. From the photos here, it seems to be the Classic Century in 14kt gold with gold nib. It is unused and on dipping and checking - it is a very smooth writer. Mine seems fine for now, except for the cap fitment - it somehow does not seem very secure, though it does take a bit of effort to remove/close. However reading also about the wobbly nibs/feeds issue, I am a bit apprehensive.

Do all classics suffer from these problems?

The cap clips on but when in place it can move a little. I have had one of these pens for ages (twenty years) and it has never come uncapped unexpectedly (though I don't let it rattle around loose in my briefcase). Neither, so far, has the nib/feed worked loose, though I did buy another second-hand and that suffered from the nib wobble. Cross replaced it without any fuss.

They write very smoothly - the one is a broad gold nib the other is a fine gold-plated nib.

I would say "quietly understated and elegant".

Chris

My Dad's Cross Century Classic seemed to write okay. After I got pens from Richard Binder, and a Yard O Led, well, the Cross's medium nib just seemed scratchy by comparison. After it unexpectedly had a major ink leak from the nib assembly, my Dad retired it.

The markings on the nib of my pen are: 14kt, 585 M Cross. Initially it was quite terrible but after I got the nib adjusted by a nibmeister, it is very nice. But reading about the problems associated with this model still makes me want to either return it (most likely) or keep it in storage, unless I run out of other pens.