Hello,

I have just bought, via the marketplace, a Cross Townsend fountain pen cap and barrel but without the nib/feed unit. This is not a problem for me as the selectip nose piece screes into the barrel perfectly giving me various options.

My question is the cap and barrel is silver but as far as I can see displays no hallmarks. This is the first time I have seen this on any form of writing instrument so is this just a Cross thing or would the hallmark be on the feed unit?

Any ideas would be welcomed.

Thanks,

Ian.

I have an older, Irish sterling Townsend, that is hallmarked barrel AND cap, and a newer sterling Townsend that has no mark on the barrel, and 925 on the cap.
If it is a silver( not chrome) Townsend; it is sterling.
I REALLY enjoy my sterling Townsends, and their two-toned 18KT nibs. They look great, fit a larger hand, and are 'classic' not ostentatious. The nibs are superb.

enjoy your pen-you're a lucky guy.
Bryan

I thought "hallmarking" was a British custom, required by British law, but was not often practiced in the United States.

In the UK anything described as "silver" must bear either the mark of one of the assay offices (a hall mark) or the 925 mark.

Anything else, even if it's actually made of silver can only be described for sale as "white metal" or "silver coloured".

Before we joined the EU even 925 marked silver had to be called "continental silver".

Now then thats a thought. This was bought second hand from the USA so the hallmarking I was expecting to see will not be there as it only applies to the British market

Thanks for pointing this out to me.

If the pen was sold new in the UK then it will have hallmarks. Cross used to have the marks in the smooth engraving panel but lately they are to be found around the upper rim of the cap or in the actual pattern of the pen. They are very small so use a loupe or a magnifying glass. If the pen was sold overseas it may just have the international mark 925, this means 925 parts silver of 1000. Silver is soft unlike chrome so if the pen was secondhand it is bound to have a patina (fine scratches on the surface).