Cross Century Classic Like I've Never Seen Before! ... Need Help To Identify!

[JonBMarr]

I purchased this vintage Cross Century Classic a few years ago off of eBay to add to my collection. I've since tried to find another one, but have been unsuccessful. All of the ones I find, whether new or old, have a black tip (compared to all chrome with black ring and black dot on top). I'm guessing it might be an earlier model, but I can't find one like it anywhere for comparison. Other than the end, I believe it is identical to other models of the Century.

 

Can anyone date or identify this for me? Any info would be helpful. THANK YOU!!

 

 

[MrThoth]

Many Cross Century pens have black plastic caps, but by no means all.

 

If there's a reliable, easy way of dating a Cross Century, I don't know about it. However, I think your pen is most likely a relatively young model, given the style of lettering on the clip, the top of the cap, and so on. The pictures I see of older models in the official Cross company history book, Writing History, show numerous Centuries (or similar models from the Thirties to the Seventies, and all of them have black tips on the cap. That's not definitive proof, obviously, but it does fit Cross's general pattern of "changing things up" in the past couple decades or so.

 

If I had to guess, I'd say your pen was made in the Eighties, but like I say that's just a guess.

 

Hope that helps!

Edited June 12, 2016 by MrThoth

[RMN]

I think there was a sort of coding to that end cap, at least for the gold ones, had to do with gold fileld and how many Carat.

 

But I am not that well acquainted with Cross to know what exactly.

 

 

 

D.ick

[HBlaine]

That looks like the cap tip of the Medalist series to me. I have no idea about how to judge the age on Cross models, but that style of type (particularly on the clip) looks like c.80s-90s models I've seen. I always called it a sort of "gothic" looking font (which isn't the right description, I know...). They went from that to a cursive logo on the clip several years back, then to the rather plain type style on the current models.

 

Sadly, I can't find my Century Medalist. I do have my Century II Medalist with me, but it's the modern type style. (I'll attach a quick picture of that.)

 

Is that cap top gold-plated? Is there sort of a black lacquer-looking dot on the top? Several models have used that style of cap top, but I thought they were all fairly recent, except for the Medalist.

[JonBMarr]

Is that cap top gold-plated? Is there sort of a black lacquer-looking dot on the top? Several models have used that style of cap top, but I thought they were all fairly recent, except for the Medalist.

 

There is the black dot on top. The cap has the same chrome finish as the rest of the pen. That's the bit that's throwing me off. All of the Century Medalist (see pic) I've found (old or new) have gold accents (cap, clip, etc.) ... I can't find one that is entirely chrome. That's why I thought it might be older (less likely to find pics online), but now I have no idea.

 

http://d2ydh70d4b5xgv.cloudfront.net/images/8/c/cross-vintage-classic-century-medalist-pen-pencil-set-330105-751c221ff2e555b02f40229ab0bce947.jpg

 

Thank you everyone for your help.