Vintage Cross Fountain Pen; Matte Black; with Converter; 'F' Point; U.S.A. Made

Description

Vintage Cross Fountain Pen; Matte Black; with Converter; 'F' Point; U.S.A. Made
Vintage Cross Fountain Pen; Matte Black; with Converter; 'F' Point; U.S.A. Made
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Description
Up for auction is a Vintage Cross Fountain Pen in Matte Black, manufactured by the A. T. Cross Company. I'm not a Cross expert but this looks like it might be a Calais. Cross was founded in 1846 by Alonzo Townsend Cross and were located in Providence, Rhode Island. That is a slight exaggeration of the start date, since A. T. Cross was born in 1846, so actually it was his father Richard Cross who started the company and it seemed appropriate to name it after his son. A. T. Cross is credited with about 25 patents. The company is still in business today and is one of the longest running fountain pen companies. The company stopped making fountain pens sometime before 1910, so as to focus on ballpoints, soft tips and roller balls. They reentered the fountain pen market in 1938.
The pen up for auction looks excellent  A few light scratches on the back side of the cap, but no dings or dents - it is in excellent condition. I think the trim is gold-filled and it looks extremely clean. The nib is made of steel and I'm guessing that the nib is gold plated. It is imprinted 'CROSS M 1846 USA'. There is also a design imprinted on the nib that reminds me of a lions head. The "M" would indicate a Medium point, but it actually writes like a Fine point, in my opinion. The cap is a slide-on and off cap. It also posts securely with a 'push' to post.
I had an extra Cross converter and am including that. Cross pens usually didn't ship with a converter, but instead they came with a couple of ink cartridges. The converter uses bottled ink, so use any color you wish. Cartridges only come in a few colors, but I usually keep one with me when I travel as back-up. There was an empty cartridge in the pen, so I'll include that for reference purpose. They are readily available on-line and at office supply stores. If you wish to use cartridges, shove one into the section and a spare will fit in the barrel upside down.
The pen measures just shy of 5 1/2 inches capped, and about 6 inches with the cap posted. As mentioned earlier, it is a Fine point (despite the 'M' imprinted on the nib), quite stiff and extremely smooth. I would judge the girth to be on the thick side.
Domestic shipping is .80 and includes First Class Mail and insurance. International shipping is via calculated International First Class Mail.
No Reserve.
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