A. T. Cross

American pen maker from Providence; the Century ballpoint (1946) with its slim, tapered barrel is the classic.

Richard Cross started a workshop for gold and silver pen and pencil cases in Providence, Rhode Island, and his son Alonzo Townsend Cross gave the firm its name. The company made mechanical pencils early on.

The Century of 1946 became a classic gift pen in the United States, with a slim barrel and a conical top. The pens were often given as corporate gifts with engraved names.

A slim metal pen with a conical top; a twist mechanism instead of a push button.

• Pens and writing
• Cross Century