A. T. Cross Company, LLC is an American manufacturing company of writing implements, based in Providence, Rhode Island. Founded in 1846, it is one of the oldest pen manufacturers in the world. Cross' products include fountain, ballpoint, and rollerball pens, mechanical pencils and refills. The company also manufactures accessories for those goods such as cases and wallets.
The company has also owned Sheaffer, another pen manufacturer, since 2014.[1] In August 2022, the Sheaffer brand was sold to the William Penn company.[2]
History
The company was founded in 1846 in Providence, Rhode Island. It initially manufactured gold and silver casings for pencils, reflecting the Cross family's history as jewelers. The company was founded by Richard Cross, who passed it on to his son, Alonzo T. Cross.
The company developed many innovative new writing instruments, including forerunners of the modern mechanical pencils, and the earliest stylographic pens.