![]() | Dunn Pen Co. |

The Dunn Pen Company set its sights high. Based in New York City, it produced a line of high-quality pump-fillers and backed them up with an extensive advertising campaign. As it turned out, however, the company lasted only a few years, from 1921 to declaration of bankruptcy in 1924.
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Advertised as "the pen with the red pump handle", Dunns are filled by unscrewing the end knob then pumping up and down a few times. Ink capacity was high and the mechanism strong and reliable, with no soft rubber parts and only one easily-replaced cork seal at the end of the barrel.
Dunns were made in a wide range of sizes from ladies ringtops to giants carrying #12 nibs. Most have translucent red casein pump handles, but opaque orange handles without the screw-down feature are also common. Quite a few Dunns were made with transparent barrels, most of which seem to be made of celluloid rather than Bakelite. Dunns were not flashy pens; basic black was the rule, though a handful of pens with metal overlays are known. Dunn also made a line of injector pencils which are usually found in gold filled metal.

An unusual feature of the pen shown above is the two-piece cap. When the top portion is unscrewed, the nib is exposed, surrounded by a protective cage. This permits the pen to be filled without risk of striking the nib on the bottom of the inkwell or bottle while pumping.
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