Dunhill 1960 Shell Briar 331 Sandblasted Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

To veteran pipe smokers, Dunhill needs no introduction. Beginning in 1907, Alfred Dunhill began selling Dunhill pipes at the tobacconist shop he owned on London’s Duke Street. Very quickly, these pipes gained the reputation of being the ‘Rolls-Royce’ of pipes due to how expertly crafted they were. Today, Dunhill is likely Britain’s most famous pipe manufacturer, and continues to produce some of the most treasured pipes a smoker can buy.

The “331” is not a shape that we get often through our estates pipeline, and there’s a good reason for that. In contrast to Dunhill’s self-described “Classic Range,” which included certified classics such as the “48” bulldog or the LBS, there were also pipes that Dunhill offered as part of their “Collectors’ Range.” In Dunhill’s words, these were pipes for the “connoisseur,” and were “less readily available” than shapes from the Classic Range as their designs were subject to “limits imposed by the natural growth of the briar root.” They were, of course, also priced at a premium compared to Classic shapes. The 331, for example, with its pencil shank and longer stature, likely required a briar block with far fewer sandpits and other imperfections, lest it lose its structural integrity. This one, from 1960, shows off the hallmark craggy sandblast produced in part thanks to a patented oil curing and blasting technique. It is also a genuine featherweight—even more so than Dunhill’s other, typically light, designs.

The condition is fair. Rim darkening and some finish fading and discoloration.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.39″ / 35.30mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 26g