Dunhill 1968 Root Briar LB Smooth Large 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.

Dunhill’s “LB,” or “Large Billiard” might well be the most iconic straight billiard rendition in the history of Anglo-French pipe design. It has been written about, with its subtle transformations over the decades meticulously documented, and it has been the subject of countless studies, homages, and re-interpretations by artisans all over the world. While by no means alien within the context of its production (see the French Maigret variations, for example), something about it has stuck in the minds of pipe collectors and pipe makers for close to a century. This one comes from 1968, by which time the LB had ascended to the ranks of the “Collectors’ Range” within Dunhill’s own catalog. Such shapes were produced in far more limited quantities than Dunhill’s “Classic Range,” which included even a few Quaint shapes, and were, of course, sold at a premium. This one is a genuinely marvelous specimen, with straight grain of a quality that I’m quite surprised it was given a Root Briar grade and finish, rather than an extra, Dead Root accolade, or similar.

The condition is good. Some charring on the inner rim, a little over-reaming of the chamber, slight handling marks, and faded, but still legible, stamping.

 

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.57″ / 39.87mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g