Dunhill 1967 Shell Briar 63 w/ Dental Relief Lip 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.

This is one of two Dunhill Dental Relief Lip pipes that came in, together, recently (one Shell Briar, one Root Briar). As I’ve explained this curious mouthpiece in the listing for the Root, forgive me for copying liberally from that listing for this one.

One of the comparatively less appreciated facets of Dunhill pipe history is mouthpieces. More specifically, there is a long history of experiments with various stem and button shapes within Anglo-French pipe making, in which Dunhill played a significant part. In its earliest decades as a pipe manufacturer, Dunhill offered a variety of different stem configurations, from the now-standard fishtail to “Snug” bits that allowed one to freely talk while puffing away. A whole genre of stem shapes Dunhill offered in the 1960s and 1970s was the “Dental” bit, with each type serving much the same function: hanging comfortably in one’s mouth without putting strain on one’s jaw (or, indeed, dentures). These Dental bits fell under the umbrella of Dunhill’s “Pipes of Unusual Design,” being sold at a premium relative to more standard offerings. As the 1960s progressed, Dunhill’s Dental pipes fell into the Collectors’ Range which, similarly, were sold at a premium relative to the Classic Range Dunhill otherwise sold. Today, these pipes are (if you’ll excuse the pun), rare as hens’ teeth, suggesting that relatively few were made.

The condition is fair. Some rim darkening, finish discoloration, nomenclature a little faded, and a slightly over-buffed stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 1.17″ / 29.71mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 28g