Dunhill 1981 Collector 001 Smooth Freehand 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.

Though technically not the first “hand turned” pipes in the make’s history, Dunhill’s Collector series was introduced in 1978 as a chance for Dunhill’s craftsmen to show off what they too could do when using “freehand” carving techniques. The world had, after all, just seen a boom in both Danish and English “freehand” pipes (the latter coming from Charatan), so it was only natural that a company with Dunhill’s prestige should follow suit. One key difference, however, is that Dunhill’s freehand output, via the Collector series, was far more limited in quantity than its contemporaries, and indeed still is. The name has proved appropriate, as those who would like to own a Dunhill Collector tend to require a devotion (and budget) far greater than the average pipe smoker. Then again, those who do put in the resources to acquire one know that they’re very well worth it. This one, from 1981, is a superbly grained, eighth-bent billiard, which is all the more impressive given its near-magnum stature. I’m not quite sure when the Collector series started having larger pipes designated with an XL stamp, though I’d imagine today this one would more than qualify.

The condition is very good. Some minor inner rim charring, slight handling marks, and stem very slightly over-buffed at the base.

 

Details:

Length: 7″ / 177.8mm

Bowl Width: 1.01 / 25.65mm

Bowl Depth: 2.22″ / 56.38mm

Weight: 3.1oz / 90g