Dunhill 1970 Root Briar ODA 848 Smooth Dublin 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.

Around the mid-century, Dunhill formalized their “OD” series into a set of distinct shapes, each with a three-digit shape code. There were pipes that were, with the Anglo-French tradition, of unconventional design; there were pipes that were, for the time, of unconventionally large size; and there were shapes that could be considered a little of both. These shapes have historically been produced in much smaller quantities than most of Dunhill’s other shapes, making them rare and highly sought after.
The 848 was one such shape, falling under what Dunhill referred to in-house as “semi-giants,” and could reasonably be considered an extra large version of the 137 Dublin. This one, dressed in Dunhill’s high-end Root Briar finish, is a particularly beautiful example, having been turned in a way that perfectly positions a bloom of bird’s-eye on each side of the bowl, with cross-grain knitting each at the rear and fore. I’ve always thought Dunhill missed an opportunity by not having a dedicated extra grade for superior bird’s-eye, as they’ve had for straight grain, as a pipe like this one would surely qualify for such a premium.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening and minor rim charring, and some handling marks around the bowl.

 

Details:

Length: 6.9″ / 175.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.93 / 23.62mm

Bowl Depth: 1.95″ / 49.53mm

Weight: 1.7oz / 50g