Dunhill 1962 Bruyere 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.

This particular Dunhill belongs to the rare, “OD” series, being an ODA 848 in the Bruyere finish. As historian John Loring recounts, post-war OD designs, such as this one, were distinct in shape and/or in size from Dunhill’s standard offerings. The OD 84- series, for example, were what Dunhill referred to as “semi-giants,” being both much larger than the average Dunhill, while also being very manageable and less demanding than, say, a true magnum (especially at just under 2 ounces). On the other hand, it could be argued that, while the OD 848 was large, it wasn’t exactly an upsized version of an average Dunhill pipe. As far as I’ve been able to tell, its closest analog in Dunhill’s non-OD shape charts was the 137, which the company’s marketing labeled as part of the “Collectors’ Range.” Collectors’ Range pipes were far less common than other catalog shapes due to—again, per Dunhill—”limits imposed by the natural growth of the briar root.” As this is only the second 848 we’ve had come through our estate pipes program in the last half decade, I’d have to wonder if that applied to it as well.

The condition is very good. Minor wear to the inner rim and slight handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.7″ / 170.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 1.96″ / 49.78mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g