1955 Dunhill Shell Briar 48 Saddle Bulldog 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.

While it might be just shy of being a patent-era pipe, this mid-1950s Dunhill still bears one of the most coveted hallmarks of the early Shells: craggy, ring grain sandblasting. Just like Barling’s Make pipes, and just like Reuben-era Charatans, Dunhill did not hold back when it came to blasting the briar that became this shell. It’s so rugged and deep, in fact, that it could almost pass for an early rusticated Sasieni, if not for the unmistakable profile of Dunhill’s shape “48” bulldog.

The pipe’s condition is good for its age. There is some rim char and the finish is a little worn, but for a 69 year old pipe I’d say it’s nevertheless held up remarkably well.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.28″ / 32.51mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 26g