Dunhill 1926 Shell 15 Magnum Panel Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

In the early decades of briar pipes, these pipes tended to be far smaller than the ones we’re used to seeing today. By modern standards, early briars tended to be around group 1-2, which is why, for example, an “Extra Large” Barling from the 1940s appears almost minuscule compared to an “Extra Large” Ashton or James Upshall pipe. But there were exceptions, in the form of “magnum” pipes with proportions a little closer to the “magnums” of our own era. Dunhill’s early magnum pipes are an especially notable example. This is not simply because they were (and still are) tremendously large for a briar pipe, but because, decades after their manufacture, they would be integral in kick-starting the “estate pipe business.” John Loring, for example, in his recollection of the 1970s, commented that:
“a strange new hobby was developing, ‘used briar pipe collecting’, with Dunhill pipes the crown jewels of those pioneer American collections. Soon there were pipe shows, mail order lists, evenings on the telephone in ‘hot pursuit’ and even excursions to England to salvage previously smoked pipes from the dustbins. Hundreds, even thousands of dollars were paid for used, quickly renamed “Estate” Dunhills with premium prices being paid for the largest and oldest.”
While plenty of trends in pipe collecting have waxed and waned, older and/or larger Dunhills have held their position as among the most coveted on the estates scene. There is something quite iconic about the combination of a gigantic briar and Dunhill’s signature, patented “Shell Briar” sandblast finish, with its deep, reserved, dark burgundy hues and rugged relief. This one in particular is a very interesting specimen: a sitter billiard whose form is dominated by a paneling evocative of early 20th century art deco. In keeping with Dunhill pipes of this era (1920s), the pipe comes with its own, custom-fitted Dunhill case.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original (though quite flaked) bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 8.7″ / 220.9mm

Bowl Width: 1.06 / 26.92mm

Bowl Depth: 2.62″ / 66.54mm

Weight: 5.5oz / 156g