Dunhill 1929 A (Bruyere) 60 Smooth 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.

Debuting in 1910, the Bruyere was the first line of pipes to be made by Dunhill proper, as opposed to the pipes imported by Alfred Dunhill for sale in his shop. The precise date that Dunhill’s company began manufacturing Dunhill-brand pipes entirely, as opposed to importing pre-turned stummels, is the subject of debate, per the late John Loring, this may have taken until at least 1920 to begin. In any case, the Bruyere has remained a staple within Dunhill’s catalog ever since, though the finish has undergone a number of modifications over the last century. The nomenclature of the Bruyere has also, like the Root Briar and the Shell Briar, undergone changes. Most notably for our purposes here, the Bruyere was initially designated simply by the letter “A,” as far as stampings on the bowl were concerned. If Loring is right, this 1929 Dunhill would be from the very first decade of what we might call—with a nod to Charatan and a tongue firmly in cheek—Dunhill’s Make.

The condition is remarkably good. Some rim darkening and slight inner rim charring, and some handling marks. The nomenclature reads as follows:

(Left side) A DUNHILL
LONDON

(Right side) “INNER TUBE”
PAT No̱ 116989/17 9   60

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.53″ / 38.86mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g