Dunhill 1960 Root Briar R w/ Dental Relief Lip Smooth Pot 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.

One of the comparatively less appreciated facets of Dunhill pipe history is mouthpieces. More specifically, there is a long history of experiments with various stem and button shapes within Anglo-French pipe making, in which Dunhill played a significant part. In its earliest decades as a pipe manufacturer, Dunhill offered a variety of different stem configurations, from the now-standard fishtail to “Snug” bits that allowed one to freely talk while puffing away. A whole genre of stem shapes Dunhill offered until around the mid- to late 20th century was the “Dental” bit, with each type serving much the same function: hanging comfortably in one’s mouth without putting strain on one’s jaw (or, indeed, dentures). This Dunhill Root Briar, for example, was made in 1960 and was fitted with what was then the Relief Lip variety of Dunhill’s Dental stems. Such pipes fell into what Dunhill referred to as “Pipes of Unusual Design,” being sold at a premium relative to more standard offerings. As the 1960s progressed, Dunhill’s Dental pipes fell into the Collectors’ Range which, similarly, were sold at a premium relative to the Classic Range Dunhill otherwise sold. Of all of the Unusual Design and Collectors’ Range, the Dental pipes appear to have been among the rarest, with this one being the very first to grace MBSD Pipes with its presence.

The condition is good. Some scratches around the bowl, slight inner rim charring, and slightly faded, though still legible, stamping.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.15″ / 29.21mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g