Dunhill 1964 Root Briar K Smooth Apple 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.

The “K” was one of Dunhill’s early “Quaint” shapes, i.e., shapes not in regular production, but which were made only when a block of briar showed especial potential for becoming something a little different. It’s a little more squat and stout than, say, the mid-century, 115 and has a longer shank than, say, the 256. This 1964 Root Briar K is a beauty of a rendition, and yet another example of a pipe that has me wondering whether Dunhill dropped the ball by not having a separate grade for excellent bird’s-eye patterns, as the Italians tend to do.

The condition is good. Some darkening and slight charring to the inner rim, a couple of small (though structurally inconsequential) nicks at the top of the chamber, slight handling marks, and a slightly over-buffed stem.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.45″ / 36.83mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g