Dunhill 1965 Shell Briar ODA 850 XL Canadian 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.

Around the mid-century, Dunhill formalized their “OD” series into a set of distinct shapes, each with a three-digit shape code. There were pipes that were, with the Anglo-French tradition, of unconventional design; there were pipes that were, for the time, of unconventionally large size; and there were shapes that could be considered a little of both. These shapes included a few of what Dunhill historian John Loring referred to as “extra long shank” Canadians, such as the 845 and 851. The 850, seen here, was one of those shapes. Distinguished by its great length, relatively tall bowl, and long stem, it was, nonetheless, quite unique among the OD shapes given its close proximity to group 4 shapes in its other proportions. This one is a very nice Shell Briar rendition from 1965, showing off the craggy, oil-cured sandblasting the decade is remembered for.

The condition is good. Rim darkening, slight handling marks, and some finish fading.

Details:

Length: 6.7″ / 170.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.71″ / 43.43mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g