Dunhill (1969) Tanshell OX Sandblasted Bulldog (Estate)

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.

Between the 1920s and the 1970s, Dunhill’s shapes could be dividedly into roughly 3 categories. First, there were the standard catalog shapes, which were the bread and butter of Dunhill’s production. These shapes were identifiable via a 2- or 3-digit shape code, such as the “38” Lovat, or the “197” billiard. There were also the “OD” shapes, which were of unusual design and/or unusually large stature. These pipes were far less produced in far fewer numbers and were identifiable with the “OD” nomenclature and a letter grade, such as “ODA,” as well as a three-digit number for ODs made after the Second World War. And then there were the Quaint shapes, which were identifiable not by numbers, nor by a generalized “Quaint shape” abbreviation (as in the case of the OD), but by one- or two-letter codes, such as “R” or “ES.” Like the ODs, Quaints were not produced with the same regularity as standard catalog shapes—though some were more regular than others—and were made, instead, based on the patterning of a given block of briar. To put it briefly, if a block appeared especially well suited to becoming a Quaint, that was the shape it was given. The OX was such a shape. It was a rather traditional bulldog, but with more muscle than its close cousin, the shape 48.

This particular example comes from the 1960s—a particularly good decade for Dunhill pipes—and is dressed in a strikingly craggy rendition of Dunhill’s signature Tanshell sandblast finish.

The condition is fair. Some rim darkening, finish fading, and stem slightly over-buffed.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.54″ / 39.11mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g