Dunhill 1972 Shell Briar 65 Sandblasted Oval Shank Dublin 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.

As I’ve discussed before in some of our artisan pipes write-ups (including one very recently from Smith House, oddly enough), the 20th century saw a good number of oval shank designs that did not conform to the most typical uses of that motif. In other words, while we today most commonly associate oval shanks with Canadian, lumberman, and Zulu renditions, there were, in fact, many other, more minor, staples in Anglo-French pipe making that featured such. Barling’s Make is one notable example, not least because of its explicit use of the “LF,” or “Long Flat” designation, but there was also the early Peterson “900” series, and, of course, many different Dunhill shapes. Among the latter, one often finds, for example, the “44” and “104,” oval shank billiards, but a slightly more rare bird is the “65.” As one can see here, it was a traditional take on the classic Dublin in every way except its shank, which was not round, but oval in form. It’s a slight deviation from the norm, all things considered, but sometimes the small things can make all the difference.

The condition is very good. Some very minor inner rim darkening and slight finish fading, though from the chamber it looks as though the pipe was not smoked much.

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.83″ / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.60″ / 40.64mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g