Dunhill 1978 Root Briar 51122 Smooth Stack 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.

In 1984, Dunhill introduced the standardized shape code system that almost all Dunhill pipes adhere to today. Aside from Quaint shapes and other, limited production designs, all Dunhill pipes are presently manufactured and stamped on the basis of four digits, each specifying some aspect of their respective shape. The first digit specifies how large the pipe is, i.e., its size “group”; the second specifies which variety of saddle or taper stem the pipe is fitted with; and the last two digits correspond to a general shape, such as a bulldog or a Canadian. But for a few years between the cessation of Dunhill’s mid-century shape chart and the advent of the contemporary four-digit system, there was a five-digit system. The fifth digit typically specified another class of variations in design, this time pertaining to the shape of the stummel. Thus, this group 5 (5), taper stem (1) chimney, or stack (12), has a shorter bowl and shank, as well as a narrower chamber (2) than its contemporaneous sister shape, the 51121. It also has a much sleeker stature compared to the post-1983 shape 5112. In this instance, the shaping not only makes for an excellent flake pipe, but also draws greater focus to the bowl section, which in this instance is covered in bird’s-eye and dressed in Dunhill’s light, natural Root Briar finish.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim charring and slight handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g