Dunhill 1979 Tanshell 51033 Sandblasted Billiard 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.

Dunhill’s Tanshell line was introduced in 1953, with a sandblast finish much like the previously introduced Shell Briar line. Unlike the Shell Briar, however, the Tanshell underwent a secret process during production that bestowed its eponymous tan coloring. This allowed it to have a very minimal stain which would color over time, developing a warm patina not unlike a meerschaum pipe. Ever since, the Tanshell has remained a steadfast inclusion in Dunhill’s catalog, albeit one produced on a much smaller scale than its other sandblast finishes.
This Tanshell is a little different to most, however. Not only is it a group 5 in size, making it among the largest pipes in Dunhill’s standard output, but it is also from the brief period between the end of the 1970s and beginning of the 1980s when Dunhill shape codes were 5 digits long, before becoming the modern 4-digit system. This extra digit allowed for additional variations within a shape grouping, something lost once the 4-digit system came into being.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear to the rim, but on the whole, beautifully preserved.

 

Details:

Length: 6.2″ / 157.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g