Dunhill 1985 Shell Briar (5) Freehand 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.

Following the surge in interest in “freehand” pipes at home—via Charatan—and abroad—via the great Danish carvers—Dunhill launched its own series of freehand pipes in 1978. These were not the very first hand-turned Dunhill pipes, but they were the first to incorporate modern, “Danish” shaping into the Dunhill catalog. These pipes were given the name “Collector.” Based on what I could dig up, it appears that these pipes were originally all given a smooth, Root Briar finish, and in fact the early Dunhill Collector did not feature the words “Root Briar” at all. It was only later that “Root Briar” was added to Collectors in that finish, at the same time as freehands in other finishes (such as the Bruyere and Shell Briar) were brought under the Collector umbrella. This pipe, on the other hand, appears to be what would, in later years, be dubbed a “Shell Briar Collector” but which, by virtue of the Collector’s default finish at the time, did not receive that appellation. It’s certainly not the first I’ve seen with this relative lack of stamping.

As for the pipe itself, it’s a fantastic freehand. Another terminological misfortune that appears to have befallen it is that, just a year later in 1986, Dunhill introduced the Ring Grain designation for superior, ring grain sandblasts, which this one certainly has.

The condition is great. Minor wear to the inner rim.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.92 / 23.36mm

Bowl Depth: 2.00″ / 50.80mm

Weight: 1.8oz / 52g