Dunhill 1986 Root Briar 4103 Smooth Billiard w/ 9K Gold 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 pipes are special. This is something that the Alfred Dunhill company has tirelessly worked to make known over the last 120 or so years, whether through poaching the greatest talents of the day, aggressively safeguarding its manufacturing techniques and other intellectual property, and, of course, by producing consistently excellent pipes. But, as the idiom goes, some Dunhills are more special than others. Some hold historic significance or especial provenance, some are of unconventional or rare design, and so on, contributing to their greater value in the present. In terms of pipes that are extra special both in the context of when they were first manufactured and in contemporary collectors’ circles, one notable example would be Dunhills that were mounted with precious metals, such as sterling silver or solid gold. Production of such pipes has always been scarce, often being advertised by Dunhill themselves as an excellent gift or award for the lucky pipe smoker in one’s life.

This one, for example, is an already very beautiful billiard rendition, with its swirling flame grain patterns left in an all but natural state by Dunhill’s high-end Root Briar finish. The solid, 9 karat gold collar is simply the “cherry on top”—or several thousand cherries, I suppose, if we want to be a little more accurate.

The condition is good. A couple of minor burn marks on the rim and some slight finish fading.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.43″ / 36.32mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g