Dunhill 1991 Shell Briar 4103 Sandblasted Billiard w/ Brass 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.

While Dunhill used sterling silver and solid gold mountings on its premium pipes throughout the 20th century (and indeed still does), in the mid-1980s, the company also began to use brass as a similar form of ornamentation. Arguably the most famous example of this was the Classic Series from the early 1990s, which featured Dunhill’s most iconic pipe shapes with engraved brass collars. But this was not the only instance, with segmented, ring-like brass mounts, such as can be seen on this pipe, appearing periodically on Dunhill’s other pipes. I would hazard a guess that this Shell Briar earned its “rings” thanks to its excellent ring grain sandblast. In fact, I’m quite surprised that the pipe didn’t receive the Ring Grain qualification, too.

The condition is fair. Rim darkening and general finish fading.

 

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g