Dunhill 2005 Amber Root XL03 Smooth Giant Billiard w/ Silver Eagle Wind Cap Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

The Alfred Dunhill company has, since its earliest years, sought to make high-end pipes that would suit connoisseurs and collectors, which it has most certainly achieved. The “pipe collector” is a social archetype that Dunhill has increasingly courted throughout its ascent to pipe royalty, and indeed it is not just pipe collectors that Dunhill has made deliberate efforts to appeal to. In addition to establishing a whole range of luxury goods, Dunhill has, over the decades, made inroads into other collectibles, including incorporating these objects into the designs of their pipes. For example, Dunhill has a century-old partnership with Japanese luxury pen brand Namiki, which has included creating not only a line of Dunhill-Namiki pens, but also Dunhill pipes finished with the same Maki-e lacquer technique as those pens.

Coins are another collectible that Dunhill has, on very rare occasions, incorporated into its pipes. More specifically, silver coins (silver itself being another collector’s item) have been fashioned into wind caps on a select few, special Dunhill pipes, in a manner not unlike the more typical sterling silver wind caps found on the pipes of Dunhill and other makes. These are not just any coins, but coins with an especial significance to them, such as the whole series of wind-capped pipes Dunhill made with the 1964 Kennedy half dollar (a much sought-after coin commemorating President John F. Kennedy).

This particular Dunhill, made in 2005, is fitted with a similar wind-cap, but in this instance both the coin and the pipe are even more extraordinary than with the Kennedy half dollar series. For one, the pipe is huge, bordering on the size of the famous, early to mid-20th century magnum Dunhills. When one looks at the cap the pipe is fitted with, the reason for this choice of size becomes clear. In this instance, the coin used is the American Silver Eagle, whose diameter is just under 1.6 inches (compared to the 1.2 inches of the Kennedy half dollar). You might be wondering why Dunhill used such a large coin for this pipe, given the immense size requirements. The reason is that American Silver Eagle is one of the most culturally, economically, and materially remarkable US coins ever minted. Emblazoned with Weinman’s Walking Liberty, it is the official silver bullion coin of the US, with a guaranteed purity of .999 fine silver (this last point has made the American Silver Eagle especially coveted among bullion collectors as well). The American Silver Eagle used for this pipe was issued in 2000 by the New York West Point Mint.

As for the rest of the pipe, it is, as mentioned, an especially large one, taking the form of an upscaled “03” billiard. It is dressed in Dunhill’s relatively uncommon Amber Root finish, a golden-brown sister finish to the Root Briar, and one used for singularly well-grained pipes.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some slight handling marks, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 7.2″ / 182.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.96 / 24.38mm

Bowl Depth: 1.72″ / 43.68mm

Weight: 4.7oz / 136g