Dunhill 2009 Eight Ball Black Briar Smooth Apple w/ Case 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 Black Briar is a rare and all but discontinued line from Dunhill, having among the shortest continuous production periods in the company’s history. Debuting in 1973 and being essentially replaced (more on that in a moment) in 1979, by the silver-collared Dress, the Black Briar is distinguished by its dark, smooth finish and is frequently found with an adornment of some variety to offset the hues of the bowl and mouthpiece. It has, however, been produced sporadically in more recent decades, often in the form of limited edition pipes, such as the commemorative Charlie Chaplin series, or the Dalmatian. This particular Black Briar is another such limited release, known as the “Eight Ball.” Released in 2009 and limited to just 200 pipes in total (100 in Dunhill’s Shell Briar finish and 100 more in the Black Briar), the Eight Ball celebrated the cue sports that have been popular in Europe for over half a millennium, including the games of billiards, pool, and snooker enjoyed across cultures and classes today. Rather than a billiard shape, each pipe was designed to resemble the final, black ball typically pocketed in a modern cue game, also known as an eight ball, as well as the player’s wooden cue, here represented by a cumberland mouthpiece.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. The pipe comes with its original presentation case (slightly time-worn), though it does not include the cross-head style tamper originally included. The price has been adjusted to reflect this.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm

Bowl Depth: 1.34″ / 34.03mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g