2015 Dunhill Shell Briar 5226 Sandblasted Oom Paul Estate Briar Pipe [SOLD OUT]

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 fans tend to have their preferred years or decades of manufacture. Some covet patent pipes; some consider 1958-1968 to be the best years. These were undoubtedly excellent eras for Dunhill, but I find that the post-2000 pipes, after the re-brand to ‘Alfred Dunhill’s the White Spot,’ are typically stellar in terms of both aesthetics and functionality. This Shell Briar is from 2015, so not too long ago, and it is an excellent specimen of that storied series. It’s a fairly common 5225 Oom Paul/Hungarian shape, dressed in the make’s signature near-black sandblast finish. I’m a little surprised that it isn’t an ‘RG,’ or ‘Ring Grain’ grade Shell, as it does indeed have nice, tight ring grain briar patterns around its bowl.

The condition is near-mint. As it’s a sitter, the finish on the base of the pipe has a few superficial nicks, but I only mention those because I can’t think of anything else that would count as an imperfection here.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 2.0″ / 50.80mm

Weight: 2.4oz / 70g