Dunhill 1950 A (Bruyere) 112 Patent Smooth Apple 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.

In its first few decades, Dunhill did not stamp its pipes the same way they do now. Or, rather, while Dunhill has changed its stamping practices numerous times over the course of the last century, there is one specific difference regarding how demarcated their finishes before and after the middle of the 20th century. As was seen in another listing just yesterday, while the “Bruyere” finish existed as far back as 1910, Bruyere pipes did not bear this name when stamped. Instead, it was merely stamped with one or two letters, with Bruyeres made between 1915 and 1952 having only the letter “A” stamped on them. This 1950 Bruyere falls just within that window, according to its patent number (417574/34) and date code (underscored 0). Though not the earliest Dunhill I’ve ever seen, it is very much an early Dunhill in design, being a sleek, lightweight apple shape of around (what we today would call) a group 2 in size.

The condition is fair. Rim darkening, a few handling marks, and faded (though legible enough) stamping.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.73 / 18.54mm

Bowl Depth: 1.22″ / 30.98mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g