Dunhill 1955 Shell Briar ODA 835 Billiard 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.

This particular Dunhill belongs to the rare, “OD” series. As historian John Loring recounts, post-war OD designs were either distinct in shape or in size from Dunhill’s standard offerings. This 837, for example, was what Dunhill referred to as a “semi-giant” – not quite a magnum, but certainly larger than the shapes in Dunhill’s standard production. This one, from 1955, is certainly large, and furthermore very much emblematic of the Shell Briars of that period. I.e., it is so deeply and thoroughly sandblasted that one might almost mistake it for having a rusticated finish—something that collectors have increasingly come to covet as Dunhill has moved toward a softer touch with their sandblasting cabinets.

The condition is fair. Darkening and some charring on the rim, some general finish fading, and a few handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6.8″ / 172.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.82″ / 46.22mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g