1927 Dunhill Shell Briar 4 Patent Era 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.

Sandblasting—the technique of using compressed air to fire a material, such as sand, at a surface—was invented in 1870. Its inventor, Benjamin Chew Tilghman, intended that it should be used for a variety of purposes and on a variety of surfaces, such as in cutting stone or engraving pottery. Though he made no mention of tree heather root (briar), sufficiently strong woods were also envisaged by Tilghman as being suited for sandblasting for one end or another. In the early 20th century, sandblasting techniques were explored for briar pipe finishes, and while it is debated as to who produced the first sandblasted pipe, Alfred Dunhill did register the first related patent—albeit one whose content pertained to both oil curing and sandblasting of briar, with the former being considered prerequisite for the efficacy of the latter. Dunhill’s UK patent application began in 1917 and was it granted a year later. This particular Dunhill pipe, from all the way back in 1927, still bears the number of that patent, 119708/17, along with the number of Alfred Dunhill’s UK patent for a flanged variant of the make’s now-signature aluminum Inner Tube. The pipe is a real snapshot of the era, from its craggy relief finish to its trim and slender proportions.

For a near-century old pipe, the condition is remarkable. Some rim darkening and finish fading, but nothing major. The stem, for example, is immaculate, and still holds its flanged inner tube—despite these tubes being marketed as disposable after heavy use.

Stamping:
DUNHILL’S “SHELL BRIAR”
PAT. N^os. 119708/17.116989/17 7

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.66 / 16.76mm

Bowl Depth: 1.28″ / 32.51mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 28g