1964 Dunhill Tanshell 48 Sandblasted Bulldog 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.

Dunhill’s Tanshell line was introduced in 1953, with a sandblast finish much like the previously introduced Shell Briar line. Unlike the Shell Briar, however, the Tanshell underwent a secret process during production that bestowed its eponymous tan coloring; Tanshells during the 1950s and ’60s were also made from Sardinian briar, rather than the Algerian briar used for Dunhill’s other pipes. This one is Dunhill’s classic shape 48 bulldog, and, as Dunhills tend to be, is incredibly lightweight, at just 32 grams. Over the decades, the tan hue of this trusty smoker has developed a reddish patina, as near-naked briar tends to do.

The condition is fair. There’s some char on the rim and some darker spots on the pipe’s underside. After a careful examination of the chamber, we’ve deduced that the latter are simply superficial handling marks.

 

Details:

Length: 5.2″ / 132.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.35″ / 34.29mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g