1976 Dunhill Shell Briar 41ED Sandblasted Opera 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.

Opera pipes are highly distinct in relation to other shapes, owing to their having an oval chamber, rather than a typical circular one. The origin of the shape, as well as the name, is debated among pipe historians, with one rationale for the shape itself being the ease with which it could be kept in one’s inside pocket. To my knowledge, Dunhill has had at least two shape codes for their straight Operas, the 320 and the 41ED (seen here), but even then, these pipes are exceedingly rare. All of the Dunhill Operas I’ve handled previously have been mid-century pieces, and all but the Black Briar iterations have had white bands, including this Shell Briar. The material used for white band on the mid-century iterations is assumed to be ivory, whereas on this 1976 one, I’m not entirely sure. I would suspect it to be Galalith, otherwise known as Erinoid, which Dunhill experimented with as a substitute for ivory after the latter was no longer used.

The condition is great. Some inner rim darkening and residual oxidation.

 

Details:

Length: 4.6″ / 116.8mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.24″ / 31.49mm

Weight: 0.9oz / 28g