2002 Dunhill Collector HT Shell Briar Bent Pot 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.

Dunhills are generally special pipes, but some Dunhills are even more special than others. Like this one – a Dunhill ‘Collector’ grade. Aptly named, the Collector was introduced in 1978 as less of a formal line, and more of a chance for Dunhill’s craftsmen to show off what they could do when using ‘freehand’ carving techniques. This is why the Collector features the ‘HT’ stamp in place of a shape code, because the pipes are ‘hand turned,’ as opposed to turning on a lathe in the traditional sense, and because freehand/hand turned pipes have the freedom to explore beyond the shapes that factory machinery is otherwise calibrated for. This particular Collector, made in 2002, is a more compact and lightweight offering from the series, rendered in a traditional, rather French, bent pot shape. The Shell Briar finish shows off plenty of enjoyably craggy sandblasting.

The condition is great. Some rim darkening and residual oxidation. The pipe comes with its original presentation box.

 

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.25″ / 31.75mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g