Dunhill 1965 Root Briar 327 Smooth 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 three codes for their straight Operas, the 320, the 327, and the 41ED. This is an example of the 327, with the main differences being its slightly increased size and chamber capacity than its siblings. This one, from 1965, is dressed in Dunhill’s famed Root Briar finish, with the broad, flattened curvature of its bowl sides working beautifully to capture the briar’s grain patterns.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear and darkening to the rim.

 

Details:

Length: 5″ / 127.0mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.40″ / 35.56mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g