Dunhill 1980 Shell 4103 Billiard w/ Silver 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.

The “Ring Grain” designation, a premium put on Dunhill’s Shell Briar finishes that exhibited particularly excellent sandblasting, was not introduced by Dunhill until 1986. Before then, if you wanted a Dunhill with a superlative ring grain blast, it was more a matter of luck if you (or more accurately, your local store or distributor) were to encounter one. As far as I can tell, such pipes were also more likely to receive sterling silver or gold mountings. This 1980 Shell Briar, for example, has some of the nicest sandblasting I’ve seen from that era, so its no surprise that it has also been mounted with an engine-turned, sterling silver collar.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear to the rim and slight finish fading.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.77 / 19.55mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g