Dunhill 1991 Root Briar 4603 Smooth Churchwarden Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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.

Despite its namesake, the precise reasons for which remain contested to this day, the “churchwarden” shape was, for much of the 20th century, associated with home leisure activities. Hence it has instead been referred, at times, as a “reading pipe,” or even a “television pipe,” depending on the era and demographic being marketed to. Dunhill churchwardens have existed since its earliest decades, boasting their popularity for “use while reading, or for peaceful and reflective hours in one’s home”, while also providing for the “coolest possible” smoke due to their length. Today, churchwardens continue to be manufactured by Dunhill, and even have a place within the company’s modern, standardized shape code system, but they are, nonetheless, far from common.

This one is completely unsmoked, with an original (though slightly flaked) bowl coating. It also comes with its original box and sales brochure. There are a couple of small, superficial nicks on the rim, which the price has been slightly adjusted to reflect.

 

Details:

Length: 10.3″ / 261.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.83 / 21.08mm

Bowl Depth: 1.49″ / 37.84mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g