English Estates: Dunhill Shell (413) (1986) Tobacco Pipe

Dated to 1986, this Billiard from Dunhill is a sleek, streamlined design, with a pert, upright bowl poised at the fore of slender, arrow-straight shank-and-stem arrangement. It's presented in Group 4 size, but the gracile build of the shank and stem give it a far more svelte, minimalist appearance, especially when viewed in profile. It's dressed in the crisp, dark Shell Briar sandblast, which brings vivid definition to the briar's grain.

The Shell Briar's addition to the Dunhill catalog was a pivotal moment in pipe-smoking history. Before 1917, pipes with sandblasted finishes had never been made, and Alfred Dunhill's innovative mind created arguably the most popular finish for pipes today when he unveiled the Shell Briar. With its dark, reserved color palette and delightful texture, it's no surprise that it's still wildly popular over a century later.