English Estates: Dunhill Root Briar (51P0) (1976) Tobacco Pipe

This is quite the unique example of a Poker from Dunhill, bearing not the four-digit shape and group marking that we've come to expect from the marque in modern times, nor any others that I can recognize. Stamped "51P0," the shape code of this piece may be a result of both its vintage, coming from 1976, and its Root Briar finish, which has historically not featured the same markings as other Dunhill pipes, save for the Group size. As a pipe, this is a solid and practical example of the shape, with a transition that's very slightly raised from the bottom and marks the start of a trim, tapering shank which meets a similarly tapering stem of jet-black vulcanite. The bowl up front is a proud, upright cylinder that grows out of a flattened heel, flaring gently to the rim which overlooks a respectable chamber. The flanks of this bowl showcase some beautiful whorls of birdseye, with cross grain wrapping around the midsection, all beneath the warm Root Briar stain that has since acquired some handsome patina.

The highest honor for a Dunhill pipe is to receive the prestigious Root Briar appellation. Root Briars have been coveted by pipe smokers ever since they first debuted in 1931, due to the fact that each pipe must boast briar completely free of even the most minor of blemishes. Dunhill has the strictest of standards and expectations for quality with all of their pipes, and so any block of briar that comes to bear the Root Briar stamp must indeed be superlative.