English Estates: Dunhill Shell Briar (5120) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

Presented here in Group 5 size, this "20" Cherrywood from Dunhill features a form factor akin to their "22" Poker but with a softer demeanor in its shaping. The bowl features a subtle forward cant, with straight walls rising from the flat heel toward the rounded rim. A slender, arrow-straight shank transitions from the bowl and joins to a gracefully bent tapered stem. Dunhill's iconic Shell Briar finish dresses the stummel with a dark, crisp sandblast, providing this piece's soft features with a rugged texture

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.