English Estates: Dunhill Cumberland (5215) (1986) Tobacco Pipe

The "15" bent Pot shape doesn't quite match the "29" Author in terms of rarity, but it seems to come pretty close. Not unusual for shapes Dunhill seldom makes, but when you do find these they're likely to be in one specific Group size: Group 5 in this shape's case. This particular Cumberland example of the 15 is an intriguing one, in that it bears both a saddle stem and a diamond shank. This combination of features makes this pipe both visually intriguing and quite sleek toward the aft end, with the firm ridges of the shank balancing out the bowl quite well. Dressed here in the warm auburn sandblast of the Cumberland series, this pipe displays handsome grain all around.

When Alfred Dunhill released his patented Shell Briar, he forever changed the pipe-smoking world at large. Dunhill has often been credited with being the first to offer sandblasted pipes (arguably the most popular finish today), and the Cumberland finish further displayed Dunhill's innovative spirit. Well received after its release in 1979, the Cumberland series was named for the English marque's warehouse on Cumberland road, and the line's signature, brindled vulcanite stem became so iconic, the warmly striated material is now referred to simply as "cumberland."