English Estates: Dunhill Root Briar (6252) (F/T) (4) (R) (1965) Tobacco Pipe

Dated to 1965, this Billiard from Dunhill is a sleek and balanced rendition of the conventional shape. Displayed here in Group 4 sizing, a hefty bowl and sturdy shank-and-stem arrangement give this pipe an overall muscular build. The thick walls of the cylindrical bowl rise from a firm heel to a flat rim that looks into a respectable tobacco chamber. Out back, a ninety-degree transition gives way to a rounded shank that extends a few inches before meeting the base of a vulcanite saddle stem. The inky mouthpiece complements the Root Briar finish along the stummel, which displays vertical grain and birdseye throughout.

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.