English Estates: Dunhill Shell Briar (3522) (2015) Tobacco Pipe

Alfred Dunhill was a gifted visionary, tobacconist, manufacturer, and entrepreneur who founded the legendary luxury goods brand in 1893 when he was just 21 years old. The company was developed after Alfred inherited his father's saddlery business and initially focused on developing a line of automotive accessories and clothing called "Dunhill's Motorities" in response to the growing demand for automobiles around that time. In 1904, the now-iconic Windshield pipe entered the Dunhill catalog as a practical means to smoke while driving, incidentally paving the way for the Dunhill name becoming synonymous with high-quality pipes. Three years later, Alfred established a tobacco shop on Duke St. in London, and a pipe-making workshop followed soon after. Emblazoned with a recognizable white spot on the stem, Dunhill pipes eschewed the paradigm of inexpensive pipes of cheap quality in favor of well-crafted smoking instruments meant to last a lifetime. Over the coming years, Dunhill invented the sandblasted finish in the Shell Briar line and developed a curated portfolio of classic shapes, finishes, and hand-cut vulcanite stems that remain standard to this day. Few companies have influenced pipe making more than Dunhill, with modern factories and artisans still considering The White Spot pipes the archetypal model of traditional English shaping. Dunhill pipes have exemplified taste, quality, and style for over a century, and their durability is proven by certain examples that remain eminently smokeable even 100 years later.

This Dunhill estate pipe embodies The White Spot's illustrious history and reputation. Throughout its tenure, Dunhill has remained systematic in its stamping and nomenclature, and the title below reflects this pipe's available stamping and date of manufacture. In the company's earliest decades, pipes were stamped with a shape number, anywhere from one to three digits or letters; a Group number "1" through "6" denoting chamber capacity; a capital letter referencing the finish ("A" for Bruyere, "S" for Shell Briar, and "R" for Root Briar); and a date stamp. The oldest and rarest examples will also feature antique patent numbers stamped on the pipes. In more modern decades, though, pipes were stamped with a four- or five-digit code, delineating the Group size, stem style, and shape number, respectively.