Dunhill Shell Briar Christmas 'Two Turtle Doves' (4102) (445/500) (1994) (Unsmoked) Tobacco Pipe

The Dunhill Christmas Pipe is a special series in and of itself, featuring limited-number annual runs of beautiful Dunhill briars accompanied by luxurious, book-style presentation cases and specially designed tampers cast in sterling silver. That said, the Christmas Pipes that were issued from 1993-2004 have a particularly special place amongst collectors, as these were 12 of the years during which Dunhill followed the theme of what is perhaps the most famous Christmas carol of all, and an English one at that: "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

For 1994, Dunhill issued the "Two Turtle Doves", represented by the slim and graceful "02" bent Billiard in Group 4 size, here in a classic Shell Briar sandblast. The accompanying sterling silver tamper depicts the set's namesake Turtle Doves — traditional symbols of love and loyalty — perching close together upon a sapling.

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.