English Estates: Sasieni Four Dot Natural 'Grosvenor' Bent Bulldog Tobacco Pipe

Sasieni was founded in 1919 by none other than Joel Sasieni, who worked as an apprentice at Charatan and a factory manager at Dunhill. Sasieni's company was the one to popularize "oven curing" in pipe-making: To start, each briar block was first air cured, as was the custom at the time, but Sasieni then took it a step further by leaving the blocks in an oven for up to six weeks. During that time, the blocks were periodically removed by a factory worker who would wipe away any moisture and check for any cracks. The process led to pipes that were incredibly dry smoking.

Taking inspiration from Dunhill's infamous "White Spot" branding, Sasieni distinguished his own pipes by placing a blue dot on their stems. Unfortunately, the change solely in color was not enough to bypass trademark laws in the UK and US, nor Dunhill's corporate wrath. The spot was soon moved from atop the stem of each pipe to the side of the stem — still not a substantial enough change — then eventually received three additional companions, together creating an elongated diamond formation. The design would receive a few more iterations over the years, but the Four Dot formation, as seen on this bent Bulldog, remained the most famous among them.

This bent Bulldog has a classic look to it that hints at Sasieni's Dunhill and Charatan background. With its elegant proportions, finely-finished grain, and of course, the iconic Four Dot trademark, it's quite a distinguished-looking piece.