Dunhill: Christmas Pipe 2020 Cumberland (42/300) Tobacco Pipe

A special Dunhill series in and of itself, the English marque's Christmas pipe is an annual series featuring a limited-number run of special briars accompanied by book-style presentation cases and specifically designed tampers cast in sterling silver. Thus far, the longest running edition of the collectible series was a thematic line inspired by the The Twelve Days of Christmas that was released annually between 1993-2004, each year based on an individual verse from the classic English carol. Dunhill's latest Christmas series, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, was introduced in 2011 and will run until 2022. The series is inspired by the popular children's story by German author E.T.A. Hoffmann as well as the famous ballet by Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. This particular piece is number ten within the series and focuses on Prince Nikita, a central character within the story.

2020's Christmas pipe is a classic "08" bent Bulldog, with this particular Group 3 piece wearing the rustic Cumberland sandblast and topped by a hand-cut, brindled vulcanite stem. The inclusion of a tapered stem on this design helps keep the lines of the shank clean, consistent, and sleek, ending in a subtle downturn for easy clenching. Forgoing the Bulldog's typical beadlines, the bowl features a subtle ridgeline beneath its tapered rim. The shank end is handsomely accented by a sterling silver band, which has been perfectly shaped align with the diamond shank's ridgelines and is engraved with the year along its topside. Additional sterling silver graces the rim in the form of a hinged wind-cap, with a holly engraving across its surface. The accoutrements are then complemented by a detailed sterling silver tamper that depicts Prince Nikita sheltering Marie with his coat. It's presented in a book-style leather presentation box and comes complete with its own certificate of authenticity.