Dunhill: County Zodiac 'Year of the Ox 2021' with Silver (with Case) (79/198) (3203) (2020) Tobacco Pipe

For the past 11 years, The White Spot has celebrated the 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar with a special, limited-edition pipe commemorating that year's sign. 2020 was the start of the 12-year cycle, marked by the rat, and 2021's series honors the ox. It's the second animal in the zodiac but Dunhill's penultimate release in the series. Like previous Zodiac pipes, these pieces represent a singular shape divided across a select number of Dunhill's iconic finishes and fashioned in extremely limited quantities. A saddle-stemmed iteration of the archetypal "03" straight Billiard characterizes the Year of the Ox release, sized as a Group 3 and accented with sterling silver. Following the zodiac theme, that silver is engraved with an ox depiction, and the pipe comes complete with a supple, cow-hide leather zippered case, exclusive to this series. Though this County version is serialized out of 198 total pipes finished in the County line, only 160 pipes were actually fashioned, those with the digit "4" having been omitted for its association with death in various Asian cultures.

Like the Cumberland finish, Dunhill's County line pairs rich, cumberland stems with delightfully textured sandblasts. Typically, County pieces wear a lighter stain, often falling between the Cumberland and Tanshell hues, and since its introduction in 1986, with only a brief hiatus, the County remains stalwart within Dunhill's portfolio, especially desired by lovers of brindled vulcanite and warm sandblasts.