Dunhill: Cumberland with Silver (3229) (2021) Tobacco Pipe

This is a rare shape from Dunhill. The English marque's "29" Author, though a shape chart standard, simply isn't fashioned as often as their more prolific Billiards, Bulldogs, or other archetypal designs. Further commending this piece is the saddle stem — designated by the second "2" in the shape stamp, as opposed to the more often seen "1" tapered mouthpiece. Saddle-stemmed variations of Dunhill's "29" are even rarer, making this Group 3 piece quite the collectible find. Dressed in the ruddy sandblast and matching, eponymous stem of the Cumberland series, this pipe showcases a contrast rich band of silver at the shank end, its classic looks sure to make it a valued companion.

When Alfred Dunhill released his patented Shell Briar, he forever changed the pipe-smoking world at large. Dunhill has often been credited with being the first to offer sandblasted pipes (arguably the most popular finish today), and the Cumberland finish further displayed Dunhill's innovative spirit. Well received after its release in 1979, the Cumberland series was named for the English marque's warehouse on Cumberland road, and the line's signature, brindled vulcanite stem became so iconic, the warmly striated material is now referred to simply as "cumberland."