Dunhill: Cumberland (5128) (2017) Tobacco Pipe

The Author isn't nearly as common a shape as it once was, and, as a general rule, the oval-shanked Diplomat variant is even rarer. With Dunhill, however, that gets reversed — while the "28" Diplomat, seen here, certainly isn't common, the "29" Author is very rare indeed. The latter doesn't even appear on their commonly available shape charts, in fact. While I couldn't explain why this is the case, there is the silver lining that fans of the classic Diplomat do still have one marque to go to. This rendition is offered in bold Group 5 dimensions and is wearing an inviting Cumberland finish.

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."