Dunhill: Alexander Graham Bell Shell Briar Bent Dublin Sitter (4) (16/25) Tobacco Pipe

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Alexander Graham Bell was a prolific engineer, scientist, and inventor. He's perhaps most notable for co-founding the American Telephone & Telegraph Company (AT&T) and receiving the first US patent for the invention of the telephone — an innovation that forever changed human communication. To commemorate the centenary of Bell's passing, as well as celebrate his most famous invention, Dunhill has produced a limited edition series of pipes, comprising a single shape rendered across the English marque's most iconic finishes. Each pipe in the series comes included with a sterling silver tamper and is presented in a leather-bound book.

The shape in question is a Group 4-sized bent Dublin Sitter, which offers the proportions and reassuring stoutness of a comfort pipe as well as the practicality of a desk pipe. It features a tall, thick-walled bowl that's shaped to evoke the appearance of an early telephone's earpiece. Said bowl cants forward and displays a steady flare from its flat heel to its broad, softly inflated rim. An upturned shank and a steeply curved saddle stem bring up the rear of the composition and balance out the shape quite nicely, while also encouraging a comfortable smoking posture. This particular example is dressed in the fetching Shell Briar sandblast and is accented with a thick band of sterling silver.

The Shell Briar's addition to the Dunhill catalog was a pivotal moment in pipe-smoking history. Before 1917, pipes with sandblasted finishes had never been made, and Alfred Dunhill's innovative mind created arguably the most popular finish for pipes today when he unveiled the Shell Briar. With its dark, reserved color palette and delightful texture, it's no surprise that it's still wildly popular over a century later.