Dunhill: Cumberland (5117) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

Both Dunhill's "17" and "04" shape numbers refer to straight Bulldog designs, complete with diamond shanks and tapered rims, defined by either a crisp beadline or more subtle ridgeline. Where the designs differ is in their height — the "17" being considerably more squat and low-set than the taller "04." Personally, I appreciate the "17" most out of the two, the stolid, muscular rendition easily recognized as the White Spot's work. This particular example personifies the inherent muscularity associated with the Bulldog shape, rendered here in hearty, Group 5 size. It also benefits from the finish of the English marque's Cumberland series, pairing a rustic sandblast with the line's signature stem of brindled vulcanite.

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."