Dunhill: Shell Briar (4507) (2023) Tobacco Pipe

I really love the Prince shape, and Dunhill's renditions of this classic profile are some of the most gracile that I've encountered. The Prince is one of the most elegant shapes conceived by man, and arguably the most elegant on the standard shape chart, with the White Spot's "07" iterations of the profile looking nearly effortless in their gracile poise. Coming in both straight and bent iterations, this bent version is my favorite of the two, pairing a trim shank with a lengthy, subtly curved stem that promises comfortable smoking posture. This particular iteration is an extremely rare one, as the 5 in the third place of its shape code is a seldom-seen designation that denotes a sleek, softly curved saddle stem. The configuration is quite slender and stands out among most other Prince renditions, this one looking especially handsome in the Shell Briar finish.

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.