Smooth Alfred Dunhill Tribute Billiard with Stingray Tobacco Pipe

Formerly known as the American Pipe Making Exposition, our annual Global Pipe Making Exposition features contributions from some of the world's foremost artisans, all united around a central theme. One of the most exciting events of the year for carvers, smokers, and enthusiasts of briar alike, the Global Exposition acts not only as a showcase for the immense talent of these artisans but a focus for the boundless creativity that these masters of the art possess. For 2025, the theme of our Expo is "In Memoriam," celebrating the life and works of artisans who have passed on, yet whose impact on the craft and those around them is utterly undeniable.

While Werner Mummert is known for his bold, avant-garde shaping style, he's chosen a more conservative maker as his inspiration for the Expo — arguably the marque most synonymous with traditional pipe design: Dunhill. For over a hundred years, Dunhill has fashioned pipes in the classic Anglo-French style, building upon the groundwork set by 19th-century manufacturers and pioneering new, innovative processes that have revolutionized pipe making as a craft. It was Dunhill, after all, that created the first sandblasted pipes and introduced novel designs such as the "Windshield."

Of course, Mummert, in his usual playful manner, has crafted an ode to the English firm in a creative, nontraditional way, highlighting an understated aspect of Dunhill's history: leather-wrapped designs. Like many pipe makers of the era, Dunhill experienced a briar shortage during World War 2, with trading throughout Europe slowed to a trickle and all available resources prioritized for the war. In order to keep the pipes flowing, Dunhill utilized whatever briar was on hand, even if it wasn't visually pleasing. To cover these blemished stummels, pipe makers wrapped their pipes in leather, inadvertently creating a new, chic style, much like Dunhill's bamboo-accented "whangees" of the same era.

Again, in quintessential Mummert fashion, he tackled this under-emphasized part of Dunhill's catalogue in a singular way. It would be too straightforward and simple to wrap his Expo Billiard in cowhide or sheepskin. Instead, the German artisan has covered the entirety of his submission in stingray leather. The application of leather is a time-consuming process that requires steady hands, a keen eye, and a wealth of patience, and when done correctly, it offers a singular look and texture, as is the case with this Billiard.

The leather's subtle texture and pale blue-and-white hues elevate what is, in profile, a sleek, no-nonsense rendition of the classic Billiard, complete with a tall, full-bodied bowl, a sturdy shank, and a trim saddle stem. Mummert has left naked sections of briar at the rim and shank end, these unwrapped portions of the stummel acting as accents that contrast the complexion of the leather and showcase the briar's natural grain. On paper, such a vibrant and complex finish, when paired with such traditional shaping, could come across as clumsy or gaudy, but in practice, it's fitting, the restraint of the shaping allowing the leather to take center stage.

All and all, this piece is a meticulously rendered and entirely unique take on classic pipe design, and a truly original nod to one of pipe making's most esteemed institutions.