An eBay ES: Difference between revisions

'''An eBay ES,by John C. Loring'''<br>

''Contributed by Jean-Christophe Bienfait''

I suppose first and foremost eBay is a place to acquire pipes, but increasingly for me at least it is a place to learn about pipes.  Here’s a case in point:

   

''“This Dunhill Bruyere oval shank billiard measures 6” long with a bowl height of 1-3/4”. Briar is exceptional and carries the “H.W./o” (hand-worked) stamping. Original stem with ivory dot. Nomenclature: left side of shank stamped: “H.W./o” and “Dunhill London”. Right side of shank stamped: “ Made in England Inner Tube Pat. No. 58---/123 ES 6” Condition note: the nomenclature is weak from buffing but is still readable except for some of the numerals in the actual patent number. The /123 at the end of the patent number actually has the 3 at half-size with an underline. Original stem has bite marks on the underside (see photo). Briar is in excellent condition, interior bowl wall is smooth. Original metal inner tube is missing.”''

[[File:Loring-AnEbayES1.jpg|center]]

As I write this the eBay auction has yet to close and of course I have not seen the pipe in hand.  The written description of the nomenclature makes clear that the pipe is a 1923 ES, i.e. ‘Canadian’.  But a glance at the pictures (here in composite) suggests more then a question mark.

   

Turning back though to, of all things, the pipe itself, something though seems not quite right.  Its suppose to be an ES Canadian.  The overall described dimensions for the pipe are correct for ESs of this period but the picture shows a very questionable shank/bit proportion – one would anticipate that the former would be considerably longer and the latter much shorter, at least as compared to the 1920 and 1921 examples in my collection and the one pictured in a 1925 Dunhill catalog. Certainly suspicious although not absolutely dispositive, for instance pictured below is an ODA 850 Canadian from a 1968 Dunhill catalog with an unusually short shank/long bit:

[[File:Loring-AnEbayES2.jpg|center]]

still even with that unusual ODA 850 the short shank is longer then the long bit, while here the short shank is clearly shorter then the long bit.  Yet another consideration is that there were some dramatic changes in at least a few early Dunhill shapes, for instance the 151 I have written about previously.  On the other hand “ES” likely was meant to signify “Extended Shank” and if so the pipe at hand can hardly be considered representative.

   

   

It  is most likely a 1918 ES, the shank of which was cracked or broken off around 1923 and repaired at the Dunhill factory by amputation and refitting with a new longer bit.  The 1923  repair effectively lost the essence of the ES shape, but the pipe still remains marginally collectible because of its early date.  

[[Category:Dunhill]]