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Dunhill Curiosities: Difference between revisions
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=About Dunhill Gold and Silver Bands= | |||
We were talking to Mr. Leslie Wood to resolve some controversies about the application of these gold and silver bands. Leslie "Les" John Wood worked for Dunhill for 25 years. He started in 1963 in the Dunhill silver mounting department and left after 19 years. He ran the department with 3 other collaborators. They were given trays of 30 pipes at a time and put silver or gold bands on them (mostly silver). His last position was as master silversmith. Following his tenure with Dunhill, Les formed his own brand, L. & J.S. Briars, together with his wife Dolly, in 1978. Les Wood follows Sasieni, the first ex-Dunhill worker to start their own enterprise, and he was followed by William John "Ashton"-Taylor. After he left his job at the Dunhill factory, he was contracted to make Dunhill bands at his workshop until 2008.<br> | |||
The silver used in these bands is 925 and the gold range from 9K, 14K, and 18K. Usually, pipes come out of the factory with these bands, but can be added on-demand from customers. This original bands always carry at least, an AD mark (in a diamond frame) and 925 for Sterling silver. Sometimes, the silver band does not have the full assay office hallmarks (which are not required if the silver weight does not exceed 7 grams)<br> | |||
They did and still do structural repairs like cracked stems, and plug bowls (if possible), and those repairs are simply amazing these days. In case they are replacing a broken stem or repairing a shank, they replicate the original stampings that were on the pipe before to keep it as original as possible. They don't add any stamp to register this service, as many believe. Occasionally, though, weird things happen.<br> | |||
There are some pipes that the bands have been added to over the stamps, evidencing that it was a later addition. Contrary to what we believed, this type of addition was executed in the factory and approved by quality control, as Mr Wood relates. Not only this, it was also applied to new pipes, attending the quality control request as a solution for small flaws in the shank. | |||
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<center><font size="3">[[File:Aspas-copy.png|40px]]'''In the factory, some pipes were mounted over the stamp, as quality control demanded. If the pipe was finished they would rather have the band cover the stamp rather than take the stamp out.[[File:Aspas.png|40px]]</font> Richard Dunhill.'''</center> | |||
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<gallery mode="packed-hover" widths=150px heights=150px> | |||
File:Overstamps.jpeg | |||
File:Goldband.jpeg | |||
File:Silverband.jpeg | |||
</gallery> | |||
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Mr. Wood also said that every band for every pipe was individually made to fit that pipe only, and the band made by him has a crack in the corner of the "AD" diamond frame stamp (he broke the stamp and never got it replaced). | |||
We talked about the existence of bands lacking a date code, but he had no information to offer. The reasons for these anomalies are presently unknown. | |||
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=Dunhill London Mixture made in Germany= | =Dunhill London Mixture made in Germany= | ||
[[File:Img 2000.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Dunhill London Mixture made in Germany]] | [[File:Img 2000.jpg|thumb|150px|left|Dunhill London Mixture made in Germany]] | ||