The Poor Man's Dunhill Mini-Magnum -- The 1976 Jumbo/fr: Difference between revisions

But Dunhill’s stockpile of accumulated briar was far too substantial to be seriously dented by an extra generous production of bent shapes in 1976 and Canadian shapes in 1978 and there were other considerations as well. First, the 1975 announced end of ODA production had not been well received in America. So given both American market and MBA/corporate demands a 1978 reintroduction of the entire large classic shape “Giant”/”ODA” line was a natural.  ''(Of course consistent with the end of its individual pipe shape numbering system, these ODAs were initially reintroduced without the traditional “800” pipe shape number stampings.)''

Second, Dunhill was hardly oblivious to the favorable impression Danish freehand pipes had made in America during the 1960s.  Indeed in the early 1970’s it had experimented at its Harcourt factory with plateau topped freehand bowls using preturned but hand finished stems.  (These were marketed as Dunhills with an “S/G” stamp.) Nor of course was it unfamiliar with the popularity of its newly acquired Charatanline of Danish influenced English style free hands, i.e. the Distinction, Executive, Selected and Supreme. So again in retrospect it was almost natural for Dunhill to begin Dunhill factory production in 1978 of the Collector line of free hand style pipes.

Unfortunately, MBAs seem always to be young and impatient, the cigarette smoking type with little patience for either a pipe or unused inventory.  And beginning late in 1978 I suspect that was the genesis to the most embarrassing disaster in a century of Dunhill pipe making. I refer of course to the circled group size 6 (and rare circled group size 5) Bruyeres primarily associated with 1979 but found on occasion with 1978 and 1980 date stamps.

Not all large briars are either well grained enough to be destined to be a Collector line pipe, or otherwise of a shape easily carved into a well balanced premium grade pipe and as Dunhill attacked its accumulated stockpile of briar, a second stockpile of these ‘less then satisfactory’ but not imperfect briars must of begun to grow. Corporate folks however, hunched over spread sheets, with a cigarette smoldering near by tend to see only unused inventory, and beginning in late 1978 and continuing into early 1980 one sees a series of abortions usually with a circled group size 6, never with a shape number, and invariably in the Bruyere finish, with clumsy bowl shapes and normally coupled with poorly fitted bits (if not poorly fitted it is probably a replacement). If one did not know for a fact that in 1978 Dunhill distributed these pipes at a radically reduced $50 ‘sale’ price (some, but not most, ‘sale’ pipes had XX’s stamped on the shank), one would not hesitate to label them ‘counterfeits’ on the quality, or rather lack of quality, of manufacture alone. Or to put it very kindly a hastily made group of pipes.

In life however, we are ultimately measured not so much by the mistakes we make but how we react to them and if I may complete my speculation, it seems to me that early 1980s Dunhill production indicates that indeed Dunhill recognized and reacted to its 1979 circled group 6 Bruyere disaster. For in the early 1980s together with continued production of the Collector and reintroduced ODA lines we see a number of unusual Dunhill pipes replicating some of its most unusual older limited production shapes,  suggesting to me a continuation of turning an accumulated inventory of briar into sterling but unlike, 1979, and consistent with 1976 and 1978 doing so within a tradition of classic English style shapes of the finest quality.

All and all then for an old fashion, stogy English company, the second half of the 1970s is a remarkable period with an incredible low, peaks of considerable interest and for me, the incredible high point of Dunhill’s 1976 production of a handful of 612 and 622 ¾ bent shapes with bowl heights exceeding 2 ½” up to 3”, the largest standard shape numbered pipes Dunhill has ever produced.

''(*)(This paper could not have been written save for Richard Esserman. While most of us began as ‘smokers’ and slowly developed into collectors, Richard merged the two interests almost immediately and coupled them with a phenomenal memory and a discerning eye. He is in all a remarkable and generous resource.)''