Two Early Dunhills: Difference between revisions

'''Written by John C. Loring'''<br>

''Contributed by Jean-Christophe Bienfait''

Two small early Dunhills rest in my rack each with a white explanatory label circling the inside of the bowl, least once again I unthinkingly cull them out of my collection only to wake in the middle of the night panic stricken as I search them out and restore them to the rack.  Both Bruyeres they are typical English ‘group 3ish’ small,  a shape 31 (billiard) and a shape 53 (3/4 bent). They came to me through Judd Perlson, pipe dealer of note, who before eBay and marriage, would visit London a few times each year just to ease the strain on my wallet.

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I was just getting into early Dunhills, learning about them and how to date them when Judd dangled these pipes before me over lunch. It was obvious from the start that the lightly smoked 1921 shape 31 billiard was an interesting pipe, even if too small for anything other then an occasional ‘test’ smoke.  For with full and complete standard Dunhill stampings on either side of the shank, the pipe is further stamped on the bottom of the shank “DAMAGED  [/] PRICE 3’/6’” (roughly a 75% discount to the then retail).   

   

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While no doubt other pipes from the specially stamped two month production period at the end of 1918 have survived, I think it doubtful that any of those other survivors remain unsmoked.  I suppose it’s the definition of what I normally abhor, “a museum piece”, not to be smoked,  but since its too small for me to smoke anyway, I don’t suppose I mind, if only I can remember not to cull it out, for like the card that tells its tale, it’s a survivor.

   

Back to Loring's articles [https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dunhill#John_C._Loring_Articles '''here''']

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[[Category:Dunhill]]