A Wartime Treasure
Friday, November 2, 2012 at 12:36PM | Neill Archer Roan | Permalink tagged Algerian Briar, Dunhill, World War II | in Collecting, Pipe History
Updated on Sunday, November 4, 2012 at 8:20AM by
Neill Archer Roan
For many years, I have sought to acquire a Dunhill Shell pipe made during Great Britain’s World War II Years, 1939-1945. Dunhill early 1940s vintage pipes are exceedingly hard to come by, especially if one is at all interested in a particular finish or a particular shape. I am interested in both shape and finish, focusing on finding a Prince-of-Wales, a lovat, or a zulu in Dunhill’s Shell Briar finish.
Finally, after years of looking, I acquired the above-depicted 1943 Dunhill FET 24 shape: the straight Prince-of-Wales in the Shell finish.
This particular specimen is in mint condition. The stampings are exceedingly crisp. The stem is absolutely free from oxidation and tooth impressions or scratches. Finally, the pipe has been handled so little that its sandblasted briar ridges are still sharply defined, and Dunhill’s signature black over-stain has not been worn off though handling to reveal the red color lurking underneath. In short, the pipe looks like it might have come off Dunhill’s line very recently as opposed to 1943.