DUNHILL Root Briar 4108

England, 1978

Initially Dunhill didn’t pay any special attention to a grain of briar. Perhaps, the public opinion had not been ready yet to a “straight grain” and material of early Bruyere pipes didn’t differ by a remarkable grain. But in 1931 Root Briar series was started. The pipes were made of Corsican briar, wonderful by both its mechanical properties and very frequently by its bright and expressive grain. Since then Root Briar pipes is the most expensive Dunhill series. As an exciting sample – amazing rhodesian Root Briar pipe made in 1978!

The pipe markings are “DUNHILL \ ROOT BRIAR”, “4108” (hardly visible), “MADE IN \ ENGLAND 18”. The length is 14.0 cm (5.51″), bowl’s height is 3.9 cm (1.54″). External diameter of the bowl is 4.2 cm (1.65″), internal diameter is 2.0 cm (0.79″). The depth is 3.2 cm (1.26″) and this pipe weights 46 gr. Briar, vulcanite stem (slightly patched, you may identify the track under a bright light), no filter. The chamber looks slightly of center – not sure, was it a production deviation? The chamber has normal smoked wear with some scratches and roughness but we didn’t identify any major issues.