Is there any way to definitively date my LB Shell? It is a Shell with the following nomenclature:

LB, Dunhill Shell, Made in England, Patent No. 417574/34, S

The "S" is stamped on its side just at the shank and stem juncture. There is no date code after the patent number. There is a short horizontal line stamp between the stamping and the "S", as if there intended to be a date code, but no suffix. The nomenclature is as crisp as the day it was stamped so it was not buffed away.

Is there any way to date this pipe with any certainty? I was told by the seller, whom I trust, and is a friend, that it might be from 1941-42. I checked John Loring's book and he states that in the absence of a circled group stamp, which began in 1951 it more than likely was made between 1942-1951. Is there a way to pin down a single year based upon the present nomenclature?

Any ideas?

Lou

Have you looked through these guides?
R.D. Field's dating guide

Pipephil's dating guide

Good luck,
Jim

Lou...Is the date code 417574\34 or 417574/34? The former is dated (per the late Mr. Loring) to 1944; the latter to 1944-1951. That's my story and I'm stickin' to it!!!!! FTRPLT