Help Needed to Date My "New" Dunhill

[RoyOdhner]

I just picked up a Dunhill estate. It's an Oom Paul Tanshell. The markings are as follows:

591  Dunhill      Made in      
        Tanshell    England 1  4T [4 is inside the circle]

I thought that it was a 1970's or very early 1980's pipe, but I'm now thinking that with the 3 digit shape code and the number 1 behind the "England" it might be a 1960's vintage - near as I can tell from the research I've done.

Anybody have any idea what year this pipe might have been made?

 

[tslots]

Might be a 1961.

http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/tanshell1.html#ck60

 

[Ocelot55]

Sounds like a 61 to me. The nomenclature you've described was only used from the late 50s to early 70s.

If that is the case, you've got a Dunnie from a good time period. The quality declined rapidly starting after the mid 70s.

 

[MisterE]

^What Jesse says.

I have a '61 Dunhill myself and it's easily one of the best pipes I own. Nice haul!

 

[monbla256]

This may help byt what you've described it probably is from BTWN '55 TO '60. The Tanshells were made starting in '53 so it can't be any earlier. These were made when Dunhill was using oil cured Algerian Briar up to about '69 or '70. Ya defiantely got one of the GOOD ones :twisted:

http://bbs.pipevillage.org/archiver/tid-1376.html

 

[RoyOdhner]

Hoo yah! Thanks for the input. I thought that I might have been reading the dating info wrong, but was hoping that I was right. Seems like I was.

 

[stapf]

Great Job! I thought everything from that estate batch was from the early 80's, but you manage to pick up a pre-1965 Dunhill for an excellent price. More of the DFW folks need to check out Tobacco Cabana. Or then again maybe not, at least until I pick up that last Julius Vesz I have my eye on.

 

[RoyOdhner]

Great Job!  I thought everything from that estate batch was from the early 80's, but you manage to pick up a pre-1965 Dunhill for an excellent price.  More of the DFW folks need to check out Tobacco Cabana.  Or then again maybe not, at least until I pick up that last Julius Vesz I have my eye on.

Great place. I'll be back again - often. No tins, but at $5USD an ounce on Stokkebye bulk - including LNF - it's a great pipe shop. Looks like they stock just about all of the major Stokkebye bulk blends - and quite a few Lane blends to boot... even Crown Achievement.

As for the pipe, well, I've always wanted a Dunny. Now I've got one, and I get why the Dunhill guys always brag on them. Great balance, light weight, great draw, awesome finish, impeccable engineering, cool smoking, and a pedigree that one might consider royal. And I picked it all up for well south of $200. (And also got a free ounce of LNF and a Czech pipe tool to sweeten the deal).

Yezzir, I like Tobacco Cabana.

 

[monbla256]

Great Job!  I thought everything from that estate batch was from the early 80's, but you manage to pick up a pre-1965 Dunhill for an excellent price.  More of the DFW folks need to check out Tobacco Cabana.  Or then again maybe not, at least until I pick up that last Julius Vesz I have my eye on.

Great place. I'll be back again - often. No tins, but at $5USD an ounce on Stokkebye bulk - including LNF - it's a great pipe shop. Looks like they stock just about all of the major Stokkebye bulk blends - and quite a few Lane blends to boot... even Crown Achievement.

As for the pipe, well, I've always wanted a Dunny. Now I've got one, and I get why the Dunhill guys always brag on them. Great balance, light weight, great draw, awesome finish, impeccable engineering, cool smoking, and a pedigree that one might consider royal. And I picked it all up for well south of $200. (And also got a free ounce of LNF and a Czech pipe tool to sweeten the deal).

Yezzir, I like Tobacco Cabana.

Remember, you're sampling what they once WERE not the new "White Spots " as are made today! These older Shells were made from OLD Algerian Briar that had been aged BEFORE it was oil cured and when ready, made into pipes and sandblasted. It was truly the time period where they made a name for themselves. Sadly that's not the same today. I have a 2008 Dunhill Cumberland and though it's a nice pipe, it's nowhere near what my older Patents are. Sounds like you got one of the GOOD ones so sit back and enjoy :twisted: :twisted:

 

[RoyOdhner]

Remember, you're sampling what they once WERE not the new "White Spots " as are made today! These older Shells were made from OLD Algerian Briar that had been aged BEFORE it was oil cured and when ready, made into pipes and sandblasted. It was truly the time period where they made a name for themselves. Sadly that's not the same today. I have a 2008 Dunhill Cumberland and though it's a nice pipe, it's nowhere near what my older Patents are. Sounds like you got one of the GOOD ones so sit back and enjoy  :twisted: :twisted:

I've heard from really hard-core Dunhill enthusiasts that the post-1970 Dunhills are subpar, and I've heard from not so hard-core fans that those made in the 1990's and later are subpar. I figure I'm never gone have an extra $700 or so just sitting around and waiting to be spent on a new pipe, so I'll focus on estate pipes from the 1980's and earlier. For one, I can afford them. Secondly, if this is when Dunhill was in it's prime then why not just spend my money on prime Dunhills.

I told myself that I was done buying pipes, but who I am really trying to kid? I love collecting them. However, I think I'll focus on vintage Dunnies. The one I just bought is a wonderful pipe, and it was reasonably priced. A really good pipe is gonna start off at $300 anyway, so why not spend that kind of money on an icon? Half the fun is going to be finding them, though. I still want a birth year Dunhill(1963), so once I get some more money saved-up I'll go looking for one. I'm sure to find one I like sooner or later. Now that I've figured-out how to date them, I'll be focusing on pre-1990 pipes with particular emphasis on pipes made in 1970 and earlier.

 

[monbla256]

Remember, you're sampling what they once WERE not the new "White Spots " as are made today! These older Shells were made from OLD Algerian Briar that had been aged BEFORE it was oil cured and when ready, made into pipes and sandblasted. It was truly the time period where they made a name for themselves. Sadly that's not the same today. I have a 2008 Dunhill Cumberland and though it's a nice pipe, it's nowhere near what my older Patents are. Sounds like you got one of the GOOD ones so sit back and enjoy  :twisted: :twisted:

I've heard from really hard-core Dunhill enthusiasts that the post-1970 Dunhills are subpar, and I've heard from not so hard-core fans that those made in the 1990's and later are subpar. I figure I'm never gone have an extra $700 or so just sitting around and waiting to be spent on a new pipe, so I'll focus on estate pipes from the 1980's and earlier. For one, I can afford them. Secondly, if this is when Dunhill was in it's prime then why not just spend my money on prime Dunhills.

I told myself that I was done buying pipes, but who I am really trying to kid? I love collecting them. However, I think I'll focus on vintage Dunnies. The one I just bought is a wonderful pipe, and it was reasonably priced. A really good pipe is gonna start off at $300 anyway, so why not spend that kind of money on an icon? Half the fun is going to be finding them, though. I still want a birth year Dunhill(1963), so once I get some more money saved-up I'll go looking for one. I'm sure to find one I like sooner or later. Now that I've figured-out how to date them, I'll be focusing on pre-1990 pipes with particular emphasis on pipes made in 1970 and earlier.

From the Dunnie collectors I know who also smoke them, you want to look for pre 1970 as that's when they were able to get and age and cure the Algerian briar they used in all the Shell and Bruyere finished pipes .  The few I have that are from that era and been able to smoke bear this out for sure ! Happy and successful hunting!! :twisted: :twisted:

 

[Ocelot55]

Here's my experience with Dunhill collecting. You can pretty well count on everything made prior to 1970 to be top notch, still I wouldn't pay more than $250 for one unless it was rare or an early patent pipe. After 1970 you really need to physically inspect the pipes before purchase. Many are great. Some are not. The ratio of lemons to decent pipes continues to decline through the 90s until today, where you should pretty much just avoid like the plague unless they are $150 or less.

 

[RoyOdhner]

Here's my experience with Dunhill collecting. You can pretty well count on everything made prior to 1970 to be top notch, still I wouldn't pay more than $250 for one unless it was rare or an early patent pipe.

Which of the Dunhill lines are worth collecting?

 

[monbla256]

Here's my experience with Dunhill collecting. You can pretty well count on everything made prior to 1970 to be top notch, still I wouldn't pay more than $250 for one unless it was rare or an early patent pipe.

Which of the Dunhill lines are worth collecting?

My preference would be ANY in the Shell series especially pre 1960. But then I'm rather partial to sandblasted finishes !! :twisted: :twisted: Back then Dunhill used oil cured OLD Algerian Briar as it was softer and produced some really nice deep, gnarly blasts ! JMHO :twisted: :twisted:

 

[daveinlax]

Here's my experience with Dunhill collecting. You can pretty well count on everything made prior to 1970 to be top notch, still I wouldn't pay more than $250 for one unless it was rare or an early patent pipe.

Which of the Dunhill lines are worth collecting?

Collect what you like.
Over the years I've owned over 100 Dunhill pipes from 20's to the early '00's  After hearing the usual, the only Dunhill pipes worth smoking are patent era pieces my very first collection were patent era Dunhills mostly billiards. I owned and broke in two unsmoked patent shells and they were fine but just to small for me. All my patent pipes are long gone. I smoke and collect newer, much larger ODA's, Group 6 and Collectors. IMO these newer pipes smoke every bit as good and are as well made as my older pieces did and they satisfy me. The key is to find what YOU like and be picky.  :shock:

 

[riff raff]

The 591 is a sought after shape. It has the sump style shank, so you'll have to keep it clean. Lets see a picture of it, the '61 is my birth year!

 

[Ocelot55]

Here's my experience with Dunhill collecting. You can pretty well count on everything made prior to 1970 to be top notch, still I wouldn't pay more than $250 for one unless it was rare or an early patent pipe.

Which of the Dunhill lines are worth collecting?

Collect what you like.
Over the years I've owned over 100 Dunhill pipes from 20's to the early '00's  After hearing the usual, the only Dunhill pipes worth smoking are patent era pieces my very first collection were patent era Dunhills mostly billiards. I owned and broke in two unsmoked patent shells and they were fine but just to small for me. All my patent pipes are long gone. I smoke and collect newer, much larger ODA's, Group 6 and Collectors. IMO these newer pipes smoke every bit as good and are as well made as my older pieces did and they satisfy me. The key is to find what YOU like and be picky.  :shock:

Yup. Collect what you like. My modest Dunhill collection is built around a couple of ideas. First, I want at least one Dunhill from every decade they've been in production. I'm missing 20s, 30s, 40s, and the teens of this century. Second, I love Dunnies with weird or unusual stamps. I have one that has two shape codes and is stamped "NOT FOR SALE." Several others have double date stamps or little stars on the underside. Lastly I want at least one of every finish they've made. I lack Bruyere, Black Briar, Dress, and Ruby Bark.

The great thing about Dunhill is that there are so many collecting opportunities available. Certainly there will be something to keep you occupied.

 

[ftrplt]

I have thirteen Dunnies, all from the '20's thru 1969. Ten shell/tan shells plus three Bruyere's. DH changed their production process (well-noted historically), around 1967/68, depending on type of pipe and worker skill level. I just personally made a conscious decision not to buy any post-69 Dunnies. But that's just me. Every DH I have is an excellent smoker; I do limit them to Latweed and Ginnyweed. My Tanshell 120 is also marked "Not For Sale!!" FWIW :cheers: FTRPLT