My First Dunhill (1923 Buryere 151).

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doctorbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
772
1,157
Grand Ledge, Michigan
So I bought this this weekend...

It is a 1923 Bruyere 151 bent billiard that according to Mr. Loring slotted bewteen the 120 and an LC in size and shape in its original incarnation in the early 20's. By the mid to late 20's the 151 bowl size was shortened and widened and the 120 was slightly increased to the prior size of the 151. The 151 appears to have disappeared by/during the 30's. I had been looking for a 120 for some time, and jumped on this when it came available (probably spent way too much, but hey, that's life, right?).
Let's see how this pans out.
This is also why I didn't bid on Harris' Barling
Bob

 

philobeddoe

Lifer
Oct 31, 2011
7,403
11,569
East Indiana
Nice pipe and that's a hell of a way to jump into Dunhill's, with a 1920's example! I would love to see pictures of it when you get her cleaned up and polished. I hope you get many great smokes from it.

 

tarheel1

Part of the Furniture Now
Oct 16, 2014
936
2
Congrats. Great looking pipe. Are you planning on doing a restoration on it?

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
The line and shape on that pipe are very nice. You scored! The Barling was also nice. Congrats.

 

doctorbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
772
1,157
Grand Ledge, Michigan
Tarheel1: depending on condition I will do the restoration myself. If the stem needs more than oxidation removal I'll send it to George. But the bit looks good in the sellers photos and I'm not anticipating it. Similarly if the stummel needs more than a thorough, gentle cleaning and ream, it will go out to a pro.
I buy them to smoke, so my main concern is to stabilize condition first, then improve the pipe later.
Bob

 

georged

Lifer
Mar 7, 2013
5,491
13,920
Some truly prime old stuff can still be found in Internetland. :D
What a score! Looks to be in outstanding condition underneath decades of Patiently Sitting in a Drawer Somewhere.
Definitely post some after pics.

 
M

mothernaturewilleatusallforbreakfast

Guest
The box really makes it. Especially since it's period correct. Who cares about the shape number. Dunhill shape numbers are little changing numerical combination enigmas; and irrelevant in my opinion, at least in this case.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,068
Maryland
postimg.cc
Well, you learn something every day - I was completely unfamiliar with the 151 shape. Nice find! I'll look forward to seeing the restored pipe.

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
That is a heck of a first Dunhill. From the looks of it, you are in for little more than a light clean-up. Congrats!

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Holy hell.
A 93 year old pipe that had how many years curing in a DH shed?
Talk about a walking, breathing, fire & tobacco eating chunk of history in a simple, but oh, so elegant, classic English shape.
You've got to share the after pix, Doc.
Well done.
Fnord

 

doctorbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
772
1,157
Grand Ledge, Michigan
So the pipe came and it is better, and slightly worse than hoped for. The stem is original, intact, fits well and has essentially NO wear except for minor rounding on the lip of the bottom of the button. The stem Reg'd number is mostly there and readable, and the vulcanite was not very heavily oxidized.
The exterior of the bowl has minor handling marks, but not major dents, creases, or loss of stain. The shank is intact and is not cracked or repaired. The stamping is variously shallow or clear, but it is there except for the middle of the Made In England block on the starboard side. Curiously this appears to have been a weak stamp from the factory as the remains do not show buffer wear. The date is clearly 1923. The rich, deep red of the stain is striking, almost jewel-like in places. I have never seen a Bruyere under bright light before, and I have decided that I quite like it!
The interior of the bowl is another story, the cake was measured at just over 1/4 inch (14mm) thick and was very hard. Reaming down revealed that the front to starboard 1/4 of the pipe has mild charring and spiderwebbing present in the middle half of the bowl. There is no corresponding damage to the outside of the pipe, but it will need to be slipped with waterglass and activated charcoal. Cleaning the rim was surprisingly easy, the lava protected most of the hard edges and prevented heavy darkening. I did lose a little of the stain on the edges of the top while cleaning, and am thinking of touching up with Fiebing's Oxblood and Mahogany.
The pipe is slightly larger than my Royal Comoys 43 (see Al's post for scale), but the bowl is noticeably larger due to the thinner walls of Dunhill vs. Comoy in this timeframe. It is a full thumb bowl.
Pictures once done. This was clearly a heavily smoked, well loved pipe!
Doc

 
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