I've been a pipe smoker on and off for 40 years and have collected pipes for many years. Also before I retired recently I was in the collectible business so when I recently sold a Dunhill 'hourglass shaped' pipe for a nominal sum for a Dunhill I'm suddenly losing sleep. First hourglass shaped pipes are not common and I keep thinking that a Dunhill hourglass shape might be very rare and valuable. I see visions of lost money flashing and feel like I may have given away a small treasure. It was marked Dunhill Bryuere {not shore of the spelling} and I think it said England; don't recall if it had any numbers. When I check website for Dunhill shapes I don't see this one. Also it was a fairly large size. Well give me the bad news; Did I have a Dunhill treasure or not?
Very Rare Dunhill Pipe?
- Thread starter rekall
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It seems odd with your history of piping and collecting that you don't know what you had. I have never heard of such a pipe, but there may be others who have. Did you sell it on eBay?
Without seeing the pipe it would be hard to say what you had. Dunhill made a lot of custom orders. The OD designation originally stood for "Own Design" - pipes that were made from sketches supplied by their clientele. Some of these became part of Dunhill's patterns. Many others are one-of-a-kind. Since it's a done deal, it's probably best just to move on.
Its probably best that you not reflect on the decision otherwise you'll probably drive yourself crazy.
I have had no luck with Dunhill at all. Years ago I bought a pipe at the local swap meet cheap that said Dunhill shell briar. I was familiar with the name Dunhill but the pipe was so ordinary looking that I assumed it wasn't worth much and decided to smoke it - I wasn't impressed. Some years later when doing some research on ebay I saw they were selling at that time for about 150.00 so I decided to sell it; so I reamed out the cake build up and sure enough it left internal chips - still I described it as is and got 75.00 for it which would have been twice as much if I hadn't messed around with it. Then a few years ago the manager of my apt. complex let me go in with him when a tenant died and sure enough I found a Dunhill pipe tool which when I looked it up was going for about 40.00. So I put it on top of my computer and figured i would one day sell it on ebay. Sure enough when I buy a new computer and clean up what was on top of the old one the pipe tool was gone - sure I paid very little for it but still it just seemed to disappear. I was starring at that other Dunhill pipe and could not decide whether to smoke it or not - I'm sure if I had smoked it it would have cracked - glad to be rid of it.
Yes, I noticed someone recently listed a square Dunhill as rare and it probably was but he only got about 200.00 for it. Still I keep thinking in retrospect that there are probably people out there who collect odd shaped pipes.
Recently I just purchased a very-very ornately carved meerschaum with a gold dot makers mark that looks like a G or if you turn it on an angle it looks like a pipe - this gold button/dot is about 1/4 of an inch and it is on the mouthpiece right in the center front of the mouthpiece - any idea who the maker is and if it might have much value?
I noticed there are a lot of ornately carved meerschaums for sale lately at nominal costs but if it is very intricate and ornate does it up the value much?
Recently I just purchased a very-very ornately carved meerschaum with a gold dot makers mark that looks like a G or if you turn it on an angle it looks like a pipe - this gold button/dot is about 1/4 of an inch and it is on the mouthpiece right in the center front of the mouthpiece - any idea who the maker is and if it might have much value?
I noticed there are a lot of ornately carved meerschaums for sale lately at nominal costs but if it is very intricate and ornate does it up the value much?
The stampings and condition are the critical issues. The stampings would give us a better idea than just pictures would.
Lots of sellers use the term "rare" as though that carries any importance to buyers. It rarely does 
. Shape, finish, and condition are much more important.
Pictures are a must when it involves identifying a pipe.
. Shape, finish, and condition are much more important.Pictures are a must when it involves identifying a pipe.
True and since I sold probably the most valuable pipe I ever owned and began to study my error I noticed that often on ebay they use the words 'Dunhill rare' and maybe they are correct when it comes to year and model BUT the more I search I can not find a distinctive hourglass shape in a Dunhill pipe. So as I lose sleep, first 'cause I'm sorry I ever sold it and then because I see what I could have gotten under the right conditions on ebay. I keep having this pipe dream that I put the pipe on ebay auction for $500 to start and I would at least get that BUT on a good day with two or more buyers determined to have this, possibly custom, one of a kind Dunhill the price could easily go into the thousands. Alas, my pipe dream has gone up in smoke!Lots of sellers use the term "rare" as though that carries any importance to buyers. It rarely does
Maybe you should just get over it, or seek medical help for your insomnia? I think even the most patient and helpful forum members will now be wearied by this thread.
Sorry, I couldn't resist.
Flakyjakey is right, you should just get over it.
Once I missed an incredible oppo to get an 8dot Sasieni for $15 --- the seller listed it as a Lasieni (due to the early fishtail script signature) and the pix were very bad, I ended up skipping over it and it went unsold, next week the seller had discovered his mistake and listed it as an early 8dot Sasieni and got a whopper for it --- yep, I cried and lamented for about a month, but so what? Things come, things go. It surely wouldn't have made you a millionaire anyways LOL
Anyways, if you did a little research you might be able to find out exactly what the pipe was that you had,
and then perhaps you can "kill the Dunhill" !
Here are a couple of catalogs you can look thru to see if that shape is in one...
http://pipepages.com/dunhill.htm
http://www.finepipes.com/gallery/dunhill-about-smoke.html
...did it look like one of these below?
A couple of things to keep in mind when selling collectibles:
Do your research, know what your have, know your market, know your prices
or
Don't do your research, and don't look back.
Regret isn't going to do anything for you. Now, if you can learn from your mistakes, and then not repeat them again too often, then you've advanced emotionally past the neanderthals, and you deserve more than just government cheese. Advance to Boardwalk, collect your $200 and try again. Also, stop at Dock's Oyster House. It's better than ever.
Do your research, know what your have, know your market, know your prices
or
Don't do your research, and don't look back.
Regret isn't going to do anything for you. Now, if you can learn from your mistakes, and then not repeat them again too often, then you've advanced emotionally past the neanderthals, and you deserve more than just government cheese. Advance to Boardwalk, collect your $200 and try again. Also, stop at Dock's Oyster House. It's better than ever.
This is a little like the old conversation reminiscing about the real estate you could have bought that
appreciated to the stratosphere. Clearly you couldn't afford it at the time, or maybe shouldn't have
taken the gamble not knowing all the background music. So you had a pipe that might have sold for
two grand. You didn't have the expertise, so it passed along to someone else. Chances are pretty good
it isn't anything special. At heart, we're all Bill Gates; we just don't know software and competitive
corporate technology marketing that well.
appreciated to the stratosphere. Clearly you couldn't afford it at the time, or maybe shouldn't have
taken the gamble not knowing all the background music. So you had a pipe that might have sold for
two grand. You didn't have the expertise, so it passed along to someone else. Chances are pretty good
it isn't anything special. At heart, we're all Bill Gates; we just don't know software and competitive
corporate technology marketing that well.
Thanks you all for the advice, the pipe photos and the links. I checked them all and even though Dunhill did make a few pipes with a 'slight' bow-in bowl none appears with the more defined hourglass I had. And sure I did some research before I sold it and I will tell you this; Like the words liberty and freedom being misused in politics the
word RARE is often misused in collectibles. And with Dunhill there are apparently a lot of pipes being sold as rare apparently because of all the varieties Dunhill made - So when they say rare the next question is how rare is really rare? Better still if it looks good and smokes well - use it and that is the only way to get your full value out of it!
A REALLY GOOD SMOKE IS PRICELESS!
word RARE is often misused in collectibles. And with Dunhill there are apparently a lot of pipes being sold as rare apparently because of all the varieties Dunhill made - So when they say rare the next question is how rare is really rare? Better still if it looks good and smokes well - use it and that is the only way to get your full value out of it!
A REALLY GOOD SMOKE IS PRICELESS!
[yawn......snore........]
EDIT- Your last significant post was 2 years ago and concerned your "giant antique pipe" which was "just like one on eBay" for which you provided a link but no direct evidence in support of your own pipe. It seems to me that you might be a 'time-waster' playing on the good nature (and possible gullibility) of forum members here.
Alternatively, might there be an analogy here with some young children who have 'imaginary friends'?
EDIT- Your last significant post was 2 years ago and concerned your "giant antique pipe" which was "just like one on eBay" for which you provided a link but no direct evidence in support of your own pipe. It seems to me that you might be a 'time-waster' playing on the good nature (and possible gullibility) of forum members here.
Alternatively, might there be an analogy here with some young children who have 'imaginary friends'?
THAT IS NOT TRUE. Notice I'm not calling you a liar - I'm saying what you say is not true. It seems to me that you are an evil person with mental problems. And you can stick that in your pipe and.....
I only wish I had sold that 'imaginary pipe' to you and when you lit it it cracked.
My advice to you is to quit smoking before you catch fire.
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