For a while I've been contemplating selling off a few pipes from my collection that I'm not smoking for whatever reason or simply didn't turn out to be what I hoped. I know I'm not the first piper to go through it. Maybe that's a hazard of buying pipes online sight unseen.
One day I was window shopping at Smokingpipes and what do you know? My favorite shape the classic Canadian expertly executed by Dunhill. Firmly under the PAD spell I selected some of the pipes in question from my collection and sent them off to SP to be evaluated. In the meantime they pulled the Shell from the sales list and I waited patiently (yeah right). Eventually I received the appraisal and was happy with the offer so after closing the deal I had just a few days more to wait while the pipe shipped.
Wow! 39 years and never been put to flame. Once in my possession that unsmoked status lasted about six hours. Last night after dinner I loaded a little over half a bowl of Solani Aged Burley Flakes and did the deed. As expected the smoke was perfect. What a rare treat to be the first to smoke this beauty. I hope the previous owner is as happy with the return on his investment as I am as the new owner.
The pipe is a group 4 size and as an unsmoked estate one thing I really like about it is the intact button that has not been buffed away to fractions of its original size. The grain is unremarkable but that's not a concern to me. The tactile nature of the sandblast; good smoking attributes and of course the cache and incredible history behind the brand is what keeps me coming back for my Dunhills. And this one is one I think I'll be reaching for quite often.
