Help Me Date a Dunhill Opera

[pianopuffer]

Have been looking for one of these for awhile now. Finally snagged one off eBay and went about dating it.

According to the info on Pipedia, my guess is 1959 but I’m not 100% sure.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[snowyowl]

Opera pipe, you say?! Why we've just been discussing that:

http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/peterson-pipe-unlike-any-other-i-need-help
So, check out the what's been said so far, including some images.

Then, we need some pictures of yours...

[the eBay link might work for starters]

 

[pianopuffer]

Perfect will do thanks snowyowl.

 

[lightmybriar]

If it's a 1959, it won't have any patent numbers, and it will say
MADE IN ENGLAND9
The underlined 9 means 1959. A 9 without an underline will be a 1969.
Hope that helps!

 

[dmcmtk]

The answer is...made in 1968 and sold in 1969.

 

[jpberg]

Can you post more picks? I had one of those. Same year.

 

[jpmcwjr]

 

[jpberg]

Thank you. Sure looks like the one I got rid of a few years ago. Very nice pipe indeed.

 

[pianopuffer]

Thanks jpmcwjr for the help posting that pic.
Ever since I saw someone smoking an opera I knew I had to have one. Looks like the perfect pocket pipe and lightweight to boot.

 

[pianopuffer]

dmc - so when you say it was made in '68 but sold in '69, would the actual year be 1968?

Just asking for my own record keeping.

 

[dmcmtk]

Yes, I'd call it a 1968. One sees some Dunhill's like this with double date codes. Remember, the dating of the pipe shows when the one year guarantee begins. I have a 1969 pipe with double date codes, 9 and 0. I remember a pipe a friend bought, he thought it was a 1972 (date code 12) he was buying the shape, a Lovat, but was even happier when I told him it was a 1961! The easiest way to tell is the offset in the codes.

 

[pianopuffer]

Great thanks for the tips.