Should I Buy a Dunhill Estate?

[jpmcwjr]

Every Barling I have ever purchased, all of them estate pipes, was in the $30 -$45 range, including a pre-transition Barling I got for about $32, as I recollect. Takes a little digging sometimes but they're there, including this beauty:

This is the beauty I intended to include:

Nice.

But a general statement that anyone can pick up a Barling for 30-40 bucks is misleading. Sure, with time and more time on your hands, and clever searching, you will find such on occasion.

Where did you pick up these bargains? (please!)

 

[jpmcwjr]

No disdain in my post. I said they'd be as good a smoker as anything he has, can sometimes be found for a deal, and can take a beating. Not a single mention of the negative results I've had from the brand. If the need to badmouth me pops up, please tag me in the post so I can see it firsthand instead of finding it because others have informed me of it.

I hope you don't feel you've been "bad mouthed" by me (or anyone) because I pointed out that your body of work regarding Dunhill has been negative in the extreme. Just the photo of the Bonsai placed in the chamber is derogatory enough that no words are needed. And by reposting that at least every month for the last several years speaks volumes, even if no words were used.

I don't tag anyone, but trust you are following this thread, and don't need followers to alert you.

 

[select565]

I say go for it. Love my 4103

 

[wgstraub]

Nice.

But a general statement that anyone can pick up a Barling for 30-40 bucks is misleading. Sure, with time and more time on your hands, and clever searching, you will find such on occasion.

Where did you pick up these bargains? (please!)

Mostly eBay, some consignment shops or various other spots. On ebay, rather than look under a particular name, like Barling, I just stroll through estate pipes. Sometimes they fall through the cracks. I have noticed recently, however, tone fair, prices on auction sites appear to be on the rise. Don’t know why that is. I look for pipes that require a little work. They generally are less costly.

 

[ofTrebizond]

I find this thread very informative! I've struggled with adding any estate Dunhills to my collections of Petersons, Savinellis, Mark Tinskys, and recently a few Parkers. I typically smoke a few beater Peterson system pipes, but I collect more than I smoke. I find the woodwork and details to be beautiful on my rack.

Here's what I wonder...will I know the difference between smoking from my very nice starter collection vs. high-end Dunhill estate pipes? I picked up a smallish billiard 59 Dunhill Bruyere. It's in good condition, except for some singe marks atop the bowl. It's a smoker, not one I intend to restore or sell. Anyways, thanks for the discussion and any wisdom you may provide.

 

[HawkeyeLinus]

I find this thread very informative! I've struggled with adding any estate Dunhills to my collections of Petersons, Savinellis, Mark Tinskys, and recently a few Parkers. I typically smoke a few beater Peterson system pipes, but I collect more than I smoke. I find the woodwork and details to be beautiful on my rack.

Here's what I wonder...will I know the difference between smoking from my very nice starter collection vs. high-end Dunhill estate pipes? I picked up a smallish billiard 59 Dunhill Bruyere. It's in good condition, except for some singe marks atop the bowl. It's a smoker, not one I intend to restore or sell. Anyways, thanks for the discussion and any wisdom you may provide.

I don't have much experience but the older Comoy "Patina" Large Canadian estate I received as a bonus gift from a member on here at Xmas time and the very old Barclay-Rex pot estate I picked up last year are every bit as enjoyable as any new pipes I have. Sorting out the "good smokers" is taking a little time and comprehension but I have a couple of new pipes that I've given fair shots to that I don't reach for (and I'm still trying to work through some unsmoked pipes, just don't light up enough).

I'll relate more in what could be the near future, but I picked up a really nice looking Dunhill estate a couple of months back from one of our good sponsors and when I received it it was so light, balanced, well made that I will say it really felt like I was holding a very high quality pipe but . . . . I kept looking at it, and thinking of smoking it and looking at pipes he made himself that I really liked and finally called him to basically say, "I bought this and it's great and I'll keep it, but I should have commissioned one of yours." Long story short, sent it back and the rest will have to wait for a reveal, lol. So I had a Dunhill for a few days, lol, don't have one any more. I've got another commission with someone else I think is in the works (checking on that today) or will be soon and they are really no more than a lot of Dunhill estates, as an example, and that's kind of my direction if I acquire more pipes.

 

[Peter Peachfuzz]

 

[LotusEater]

I was set on buying with the Vauen or Stanwell last time. I settled on the Vauen. Maybe stanwell next….

Vaun make nice pipes in my opinion but I would have gone with an older estate Stanwell. Most Vauens are 9mm filter pipes with acrylic stems which is great if that is what you like. Personally I prefer a non filter pipe with a vulcanite/Ebonite stem. I own 1 Vauen and it gets smoked less than others for the reasons I mentioned.

As for the original question re Purchasing a Dunhill- If you want one for the prestige or because you’ve never owned one then I’d say go for it. You’ll almost certainly get an excellent pipe. That said- don’t expect it to smoke substantially better than some of the pipes you already own and I’d say using it as a workhorse makes perfect sense to me. I smoke my favorite pipes the most and don’t understand why anyone would do anything different.

I hope you love your new Vauen and good luck finding the “perfect” Dunhill if you decide to go that way.

 

[cigrmaster]

I am currently on the look out for a 1957(me) or a 1956 my sister who passed away too early. I would really like the LB model if possible.

 

[Eye-level]

I will someday own one Dunhill estate pipe. It will be a 1970 smooth bruyere birth year pipe and I will pay south of $300 for it. I say smoke em if you got em.

 

[hoosierpipeguy]

I'm not a Dunhill fan but if you have your heart set on buying one, go for it. They're certainly not bad pipes but don't expect it to smoke any better than the ones you already have.

 

[tzinc]

I just never see any deals on Dunhills on ebay. I finally did get a birth year at a reasonable (still not great price) but it is tiny. I was hunting for another Dunhill for some time and never got a good enough deal on one (I would only consider pre-1970s Dunhills).
I found a relatively cheap estate Castello on ebay and took the plunge and it smoked as well as the Dunhill maybe better. I've dropped Dunhill and moved onto Castello's old and new and you can find decent prices for them if you are patient.

I would recommend a Castello as your high end pipe their sea rock rustication or old antiquari sand blast are amazing finishes.

 

[dunnyboy]

In the 70s Dunhill had a beautiful store in NYC with a wall of stunning pipes. At the time I could only afford a Group 3 (medium-small bowl) root briar and a Group 4 (medium) shell. I have bought and sold about a dozen Dunhills since then. A couple of things I've found (certainly not the last word): (1) The Groups 3, 4 and 5 smoke really well, better in my experience than the large Group 6s. (2) Grain was less prized in the older Dunhills than it is now. You don't need to pay for grain to get a venerable specimen. (3) The stems are vulcanite. They are very comfortable but they oxidize. Toothmarks are almost impossible to avoid. If an estate has a pristine stem, it has likely been buffed, perhaps over-buffed, or is a replacement. Not a problem. Just keep that in mind. (4) The airway in Dunhills is narrower than in most other pipes. I don't think that hurts the smoking experience at all. It might even enhance it. (5) If you're willing to pay a few extra bucks, buying estates from Smoking Pipes and other reputable vendors is worth it. They restore the pipe properly and record every issue. You know what you're getting and you can return it if you're unhappy. (6) There are still lots of relatively young Dunhills around that pre-date the "White Dot" era. Some are unsmoked estates. I think they're very good—better than the currently available new White Dots.

 

[ssjones]

Some are unsmoked estates. I think they're very good—better than the currently available new White Dots.

That would be my advice.