Tricky Dunhill Dating Question

[Western Isles]

I have a question regarding Dunhill date stamps that I am sure someone here can help me with. The stampings on the right side of the shank are as follows: MADE IN ENGLAND 0 and below that PATENT NO 197365. I know Loring’s book is considered authoritative, but I haven’t yet been able to track down a copy. Can you distinguish between these online sources?

Field’s Dating Guide (A Dunhill Pipe Dating Guide - Pipedia - https://pipedia.org/wiki/A_Dunhill_Pipe_Dating_Guide) doesn’t discuss the underlining of the year number (‘0’), and seems to suggest it could be either 1930 or 1940.

Yang Forciori’s guide (Pipedia Dunhill Dating Guide - Pipedia - https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipedia_Dunhill_Dating_Guide) indicates 1930, due to the Patent in combination with the underlined ‘0’ after ‘MADE IN ENGLAND’.

Yet another, from Pipephil (Dunhill dating key- Page 2 -- Logos & Markings - http://pipephil.eu/logos/en/dunhill/cledat-en1b.html) suggests that the lack of the ‘INNER TUBE’ stamp is what distinguishes between 1930 and 1940, and that this pipe was made in 1940.

Thanks in advance!

 

[runscott]

I always google Pipedia and Pipephil, and between those two, everything that's in my Loring book can be found.

This is my usual goto: Pipedia Dunhill Dating

 

[mso489]

Couldn't pipe manufacturers and artisans just stamp or etch the year a pipe was made on the pipe? Actually, Luciano pipes and a number of artisans did this, or do this. Dead obvious.

There are arguments against this, but if it were routine, none of them would matter. So we have reference books and web sites. Oy.

 

[Western Isles]

Dear Scott,

Thanks for that link, I had seen that page when I first started looking into this pipe, and then promptly forgot about it (alas, Covid). Pipedia Dunhill Dating Guide - Pipedia - https://pipedia.org/wiki/Pipedia_Dunhill_Dating_Guide#PATENT_No._197365.2F20
So the upshot of that is that it says that patent number with an underlined 0 means 1930. Of course, it also says that unless the word CANADIAN preceds PATENT, it must be 1927 ... which doesn't match the 0. I know there's a certain amount of variableness to these things. While I am impressed with the greater level of detail in this dating scheme, I'm also wondering which of the four schemes our Dunhill experts think is authoritative?

 

[runscott]

I'm also wondering which of the four schemes our Dunhill experts think is authoritative?

I have heard there are anomalies - exceptions to the rules - in the link I use; however, I've owned 30 or so pre-1965 Dunhills and haven't run into any. If I do come across such a pipe, I will certainly post.