Unusual Dunhill I.D. Help Request (Related To A Repair Job)

[georged]

I recently received the following letter:

Not unusual in tone---repairing pipes is what I do, after all---but some of the particulars seemed a bit off. So, I thought I would enlist the PM.com forum HiveMind to help me out.
Here is a closer shot of the photo that accompanied the letter. Nice pipe, right?

But this is what was actually in the box:

It looks OK at first glance, right? The nomenclature is spot on, too:

But check the other details a bit more closely. The dot, for example, doesn't feel quite right. Too large, maybe? I've never seen a sterling silver band that was quite that color or design, either:

And the bowl has some sort of side-draw (flavor-enhancing?) ventilation system I've never seen before.

The button and slot work also seems faintly un-Dunhill-like:

And finally, there's some type of insect larva tobacco chamber floor-elevation-device that I also assume is for flavor enhancement, but I've never seen used by Dunhill.

I looked for quite a while trying to grasp what it was that made me feel uneasy about this job, and then suddenly noticed that the pipe in the letter's accompanying photo didn't have a white dot. Which is when I decided to post all this and ask for your help.
Do you think it is possible that someone is trying to take advantage of me, here? Hoping that I will try to make the pipe that was sent look like the one in the photo, maybe, and if I can't will sue me or something? (I do have a new Chris Asteriou billiard that's almost exactly the same size I could just send the guy and SAY it's his pipe, I suppose.)
And then there's that missing dot business. Could it be lost in a reflection somehow?
I simply don't know what to do. :?
Any and all help appreciated. :D

 

[misterlowercase]

I am glad to see that you've finally got around to working on my cherished pipe,

thank you.

::

(I do have a new Chris Asteriou billiard that's almost exactly the same size I could just send the guy and SAY it's his pipe, I suppose.)

That is your best bet.

 

[mcitinner1]

Did the guy send the woodpecker that was digging for the larva, with the pipe? 8)
I'm sure there was no return address, since he didn't identify himself in the letter. :evil:
All in all...the work's not much different than shown in the recent thread on replacing wood. :roll:

 

[bpftc]

I honestly think that was sent as a joke. There is no way that pipe is repairable, is there?

 

[mcitinner1]

I honestly think that was sent as a joke.

:rofl:
@ BP I honestly think you might be right... :nana:

 

[misterlowercase]

I'm sure there was no return address, since he didn't identify himself in the letter.

I did too identify myself, but my signature was a cryptic glyph.
The way I see it,

I'm the new owner of an Asteriou pipe.
Win win.
Although that old Dunhill does have a lot of memories,

I feel okay with George's swap solution.

::

 

[mcitinner1]

Very well done, Mister Minister. :clap:

 

[buroak]

I want to know what magical tobacco is capable of changing wood grain when smoked. If it turns straight grain to cross grain, will it turn cross grain to straight?

 

[gloucesterman]

Well George, when your work borders on magic you have to expect these challenges.

 

[misterlowercase]

:lol:

This post wins the internet today!
I was rolling on the floor,

was gonna try and maintain a straight face here in this post and talk about how I didn't want the Asteriou after all, because that vintage Dunhill side-draft was actually a patented design, similar to the vented cases, and known as "ventage" , and it has an amazing effect of amplifying the flavor intensities of any tobacco, and hey, it took me forever to find the *just right* period-correct zip tie, not to mention the extremely rare nomenclature, I doubt I'd ever be able to find another, if I'm reading it correctly it dates to 1912, and that particular White Spot on the stem was a special prototype made before Alfred finally settled on ivory...
...that's it George,

I've convinced myself that I simply must keep the old pipe,

please send it back post-haste.
Just give it a quick polish on the old calico wheel, and apply some BlakAsNite on the stem to retore its original lustre.
Thanks George,

I knew that you'd be able to help me out!

 

[bpftc]

LMAO! I understand now. Sometimes good wit and sarcasm gets lost on me when I read it. The other day someone started a lighter thread about lighting his pipe with some lighter that produced a cooler flame. Cosmic wrote something about the tobacco in his pipe getting so hot it actually caught on fire!, lol...Funny as hell but I had to reread it a few times to understand the joke.

 

[ericusrex]

I don't see the problem. Clearly the two pipes are the same. It's just had some Mixture 79 burned in it.

 

[rogers]

Bwahahaha! Y'all Is crazy! :mrgreen:

 

[danielplainview]

Ah yes, the very rare Donehole Random Grain. Were you able to track down the year on the band?

 

[davet]

I can't wait to see the finished product, stand by to be amazed :mrgreen:

 

[georged]

I think I truly laughed out loud more today than I have in the past year.
You guys rock. 8)
Thanks for playing. :lol:

 

[jvnshr]

 

[misterlowercase]

Were you able to track down the year on the band?

From what I can see of it, the hallmark appears to be from London and I'd speculate that the 74 most likely indicates the year 1913, probably meaning that the 1912 date code in the nomenclature can be further pinpointed to the later months, possibly even December 25th, which would make it the very first Christmas pipe ever issued by a renowned pipemaker, and adding yet another layer of historical significance,

not to mention monetary value.
I can't quite make out the first character preceding the numbers on the finely crafted band, so I can offer no concrete opinion, however, the band itself provides a clue - the fact that it is made with a high-grade pigeon's blood ruby from Burma would point to the pipe being a long lost part of the infamous Mogok three pipe set. For those who've never heard of the mysterious Mogok Dunhills, the pipes were a special order made bespoke for a very distinguished gentleman with royal connections named Sir James George Scott.
Up until now, only a handful of well-seasoned Dunhill collectors even knew that they existed, but with this current publicity, I'd bet there's a large throng of newer collectors out there salivating over this specimen, and if put on the auction block, there's no telling what it could ultimately fetch, the skys the limit, perhaps Sotheby's would be the appropriate venue for such an incredible artifact and no doubt,

the final hammer price will be a showstopping stunner.
::

 

[mikestanley]

If you're any good at your craft you will restore that old Dunhill to its original glory and condition as pictured in the

first photo. Now get to work sir! Lol. What a waste of postage.

Mike S.

 

[misterlowercase]

"Relaaax,

alright.
My old man is a television repairman,

he's got this ultimate set of tools.
I can fix it."

:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5cneCgNA9U