by Rich Esserman

     I friend of mine sent me sent me a link to a “magnum’ on eBay – a Cellini with a 2” bowl.   My friend complained about a number of listings with the term Magnum in the heading that were definitely small or average sized pipes.   And this, of course, was not the first time this has happened and it will not be the last.

The big question is – what exactly is a Magnum?

Well, there is the original or ‘classical’ use of the term Magnum in pipes lexicology – which referred to the Dunhill extra large (ironically Dunhill, itself, called them Giants).  However, over the years, like so many other terms of art, the usage has changed over time and that needs to be explored.   So I think the best way to deal with this is to divide the discussion into two (2) Parts.

Part 1 – The Dunhill Magnum – I started smoking pipes in 1971 and in 1975 I began collecting pipes.  In 1979, I found out about The Pipe Smoker’s Ephemeris and things radically changed.  I wrote letters to fellow Coterians (remember only snail mail), they wrote back and my pipe horizons really expanded.  Quickly fellow collectors found out that I liked big pipes and I was informed about the world of large pipes which included the Dunhill Magnum.

Actually the only pipe, at that time, the only pipe I ever heard referred to as a Magnum was the oversized Shell (black sandblast) Dunhill pipe produced in the 1920’s and 1930’s.   There were so few examples known that most folks thought that a Dunhill magnum meant a 1926 ‘120’ full bent shape.

The first time I ever ‘saw’ a Dunhill magnum was in 1980.  I used to visit many pipe stores in NYC including Elliot Nachwalter’s Pipeworks.  The guys in the store showed me a photo of a Dunhill magnum – a huge full bent that was held, cupped in a woman’s hands.  Elliot said they would get the pipe in soon and I would have first crack at buying it for $500!  I was so excited and waited and waited but unfortunately the magnum never came!

Then I heard about a collector Dr. Phil Bennett who had three (3) Dunhill magnums – more than any other collector!  Phil was kind enough to share a lot of information with me about magnums and high end collectibles in general.  In 1982 I went to a special ‘invitation only’ pipe show in St. Louis.  Phil asked me if I would like to privately see the magnums prior to the show.  With my friend Ed Lehman, I got to see my first Dunhill magnums in person and I was inspired!   The 1926 bent classic ‘120’ shaped had a 2 13/16” bowl and about 1 .65” diameter; the billiard was a fat LB shaped piece with a huge silver band covering the date and the 1939 bent was a massive 1939 ball/billiard with a  deep, dimpled birdseye blast with a near 3” bowl.

At the time, it was thought Dunhill magnums came in 2 ‘sizes’ – the regular full sized magnum that was 2 3/4″ to 2 7/8” with a 1.65” -1.75+” diameter and the pocket magnum 2 5/8” to 2 13/16” tall with a 1.5”- 1.6” diameter.  A few years later an even smaller magnum came along – about 2 1/2” – and was fatter than an LC shaped pipe.  So there were differences in height but also in bowl diameter –the larger pieces were thicker, more massive pipes.   (Much later, in 2001, the ‘double magnums’ OD (Own design) pieces came to the marketplace.)

You have to realize that a Dunhill Magnum was being compared to standard sized Dunhill pipes of the 1920’s through about 1962 (the unofficial ‘cut-off’ date used by Collectors for designated premier collectible pieces).   Most of these standard Dunhill pipes had bowls that were under 2” tall, so a Dunhill with a 2 3/4″ bowl was gigantic.  Actually the largest standard shaped pipes of the day were ODA sized pipes – 2 1/4″ high and about 1 1/2” bowl diameter and in 1975 the even bigger Group 6 pipes were produced.   In 1978, Dunhill began producing oversized pipes XL Hand Turned Root Briar Collectors some with tall bowls but these were never considered ‘magnums’.

Recently, a eBay reseller who purchased a Dunhill magnum wrote me and said, “The magnum arrived and I think it is as well grained as a pipe that size can be. The bowl is not all that large. Using my calipers, it is 1/8″ short of 3″.”  I have written before that the ‘ordinary’ Dunhill magnum has ‘shrunk’ and it is because in general the average pipe produced today has gotten comparatively larger.

The grade stamping (nomenclature) on the ‘ordinary’ Dunhill magnum pipes is simply Shell.  One has to remember that the most important reason for Dunhill nomenclature is for pricing and for their return policy – not for collectability.  If you look at the old Dunhill catalogues (like the 1928 reprint of About Smoke) all of the smooth pipes, for instance, are all priced equally regardless of he size.  Back in 1928, a small shape 53 bent and a giant LC bent cost the same.

The late John Loring and I had many discussions about Dunhill pipes and, in particular, magnums.  While Dunhill magnums were never shown in any Dunhill catalogue, we both thought that because of their very limited production and, like their smaller brethren, all ‘standard’ magnums were sold at only one price so there was not need for special price stamping.

This one price theory is also supported by certain Parker catalogues from the period 1926 to 1837 that actually show a Giant (‘magnum”) bent and there is only one price.  It is interesting to note these Parker catalogues are for dealers – and is thought these giants were meant for display – not resale.  However, the catalogue also indicates the popularity of these Giants so obviously retail customers bought them.

In 2001, the first of what I will call the Dunhill ‘Double’ magnums came to the light – the huge OD (Own Design) series.  These OD pipes are much, much larger than the standard Dunhill magnum – bowls can be as tall as 3 3/4” tall or as broad as 3 3/4′ bowl diameter.   Only four have come to light so far.

The question I am always asked is – how many Magnums were made?  At one time (about 10 years ago) I wrote perhaps 200 were made based on certain assumptions– but who knows – there are no records or other paperwork existing as any such records were destroyed during WW 11.   It is also must be taken into account that up until the 1970’s/1980’s folks regularly used to throw their old pipes so who knows how many actually made their way to the trash heap.  OTOH, Dunhills magnums were often viewed by family members, because of their size, as something special, so maybe more than normal survived.

Anyway, based upon my 35+ years of collecting – here is a list of known magnums:

Postscript In 1983/84, a collector commissioned a pipemaker to make some magnum sized pipes that were stamped with Dunhill patents and white dots in the stem.   The most famous fake is massive, extra long Canadian featured on the cover of a 1984 publication of The Pipe Collector International (PCI) magazine.  Three quick points to tell if a pipe may be a fake– 1) the stems on the fake Dunhill’s do not have an ivory dots; 2) the patents on the pipes never have the little year/date stamp and 3) the walls of the bowls are thick and the tobacco chambers are quite narrow.    In addition, John Loring also stamped on X on the D in Dunhill on suspected fakes.

John Loring wrote an interesting missive (that I privately collaborated with him) on the topic of these ‘fake’ magnums and other Dunhills.   http://loringpage.com/pipearticles/80s%20Fakes.htm

Around 2000/2001, I began discussing with Howard Smith of Dunhill Limited about creating a new ‘modern’ Dunhill magnum (Giant).    Howard and I talked about the stamping, the size requirements, etc.   In 2003 Dunhill made small series of magnum (“giant”) bents that came with fitted Ventage cases (leather over wood with a small hole above the bowl so the pipe can aerate.)  Initially in 2003, Dunhill marketed about 8 Shell bents and then over the next two years about another 20 were released in different finishes than the originally – Tanshell, Bruyere, and Amber Root (I never saw or heard of a Root).  In 2006, Dunhill released a series of magnum Shell stack billiards with long flowing stems – the pipes were over 10” in length – also with a fitted case.

Since 2006, Dunhill has periodically released magnum (giant) billiards but without the fitted case.  This is problematic because other than the grade stamp “Shell” there is no nomenclature on the pipe itself to indicate it is a magnum.  With a case at least there was an indication the pipe was special piece.  The cost of say a Shell magnum is about 6 times greater than the HT XL Collector but I have seen Collectors that are as a large (if not larger than) the ‘magnums’.

Part 2 – stay tuned!

Anyway, good puffing to all!

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