Can anyone help me with what what the "NK" and Star denote on this Dunhill Shell? Thanks, Dave
Dunhill Nomenclature
- Thread starter mkelaw
- Start date
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Tough questions. I have seen older references of "K" referring to Quaint Apple shape, but not sure how accurate those references are. Nothing on "N" that seems consistent. And only agreement on the star stampings seems to be with regard to indicating quality of grain in the Dunhill Dead Roots (which would not be all that relevant on sandblast shell finishes such as on this pipe). Eager to see what others more knowledgeable in the mysteries of Dunhill stamp marks have to say....
I have had the star stamp on a 1940 pipe and the consensus was that it was to do with the Dunhill paris shop.
If you scroll down a bit you will see some examples in the unknown section. Maybe your pipe stamps fits under this.
Hopefully someone can offer some better guidance
pipedia.org
If you scroll down a bit you will see some examples in the unknown section. Maybe your pipe stamps fits under this.
Hopefully someone can offer some better guidance
Dunhill Additional Stamps - Pipedia
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Best guess?
Since the alignment, font size, and depth of the "N" impression matches the "K" exactly, there actually was a legit/approved shape called the NK that lasted only long enough to create confusion for guys like us decades later.
The LB shape was changed to 472 for a year and then changed back, for example. Why? No one alive today knows.
The star looks like a post-production add-on of some kind. Maybe a B&M zapped it on all their incoming Dunhills, for example, as some sort of extended warranty thing. (Many larger B&Ms had a repairman on staff in a separate room in the back who could have done it easily).
Since the alignment, font size, and depth of the "N" impression matches the "K" exactly, there actually was a legit/approved shape called the NK that lasted only long enough to create confusion for guys like us decades later.
The LB shape was changed to 472 for a year and then changed back, for example. Why? No one alive today knows.
The star looks like a post-production add-on of some kind. Maybe a B&M zapped it on all their incoming Dunhills, for example, as some sort of extended warranty thing. (Many larger B&Ms had a repairman on staff in a separate room in the back who could have done it easily).
Agree with your best guess. NK is almost certainly an approved (Quaint?) shape of some sort. The star could also very easily be a dealer stamp of some kind, added post-production.
To the best of my knowledge star stamped pipes were sold by the Paris Dunhill shop.
I own a few that were actually sold by Dunhill Paris ; the stars always look identical .
I own a few that were actually sold by Dunhill Paris ; the stars always look identical .