Shell Briar and Tanshell: Patent Stamps, 1917-1954

Shell Briar and Tanshell patent stamps are among the most reliable ways to date Dunhill's sandblasted pipes across a span of roughly forty years. The sandblasting method, registered in 1917, and the earlier-dated inner-tube invention, were stamped side by side on the same pipe for a long time. If you know which country a number belongs to and over what span it was used, you can roughly read which decade a body dates from.

Two Separate Inventions, One Stamp Cluster

The inner tube is a thin aluminum tube running through the shank; it prevents the airway from clogging by collecting tar. Records indicate this device was registered in 1912; on pipes it appears as number 5861/12. Sandblasting's registration year is 1917, though the stamp was used on pipes only from 1918 on, reading as 119708/17. For this reason, early sandblast examples often carry both numbers together. For the method's place in the brand's history, see the History of Dunhill's Shell Briar entry.

Periods of the Numbers

The ranges below summarize the combinations most often cited in stamp catalogs.

Stamp	Approximate period	Meaning
119708/17	1918-1929	Sandblasting only
5861/12 together with 119708/17	1918-1926	Sandblasting and inner tube
119708/17 with 116989/17	1927-1934	Sandblasting and flanged inner tube
1341418/20, 1343253/20	1927-1933	American patents
209845/21, 197365/20	1928-1934	Canadian patents
417574/34	1942-1954	Combined stamp

Published lists note that number 1861910/32 also appears on some bodies bound for the American market between 1932 and 1934. Number 15114/34, used briefly between 1934 and 1935, is a provisional registration. For corrections on Canadian numbers, the A Correction on Canadian Patents entry is useful.

Points to Watch When Reading

The two digits after the slash are the patent's registration year; the year the stamp actually started being used on a pipe is often one or two years later. Also, under the year-code system introduced in 1921, a small digit was added after the patent number (on some bodies after the word ENGLAND); though it took until the following year to become widespread, this addition gives a more precise result than the patent range alone. For a detailed table, see the Dunhill Patent Stamps and Dating entry.

After 1954, once patent stamps fell out of use, dating relies entirely on year suffixes and finish names. In this period the brand's sandblasted line split in two: the dark-colored Shell Briar and the light brown Tanshell, introduced in 1952. The small number of Tanshell examples made in the first year are considered experimental, said to use Algerian briar, with the harder, denser Sardinian briar becoming standard from 1953 on. For the brand's general framework, see the Dunhill (White Spot) entry.