Erik Hesse

Erik Hesse is an American collector known for his collection concentrated on Dunhill (White Spot) pipes. According to his own account he was born in 1954 in Berkeley, California; no independent record has been found beyond this. Since he does not make pipes, his name is cited not as a manufacturer but as a researcher who has documented the product history of a single English brand in an orderly way.

Because the listing of his collection is published on Pipedia, he is counted among the sources tied to the Dunhill entry.

Scope of the Collection

The pipes Hesse has assembled span the 1920s to the 2000s. The listing is organized into chronological clusters: the twenties; the thirties and forties; the fifties; the sixties; the seventies and after. This arrangement, since it allows period-by-period comparison of changes in a single brand's stamps, dimensions, and surface finishing, serves collectors not merely as a showcase but as a reference sequence.

Within the clusters are pieces of unusual size as well. According to the record, one of these is roughly twenty-eight centimeters long, has never been smoked, and is kept with its original box; the patent number in its stamp indicates the piece was made for export to America. The listing also includes a three-pipe set noted on the box as having been cut from the same briar burl. Boxed sets containing more than two pipes are considered rare; it is also noted that most such sets consist of small-size pipes.

Another notable point in the listing is the recording of a shape number with no counterpart in the catalogues. The number in question is described as an enlarged adaptation of a known shape. Such examples are specifically recorded because they show that lists such as the Dunhill Shapes List do not cover the entirety of factory production.