England, 1960-70s A wonderful Lane Era Charatan’s made Ben Wade pipe. Although Ben Wade was a kind of a second or a sub-brand that time we didn’t identify any issues with the pipe – great briar, proper engineering, eye catching shape, nice grain. Sincerely recommended!
France Genod brand is in fact a separate and very old branch of the French Comoy’s tradition remained in St Claude while the company was migrated, sold to a new owner, merged. The oldest French Comoy’s workshop was named Comoy-David and only in the 1970s it was renamed to Genod. Another interesting detail is the…
England, 1964 Among with the Duhill ODA Dunhill LB (LBS) series is rather a designation for a very specific, large, at times – chubby billiard shape. According to John C. Loring “Dunhill introduced the LB shortly following the end of World War I and the shape soon became one of, if not the most popular….
England, 1950-70s GBD was perhaps the most fruitful and creative English company in terms of shapes, models and sub-brands. Nevertheless the “City de Luxe” line with the effective 5-angle star can’t be confused with anything else! The pipe from the “pre-Cadogan” period, or more precisely – made before the merge with Comoy’s in 1980.
USA The Tinder Box is one of the most famous names on the tobacco market of North America. This is more than just a tobacconist, it’s a chain in Canada and the US, reached up to 200 retail outlets. Some pipes with the Tinder Box stamping can be unmistakably recognized as the Charatan’s and Ascorti…
England, 1960s A heavy, capacious and very moderately smoked Charatan’s Make pipe of their best period (“Lane era”), i.e. 1960s – early 1970s, when the glory of Charatan’s eclipsed all competitors, including Dunhill. Generally the stamping “DC” should reffer to a patented double comfort stem. But this tapered stem fits the spirit and style of…
England, 1961-62 Even among the highest grade Dunhill pipes you may find absolutely extraordinary and unique specimens. This Root Briar, except for two year suffixes (thus it belongs either to 1961 or to 1962), catches the eye immediately with an unusual rare shape (such a graceful semblance of an acorn), incredibly light weight (only 22…
England Among with the Canberra and Redonian the King’s Ransom series belongs to upper middle grade pipes produced by John Redman fatory in London in the middle of the XX century. The idiom “King’s Ransom” means also a very large sum of money (which should be enough to pay for the return of a kidnapped…
England, 1960s A very nice example of the top grade Dunhill series. Usually the absense of the year suffix means the pipe was made in 1960 according to some experts. Of course if it’s not a patent period pipe. However the most interesting detail of this pipe is the skillfully replased shank. The quality of…
England, 1930-40s The pipe is a giant indeed! A creature of the family period Hardcastle’s carvers was made before acquisition of the company by Dunhill, very likely before 1946, and possibly – before the World War II. Despite its more than impressive dimensions the pipe looks fantasticly gracefully and stylish. A real English work of…