England, 1950s “… Portland pipes make up one of the great mysteries of London pipe making. No one knows when Barling bought Portland but most of us barling guys believe it was mid to late 30’s”. Yes, both our humble investigations and eyewitness accounts of the time indicate that the history of the Portland Pipe…
Ireland, 1921 Unfortunately, the year mark on the silver collar is a little weak, but a thorough analysis and comparison with the hallmark charts suggest that this should be the title letter F, corresponding to 1921. Also, pay attention to the absence of the COM stamp (‘Country of Manufacture’). According to Pipedia, this is characteristic…
England, 1950-60s A very interesting and unusual Charatan’s make pipe with a tapered mouthpiece and a luxurious silver collar. This is the Belvedere pipe, either from the late Ruben or the early Lane period; soon, tapered mouthpieces will be replaced exclusively by saddle or patented Double Comfort (DC), and shape numbers will necessarily be accompanied…
England, 1960-70s A Charatan’s pipe from the ‘Lane era’ (1960 – middle 1970s), the period of the brightest blossoming of this brand, with delightful shapes and grains that eclipsed all other pipe makers, including Dunhill. A nicely made Belvedere series pipe of the classical and cozy bent shape! Pipe markings “CHARATAN’S MAKE \ LONDON ENGLAND…
England, 1960-70s According to pipedia, George W. Sims used to work for Charatan’s (that is clearly visible of some Sims pipes) and for Barling (that is also not excluded). But finally he found himself as an independent tobacconist and an owner of a little shop in Northern London, which existed till 1980. “G.W. Sims was…
England The pipe with the old, rare, and intriguing English name is, in fact, a proud member of the Dunhill family. Founded in 1900, the Masta Patent Pipe company, like Hardcastle, was acquired in 1946 by Parker (a subsidiary of Dunhills) and was wholly incorporated into Parker Hardcastle Limited until 1967. Since then, all three…
England Herb Wilczak and Tom Colwell mentioned two manufacturers of Highgate pipes: L. Orlik Ltd and Comoy’s. However, if you look at the stampings, there is no doubt: this Serif font on Comoy pipes cannot be confused with any other. The pipe looks like Comoy’s answer to some of the innovative American and English brands…
England A unique upper-grade pipe from the John Redman pipe factory in London. The finish is well-known today for Ian Walker’s incredibly beautiful “Northern Briars Oriental” pipes. However, as we can see, the idea is much older, and it was implemented at least a few decades before. Pipe markings “REDONIAN \ DE-LUXE \ LONDON MADE”Length…
England, 1950-70s Nice, well-preserved, and comfortable classical English bulldog pipe from the great London tobacconist, which has sold pipes, cigars, and tobacco since the 1870s and offered a wide range of products made by famous English manufacturers such as Barling, Charatan’s, Loewe, Sasieni, and Orlik until the 1980s. Pipe markings “Bewlay \ REJECT \ LONDON…
England, 1960s The Londoner line was introduced after the acquisition of the Barling family business by Imperial Tobacco. However, after some time, the production of most pipes, including the Londoner series, was moved to other countries such as Italy, Denmark, and France. Therefore, our pipe is quite rare because it has been made still in…