England, 1980s By a fortunate coincidence, William John Ashton-Taylor was born in 1945 in a house next to Alfred Dunhill’s factory. It seemed like only a matter of time before he would become an apprentice in a factory at the age of 14 (Bill was still in school). Over the next quarter-century, Bill climbed through…
Italy Nobody can say that Claudio Cavicchi, a farmer from Bologna, Italy, is an impatient man. His profession as a farmer naturally lends itself to the development of a relaxed and contemplative lifestyle. Additionally, Claudio is renowned as a highly experienced pipe smoker and a multiple-time winner of Italian slow-smoking competitions (1983, 1985, and 1988)…
England, 1950s This is a pipe from Charatan’s second-highest grade, just below the highest grade known as “Supreme.” It appears that this pipe was made before 1960, as the shape number is situated alongside the nomenclature on the left side of the shank, similar to how it was done on pipes from the “family era.”…
England, 1960 A very fine example from the top-grade Dunhill series. Typically, the absence of the year suffix suggests that the pipe was manufactured in 1960, as indicated by some experts, unless it falls within a patent period. However, the most intriguing detail of this pipe is the expertly replaced shank. The quality of the…
England, 1970s Colin Fromm belongs “to the small number of English pipe artisans skilled in making high-end freehand shapes” (c) pipedia. Invicta was Colin’s first major project since 1974 when the ownership of Medway Pipe Repair changed to Colin Leeson, along with the company name becoming Invicta Briars. However, Colin soon shifted his focus to…
Ireland, 1938-41 The “Made in Eire” pipes are the rarest among the other pre-republican Peterson pipes, as they were only produced for a few years, from 1938 to 1941. This Peterson’s System pipe from that period is an amazing, compact, and lightweight piece! Pipe markings “PETERSON’S \ SYSTEM \ STANDARD”, “317”, “MADE \ IN \…
Denmark, 1960s An old and well-preserved Stanwell pipe that we can date fairly accurately. The registration number 969-48 was obtained by the company in 1948, and Stanwell pipes were marked with it until the early 1970s. At the same time, the crowned S on the mouthpiece appeared around 1960, so the pipe can be safely…
USA, 1950s American classics of the 1950s, the era of rock and roll, big, beautiful cars with loud radios (does the title of the series hint at Oldsmobile Starfire? :-)), and the rise of many American pipe brands. The most well-known are the famous Dr. Grabow Starfire pipes with a wire-carved finish that cannot be…