AMPHORA X-tra 729-649

Netherlands, 1960s

A vivid and elegant example of cooperation between two good old Dutch companies:

Douwe Egberts, the grocery giant which, since 1753, has supplied Dutch and international consumers with tea, coffee, and fine tobaccos — most notably Amphora, a blend popular not only in the Netherlands but also overseas.

Elbert Gubbels & Sons B.V., established in 1870 (and since 1972 also known as The Royal Dutch Pipe Factory) — the home of Big Ben, Bugatti, Hilson, Porsche Design pipes, and of course, Amphora.

We would date today’s pipe to the 1960s, based on its design, overall condition, and stamping.

Interestingly, the later history of both Amphora brands turned out to be quite eventful. Douwe Egberts’ tobacco division was sold to Imperial Tobacco in 1988, and in 2015 it passed to the Danish company Mac Baren, which — judging by feedback from both casual smokers and experts — breathed new life into Amphora.
Elbert Gubbels & Sons B.V. went bankrupt in 2012, but the production of Amphora pipes was taken over by Dr. Grabow — now offering new and interesting shapes, though naturally without the traditional ‘Holland’ stamping.

Pipe markings “GENUINE BRIAR \ AMPHORA-Holland”, “AMPHORA \ X-tra 729-649”
Length 16.8 cm (6.61″)
Bowl Height 4.8 cm (1.89″)
Outside Diameter 3.6 cm (1.42″)
Chamber Diameter 2.2 cm (0.87″)
Chamber Depth 4.1 cm (1.61″)
Weight 34 gr.

Briar, vulcanite stem, no filter.

The pipe has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, sanitized and now is ready for a new life.