England, 1950s
A Pre-Lane Charatan’s pipe: the shape, the nomenclature, the logo on the stem testify unambiguously that it was born at Ruben Charatan’s factory. However, there is already a capital L in a circle (slightly faint, but it is still possible to consider). This isn’t an error: since 1955 the Charatan’s family factory exported their pipes to USA and put such the stamping especially for Lane Ltd. Therefore the dating turns out very exact: from 1955 to 1960.
The pipe markings are “(L)”, “CHARATAN’S MAKE \ LONDON. ENGLAND \ SPECIAL”, “91”. The length is 13.8 cm, bowl’s hight is 5.1 cm. External diameter of the bowl is 3.6 cm, internal diameter is 2.1 cm. The depth is 4.3 cm and this pipe weights 35 gr. Briar, vulcanite stem, no filter. The chamber has been protected with a break-in coat.
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