COMOY’S Royal 185
England, 1950-70s
The Comoy’s Royal grade is both one of the oldest and one of the rarest to date. Royal Comoy pipes appeared in the late 1930s and were then considered the absolute highest grade. However, very soon, the Royal pipes were replaced by the Blue Ribband series. After the Second World War the Royal series reappeared as one of the top lines until it was discontinued in the early 1980s. In any case, all our sources agree that “The Royal has always been a high-grade Comoy.”
Indeed, it is a marvelous briar pipe with superb grain and amazing contrast, featuring a skillfully made golden collar with the initials of Henri Comoy. (Henri Comoy was the son of the company founder, François Comoy, and the first Comoy in the UK, which is why his name holds great importance for the company’s history.) The pipe dates back to the 1950s-70s, as indicated by the encircled “MADE IN LONDON” marking. The pipe was lightly smoked, and the marks of the lathe are still noticeable inside the chamber.
A really informative and practically interesting article on the Royal Grade was posted by Al Jones on rebornpipes – we wholeheartedly recommend it! You can find the article at: https://rebornpipes.com/tag/royal-comoy/
Pipe markings “COMOY’S \ ROYAL”, “MADE \ IN \ LONDON \ ENGLAND”, “185”, “F”
Length 14.8 cm (5.83″)
Bowl Height 4.8 cm (1.89″)
Outside Diameter 3.7 cm (1.46″)
Chamber Diameter 2.1 cm (0.83″)
Chamber Depth 4.2 cm (1.65″)
Weight 46 gr.
Briar, vulcanite stem, no filter.
The stem appears to be an artfully cut replacement with some signs of aging, but it matches the original exactly and sits reliably.
The pipe was accurately smoked, it has been thoroughly cleaned, polished, sanitized and now is ready for a new life.
