JAMES UPSHALL Tilshead fancy dublin

May 26, 2021May 26, 2021

England, 1980-90s

We would assign the pipe to the period between 1984, when James Upshall company started to engrave stamping on pipes, and 1996, when they introduced logos on stems too. Like every James Upshall pipe this one was completely hand made by Barry Jones, former top carver at Charatan’s. The shape is really very unusual and “Charatanish”, it’s practically a freehand.

The pipe marking is “TILSHEAD \ ENGLAND”, “MADE BY HAND”. The length is 16.7 cm (6.57″), bowl’s height is 5.0 cm (1.97″). External diameter of the bowl is 4.1 cm (1.61″), internal diameter is 2.3 cm (0.9″). The depth is 4.4 cm (1.73″) and this pipe weights 42 gr. Briar, vulcanite stem, no filter.

JAMES UPSHALL
JAMES UPSHALL DS Tilshead
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England, 1980s Desmond Sautter was a reputable and successful London tobacconist based in Mayfair, able to commission pipes from the most famous English manufacturers. These makers were happy to add extra markings with the initials DS on the pipes—like this Tilshead pipe by James Upshall. As Ken Barnes, co-founder of James Upshall, recalls, the company…
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JAMES UPSHALL
JAMES UPSHALL Tilshead tall bent
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England, 1978-84 It seems to be one of the early pipes made under the James Upshall roof by Barry Jones, former top carver at Charatan’s. The company was founded in 1978, prior to 1996 Tilshead pipes had no logo on the stem and no size designations. Also after 1984 Upshall acquired a pantograph from the…
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BEN WADE DENMARK PREBEN HOLM
PREBEN HOLM Reflection by Ben Wade 013
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Denmark, 1970s One of the “Danish Ben Wade” pipes created by ingenious Danish carver Preben Holm in 1970s by order of Hermann Lane, known as the owner and main ideologist of Charatan’s factory at its highest time. The pipe of a very rare series and both the grain and the contrast are incredible!
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... MORE AMERICAN
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October 21, 2013September 26, 2022
USA A quite interesting sample of a some kind of a noname high grade. The pipe was born in the 1980s in the USA. It’s really American – both by the country of acquisition and by the style of carving. The idea is simple and functional; it seems the shape is rather trivial and tested….
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CHARATAN'S
CHARATAN’S Make Selected
May 31, 2017December 29, 2018
2 Comments
England, 1960s A very high grade Charatan’s pipe from the “Second Lane era” (1965-76), the period of the brightest blossoming of this brand, delightful shapes and grains which eclipsed all others pipe makers including Dunhill. Every Charatan’s admirer knows the highest grade was the “Supreme”. Another one of the highest grades, “Selected” level was the…
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KARL ERIK
IIS
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Denmark, 1970s Authoritative sources attribute the authorship of IIS pipes to Karl Erik, a talented Danish craftsman, or to the renowned Preben Holm. In our opinion, this piece was most definitely crafted in the workshop of Karl Erik Ottendahl—the specific type of briar and the meticulous shaping that highlights the grain are clear indicators of…
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