England, 1970s According to pipedia, George W. Sims used to work for Charatan’s (that is clearly visible of some Sims pipes) and for Barling (that is also not excluded). But finally he found himself as an independent tobacconist and an owner of a little shop in Northern London, which existed till 1980. “G.W. Sims was…
England, 1960-70s According to Pipedia, George W. Sims used to work for Charatan’s (which is clearly visible in some Sims pipes) and for Barling (which is also not excluded). But finally, he found himself as an independent tobacconist and the owner of a little shop in Northern London, which existed until 1980. “G.W. Sims was…
England “Specially selected fully garanteed first quality Briars…”. The Special Best Briar series was one of the highest grades; only Redman’s Royal pipes were more valuable. But this high-grade pipe from the London John Redman factory, made in the mid-20th century, is truly unique in its own way: along with the surprising “chubby” billiard shape,…
England According to catalogues Redonian De Luxe is “An attractive line of first quality Briars supplied principally in rich Walnut colour in a wide range of shapes in bags and single boxes”. A very stylish creature from an upper range series from the English John Redman pipe factory , produced around the 1950-70s. Pipe markings…
England The pipe is interesting not only as a great example of English craftsmanship from the middle of the 20th century but also as one of the rare series equipped with the “twin bore” stem – very popular at the time and much more reliable than today’s mouthpieces with traditional “slot” buttons. And another thing:…
England, 1950-70s One of the most famous English tobacco shops, Bewlay & Co. Ltd, was founded in 1870 at 49 W. Strand in London by the Jewish Elkan family, who immigrated from the Netherlands. At the initial stage, the business was positioned as retail trade in tobacco products; Bewley was one of the first to…
UK (Scotland) “Herbert Love …traded as Murray Frame for 80 years” the Herald Scotland wrote in an article about the closure of Herbert Love’s last independent smoke shop in Glasgow. Murray-Frame was one of the last independent pipe companies in the UK (and appears to be the last in Scotland) and was only acquired by…
England, 1950s “… Portland pipes make up one of the great mysteries of London pipe making. No one knows when Barling bought Portland but most of us barling guys believe it was mid to late 30’s”. Yes, both our humble investigations and eyewitness accounts of the time indicate that the history of the Portland Pipe…
Ireland, 1921 Unfortunately, the year mark on the silver collar is a little weak, but a thorough analysis and comparison with the hallmark charts suggest that this should be the title letter F, corresponding to 1921. Also, pay attention to the absence of the COM stamp (‘Country of Manufacture’). According to Pipedia, this is characteristic…
England, 1950-60s A very interesting and unusual Charatan’s make pipe with a tapered mouthpiece and a luxurious silver collar. This is the Belvedere pipe, either from the late Ruben or the early Lane period; soon, tapered mouthpieces will be replaced exclusively by saddle or patented Double Comfort (DC), and shape numbers will necessarily be accompanied…