England
Another one old good pipe from the 1950s. Some sources say that “Straight grain” was a kind of Comoy’s second (like other makers marked their pipes “Reject”) but we didn’t find a confirmation.
The pipe is 15.0 cm long, 5.0 cm tall and weights 27 gr. The bowl’s external diameter is 3.2 cm, inner – 2.0 cm, inner depth – 4.0 cm. Vulcanite stem, no filter.
England At the very beginning Parker Pipe Co Limited was formed by Dunhill in 1922 as a “second brand” – the company was intended to finish products, which were not conform to Dunhill’s requirements for some reasons. In the course of time the brand made a great success from the “second” to a separate production…
Denmark, 1980-90s “He could have been an ambassador for his country, but instead he became an ambassador for Danish pipes”. Bjarne Nielsen’s career was really untypical and unique. Many pipe makers came from different areas, there were engineers, telecommunication technicians, blacksmiths, and so on and so forth. However that was a highly unexpected move for…
England, 1960-70s A very high grade Charatan’s pipe from the “Lane era” (1960-76), 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 second…
Italy Autograph pipes make only 2% of the Savinelli production, but since 1980s they are the subject of a special pride of the company. The pipes are made essentially by hand; briar is sourced absolutely separately from the materials for a mass market. Every bowl is firstly shaped and only then drilled by experienced carvers….
England, 1950s One of very high grade Charatans pipes made before Lane era, most probably in the 1950s. Charatan’s admirers know the highest grade was the “Supreme”. Another one of the highest grades, “Selected” level was the second from the top. Perhaps the most sophisticated and mind-blowing “Selected” pipes were made during the 1960-70s period….
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….
Hi,
I have a smooth, plum- stained pipe stamped just like the one above, and have been scratching my head over it. The only stamping I can find is “STRAIGHT GRAIN” over “LONDON MADE” on the left side, and the number “20” has been stamped on the right side. It is a small pot in shape. The script looks exactly like that used in the stamping of my Blue Riband and London Pride, but I see no trace of “Comoy’s” on the pipe. I can see no fills, and the grain is vertically straight and very tight. I see no maker identification on the stem, which may be a replacement, but is very well made and fits perfectly. Any idea who may have made it? I have had no luck in trying to trace the shape number.
Thanks,
Jeff Stierman
Hi Jeff,
The reasons why a particular pipe wasn’t stamped with its manufacturer name may be vary and at times not clear for us in the 2021. Such pipes are not always “seconds”, some of them could be made tobacco shops, some others were not finished due to closing / moving of production facilities.
“Straight grain” is not a registered brand name, therefore any maker could stamp this name on pipes. However you right, Comoy’s stamping is quite unique and I would say preliminary your pipe is one of Comoy’s too. But the small pot with the shape number 20 is not in Comoy’s shape charts (of course if it wasn’t made at the commission of another company).
I would recommend also to ask the question at the pipesmagazine.com forum, maybe someone of experts can identify your pipe or recall who was producing such the shape Nr. 20.
The very best regards, stay safe!