Astleys of London Straight Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates [SOLD OUT]

Description

Astleys was one of London’s most historic pipe and tobacco shops. Like many pipe tobacconists, its owners had pipes made specially to be sold under the shop’s name. Astleys pipes, however, were made by some of the premier pipe manufacturers and artisans in the UK, such as Dunhill, Charatan, Les Wood, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall. As a result, Astleys pipes are prized for their quality, and as examples of the very finest British pipes.

This particular Astleys is a really well crafted bulldog. Most Astleys pipes are impossible to identify with absolute certainty, but the proportions and the quality of the grain on this one – especially around the bowl – makes me think it might be from Barnes and Jones at James Upshall. If Dunhill had made it, I suspect they’d have kept it for themselves and sold it as a Dead Root, or something of the like.

So, it has fantastic straight and flame grain around the bowl and generally beautiful grain across the entire stummel. The stain is a very light golden-brown, presumably to show off how good the grain is. It’s average length for a pipe of this shape, but relatively light, making it a very comfortable clenching pipe. There’s some very minor inner rim darkening and a tiny bit of residual oxidation on the vulcanite stem, but otherwise it’s in mint condition. A genuinely beautiful, classic English pipe.

 

Details:

Length: 5.8″

Bowl Width: 19.6mm

Bowl Depth: 1.5″

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g