Butz Choquin A Metz Origine 102 Smooth Churchwarden Estate Briar Pipe, French Estates

Description

With its origins in an 1858 collaboration between Jean-Baptiste Choquin and Gustave Butz, Butz-Choquin ultimately become one of the premier smoking pipe companies in 20^th century France. The brand is known both for its stylish variations on traditional English-French shapes and for its exploration of atypical and elaborate finishes. The brand is also known for its collaborations with celebrated French pipe-makers, such as Paul Lanier and Alain Albuisson, who made some of Butz-Choquin’s highest-grade pipes for the company.

There’s an interesting story to this pipe, which, since you’re hear, I might as well tell you. The name, A Metz, or rather à Metz (English: “in Metz”), refers to Metz, the French city where Choquin and Butz first began their pipe-making venture. Origine (English: “origin”) has something of a double meaning, referring both to Butz-Choquin’s birthplace and this pipe, which is based on the first design the company produced. It is a bent, briar billiard, but it has a singularly long shank extension, silver trimmings, and a horn-like stem. The 1858 version used an albatross bone for the extension and horn for the stem, but this one is likely made from more ‘modern’ materials. In any case, it’s a beautiful, and very distinct, pipe.

The condition is great. Some slight rim darkening and minor briar imperfections.

 

Details:

Length: 8.6″ / 218.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.74 / 18.79mm

Bowl Depth: 1.81″ / 45.97mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g