Michel Smooth Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

Michel pipes were store-brand pipes made for Maison Michel, a North Carolina (USA) tobacconist run by Michel J. Mitchell between 1951 and 1980. Over the years, several prominent pipe-makers made pipes for Maison Michel.

Of all of the pipes that have come through over the years, Michel is one brand that has surprised me the most. Not only was it fascinating to read about Maison Michel, but the pipes themselves are really well made, affordable briars. I even kept one for myself—which, as a pipe seller, is a temptation you have to all but repress—and it’s kept a place in my rotation for a long while now. This particlar Michel is a classic, lightweight, English saddle billiard, with a light, blonde stain, plenty of nice grain, and an ebonite stem. One final touch I especially appreciate is the pipe’s beveled rim.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.75 / 19.05mm

Bowl Depth: 1.39″ / 35.30mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g