Charatan’s Make 20104DC Sandblasted Lumberman Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

While Dunhill may be Britain’s most famous pipe brand, Charatan is not only older, but has the honor of being the first to have made its pipes entirely in-house. ‘Charatan’s Make’ referred to the fact that, at a time when other pipe companies were sourcing stummels and stems carved from other companies before assembling them in their factories and workshops, Charatan made every part of their pipes on the Charatan premises. So began a legacy of high-quality pipe-making under the Charatan name, one whose employees, at one time or another, included Joel Sasieni, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall fame.

I’m not sure precisely when this Charatan was made (I’d estimate around 1980), but it will definitely have a few decades on it. And yet, aside from a little wear to the rim, the sandblast is just about as crisp as you’d expect if it had just left the factory. Of note is how the grain has been oriented so that the bowl’s flanks are blasted bird’s-eye, giving an immensely tactile quality. Though the pipe is a good six inches, it’s barely over an ounce, which should make it an easy clencher, too.

The condition is very good. Some wear to the rim and a couple of very slight tooth marks.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.80 / 20.32mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g