BBB Tasman 4278 Smooth Bent Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked [SOLD OUT]

Description

‘BBB’ originally stood for ‘Blumfeld’s Best Briars’, so named after Louis Blumfeld after he took over the historic Alfred Frankenau Company in 1856. Later, the pipes came to be known as ‘Britain’s Best Briars’. Though the name might have changed, the quality of the pipes did not – they really were fantastic pipes, made in the classic style of the English-French shape chart. Like GBD, Dunhill, and Barling’s, BBB are pipes with a rich history behind them, proudly holding the title of “the oldest trade mark in the [pipe] industry.”

I don’t think I’ve seen a BBB Tasman before, but now that I have, I must say, I really like it. The combination of a fiery, contrast stain with an amber-like acrylic stem really works. The bent billiard is a classic shape, but the Tasman design elevates it into something a little more special. From what I understand, the brass rondelle inlaid into the stem signifies that this pipe is from before BBB’s complete merger with Cadogan Investments Ltd in 1980, which is also a plus for collectors.

The pipe is completely unsmoked, with a factory-original bowl coating to help ease in its first smokes. It also comes with its original box and sleeve.

Details:

Length: 5.6″

Bowl Width: 19.7mm

Bowl Depth: 1.5″

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g