BBB Tortoise 304 Smooth Bent Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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’m particularly partial to BBB’s Tortoise line. The combination of a chestnut stain, a mother of pearl hued stem, and a brass ring between them, gave resulted in what I’d consider to be one of the most elegant designs in British pipe history. This one is a simple, bent billiard, with the most brilliant bird’s-eye grain patterns brought out by the contrast stain used. Judging by the nomenclature and brass ‘BBB’ rondelle in the stem, I would estimate that this pipe was made prior to BBB’s merger under Cadogan Investments in 1980, which may make it even more appealing to collectors.

This BBB 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: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.56″ / 39.62mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 48g