BBB Tortoise 606 Smooth Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

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 and a mother of pearl hued stem, resulted in what I’d consider to be one of the most elegant designs in British pipe history. Judging by the nomenclature, stain, and brass ‘BBB’ rondelle in the stem, this Tortoise looks to have been made prior to BBB’s merger under Cadogan Investments in 1980. In fact, having seen a few BBB Tortoises in my time, this one looks to be an earlier iteration of the series, as later Tortoises came with additional brass collars.

The condition is great. There’s some very slight finish fading on the rim, and a couple of very slight scratches on the bottom right of the bowl, but nothing major by any stretch.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.59″ / 40.38mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g