CPF Best Make Amber Stem Canadian Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

The Colossus Pipe Factory, known by its initials C.P.F., is a make that is – as of yet – still a little shrouded in mystery. What is known is that the make emerged in the 19th century and that it was owned by Kaufman Bros. & Bondy (later of Kaywoodie fame) by at least 1899. It is also understood that the make disappeared, and was therefore likely discontinued, at some point between the mid- to late-1910s, with the exact year still under debate.

What’s your oldest briar pipe? A patent era Dunhill? A family era Barling, perhaps? Chances are, it’s not as old as this CPF. I recommend reading Steve Laug’s excellent reflections on the make on his RebornPipes blog, as even though the topic of CPF is a little historically muddy, Laug’s surveys and discussions on the matter with other CPF collectors sheds invaluable light on some of its aspects. For example, Laug and his interlocutors note that, by 1898, Kaufman Bros. & Bondy not only owned CPF, but was marketing CPF under the KBB umbrella, including stamping CPF pipes with the KBB nomenclature. This pipe, on the other hand, does not feature any KBB branding, which would mean that, according to the research of Laug and others, it was made before 1898. It may even be pre-1884, as existing KBB records from that year show no mention of the CPF make.

As for the pipe itself, it’s undoubtedly beautiful, with a solid, genuine amber stem and golden filigree on its rim and shank end.

The pipe is also completely unsmoked. I will simply note that, for buyers, if you decide to smoke the pipe, please take extra care when doing so. Amber is a little more brittle than the ebonite or acrylic used for modern pipe stems, and the threaded tenon on this one looks like it may be bone, which is more brittle than Delrin and the other tenon materials used today.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm

Bowl Depth: 1.56″ / 39.62mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 32g