J.T. & D. Cooke Bent Rhodesian Estate Briar Pipe, American Estates [SOLD]

Description

J.T. Cooke is a Vermont-based American artisan carver with a number of impressive credentials under his belt. Cooke was originally based at Elliot Nachtwalter and Jeorg Jemelka’s The Briar Workshop, in a role which included making pipes for Wilke’s tobacconist in Philadelphia. After leaving the Workshop, Cooke collaborated with Barry Levin in establishing the estate pipes market as we know it, by restoring pipes for Levin’s outfit. During this time, Cooke would also begin to make pipes under his own name. Today, Cooke’s pipes are among the most sought after in the American artisan scene thanks to their distinct and often unparalleled shaping, engineering, and finishing.

Here’s a curious pipe from J.T. Cooke – or rather, from J.T. & D. Cooke. Prior to 1996, James Cooke made pipes with his his now-ex-wife Deb. That explains the “D.” in the nomenclature. But there’s something else that’s intriguing about this pipe, that being the finish. When I look at it from one angle, it looks sandblasted; when I look at it from another, it looks rusticated, or at the very least, a combination of rusticated and blasted. Cooke has always been an experimenter when it comes to sandblasting, with his evolving blasting techniques often bordering on rustication. So, for once, I’m not going to make a claim either way as to what category of finish this one falls under. It’s certainly different from the rusticated LPI pipes Cooke made for Barry Levin, but beyond that I’ll simply allow buyers to make up their own mind. It’s a beautiful pipe – of that, I’m absolutely certain.

The condition is very good. Having come to us through our consignment program, the pipe has some handling marks around the bowl, and some minor darkening on the back rim, but these are cosmetic imperfections at most.

 

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g