James Upshall A Grade Smooth Panel Shank Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

James Upshall was, along with Ferndown and Ashton, part of a new wave of British hand-made, high-grade pipes in the late 20th century, with their founders largely coming from previous positions in the factories of companies such as Dunhill and Charatan. James Upshall was founded in 1978 by Barry Jones and Ken Barnes, both of whom had previously worked for Charatan and who had worked their way up to being carvers Charatan’s higher-end, non-standard shapes. Jones and Barnes’ pipes quickly grew to being something of a status symbol, and were enjoyed by King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat, Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Robert Wagner and Tom Selleck. The company also made house-brand pipes for Astleys in London. Sadly, James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest handmade British pipes lives on.

I remember listening to Ken Barnes discuss the James Upshall grading system a few years ago, and this particular pipe struck a chord with something he mentioned. He noted that the workshop was often a little less consistent when it came to assigning grades to pipes, and that some pipes should have received lower grades, while others should have been higher. This one looks to me to be a case of the latter. It is an A grade—a very respectable grade in itself—but it has the most beautiful straight grain, and is a great shape to boot. Looking closely at the bowl, the grain is so tight that it evokes the notion of “angel hair” that is sometimes referenced when speaking of superlative straight grained stummels. To me, it looks more like a B grade in an A grade’s clothing (i.e., its walnut stain). Nevertheless, I’ll be pricing it in the same range as our other A grades.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

 

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.59″ / 40.38mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g