GBD St Claude 753 Smooth Diplomat Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, French Estates

Description

GBD was one of several prominent examples of a French pipe brand that, due to certain circumstances, became a maker most associated with classic ‘British’ pipes. Founded in 1850 by the French trio Ganneval, Bondier & Donninger, the brand was bought by English company Oppenheimer at the beginning of the 20th century, who opened factories in London and Paris to meet an increasing demand for the make’s high-quality and highly desirable pipes. Partly owing to the make’s inventive, yet traditional shapes, and partly due to the high standards of their production, GBD pipes are particularly coveted by collectors, as well as those who simply appreciate classic, well-made smoking instruments.

When you spend time looking back through the catalogs of the great 20th century Anglo-French makes, you realize that the companies behind them produced a lot of different shapes. However, it’s difficult to think of any Anglo-French make that offered the same sheer variety of designs that GBD did. As a result, it’s comparatively very common to come across a GBD that you either forgot or didn’t know had existed in the first place. The 753 is a good example of that or, it is for me, at least. A flat bottomed pot-diplomat/banker-Rhodesian-sitter hybrid? I can’t remember the last time I saw one of these. Not recently, that’s for sure.
Given that this GBD appears to allude that it was manufactured in France, and given that it has the iconic brass “GBD” stem inlay, this should be a pre-1980 piece, from before the merger of so many great Anglo-French makes via Cadogan Investments.

The condition is very good. Some minor wear to the rim.

 

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.93 / 23.62mm

Bowl Depth: 0.96″ / 24.38mm

Weight: 2.0oz / 58g