Barling’s Make Pre Transition YOW 1524 Smooth Pot Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

B. Barling and Sons was originally founded in 1812 by Benjamin Barling and began as a family business making silver-adorned meerschaum pipes. In the late 19th century, however, the Barling family began to produce what the brand is today most famous for—expertly made briar pipes.

If one was to list the most esteemed and prized British pipe brands ever produced, it’s pretty certain that Barling would be in the top five. More specifically, it would be “pre-transition,” “family era” Barling pipes that held this stature, i.e., pipes made by the Barling family during their ownership and management of the B. Barling and Sons company. Thanks to Barling historians such as Jonathan Guss, Tad Gage, and Jesse Silver, collectors have a relatively simple time of separating these pipes from the ones that came later (see our guide on the MBSD Pipes main hub for a quick and easy rundown of these findings). For example, as this one is stamped “BARLING’S” in an arch over “MAKE,” and as it is specified as a shape 1524, it falls well within the “family era” having been manufactured prior to the transition in ownership in 1960 and the transition in management in 1962, after which the Barling family were dismissed from the company entirely.

The design is a very classic Barling one, and indeed highly representative of pipes at the time. Taking the form of a relatively lightweight and wide-chambered pot, it’s a perfect English smoker, in more senses than one. The cut of the saddle stem would suggest the pipe was manufactured after the mid-1930s, when Montague Barling patented it, while the absence of a size stamp is a possible indicator of it having been made prior to the post-war period.

The condition is good. Some darkening and finish fading on the rim and a couple of small scratches on the bowl.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 1.34″ / 34.03mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 40g