Ben Wade XL Sandblasted Canadian Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

Ben Wade was founded, as might be expected, by Leeds-based English pipe merchant Benjamin Wade in 1860. Soon after, Wade opened his own workshop to produce quintessentially British pipes. As one of the first makes to create pipes from briar, Ben Wade has a special place in pipe history, one only made more special by the famously high-quality of their output.

Based on the proportions and shaping, I would suspect that this Ben Wade comes from circa 1965-72, when Lane Ltd. owned the make. During this time, Ben Wade functioned as a sub-brand of sorts for Charatan, which Lane famously also owned. If so, it looks to me like a variant of Charatan’s shape 402, especially given its extra large size. I could be wrong, though (and please correct me if I am). In any case, it’s a nice rendition of an eminently traditional shape, with a beautifully craggy sandblast and brick-red finish.

The condition is good. Some wear to the rim and a slightly over-reamed chamber, and one worn out fill on the base, but nothing major.

 

Details:

Length: 6.8″ / 172.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.64″ / 41.65mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g