Charatan’s Make 317 (Reuben Era; c.1955-60) Sandblasted Acorn (Estate)

While Dunhill may be Britain’s most famous pipe brand, Charatan is not only older, but has the honor of being the first to have made its pipes entirely in-house. “Charatan’s Make” referred to the fact that, at a time when other pipe companies were sourcing stummels and stems carved from other companies before assembling them in their factories and workshops, Charatan made every part of their pipes on the Charatan premises. So began a legacy of high-quality pipe-making under the Charatan name, one whose employees, at one time or another, included Joel Sasieni (later of Dunhill, then Sasieni fame), Stan Haney (later of Ashby Hall), Dennis Marshall (later of Milville), and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones (later of James Upshall).

F. Charatan & Son was rather late to the sandblasting game, all things considered. In fact, when they were introduced during the Reuben Era, the blasting process itself was outsourced to a window glazing company. Ultimately, Charatan brought sandblasting in-house and, soon enough, the company had created one of the most memorable relief finishes of the 20th century. Like the Barling Fossil, Charatan’s sandblasts were especially craggy and decked in ring grain patterns; like the Dunhill Tanshell, many of Charatan’s sandblasted pipes were given a very natural dress, which allowed the pipe to color over time as it was smoked.

This example is a very beautiful, cross-cut blasted rendition of Charatan’s “317” acorn shape, and by the looks of it, it’s an early example of what would ultimately become a staple in the make’s catalog. Though it features the Lane Ltd. “L” logo in its nomenclature, it’s more likely this pipe will have been made between 1955 and 1960, back when Herman Lane held exclusive US distribution rights for Charatan pipes, which included an agreement to mark them as such. The lack of a “DC,” or conversely an “X” in the pipe’s shape code place it before Lane Ltd. bought F. Charatan and Son outright, which coincided with the introduction of Lane’s proprietary Double Comfort mouthpiece as standard for Charatan pipes.

The condition is very good. Some inner rim darkening and stem slightly over-buffed at the base.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.62″ / 41.14mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g