Charatan’s Make First Lane Era (1961-5) Supreme S 200 Extra Large Freehand Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

Description

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, Dan Tennison, Stan Haney, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall fame.

During the early to mid-20th century, when Reuben Charatan owned F. Charatan & Son (referred today as the “Reuben era,” or “Reuben’s era), the highest grade a Charatan pipe could receive was the Supreme. Supreme grades were the pinnacle of the factory’s output, possessing some of the finest straight grain of any pipe during that time, and were so exacting in their standards that, for most of his tenure as owner, only Reuben Charatan himself would turn Charatan’s Straight Grain pipes, including its Supremes. Toward the end of Reuben’s tenure, however, a few very important things would occur.

First, Herman Lane entered the scene, acquiring exclusive distribution rights to Charatan pipes in the United States; soon after, Charatan’s freehand workshop would come into being, with several of Reuben’s apprentices (including Charatan’s first freehand carver, a young Barry Jones) showing themselves capable of crafting straight grain pipes to rival Reuben’s own; then, after Reuben’s passing in the early 1960s, Herman Lane would step in again, this time to acquire F. Charatan & Son wholesale. A combination of an increasingly competitive, international freehand scene, Lane’s incredible marketing prowess, and a team of specialized freehand carvers able to meet the demands imposed by either, resulted in an ever expanding grading scheme. The Charatan Supreme remained a very high-grade pipe, but there would soon be even greater highs, to a point that Reuben himself would have struggled to imagine. Above the Supreme was introduced the Supreme S. Above the Supreme S was the Supreme S 100, and above the Supreme S 100 was the Supreme S 200. And, as with other Charatan freehands, if a Supreme S 200 was significantly greater in size than was typical, it would also receive the Extra Large designation and its associated steep premium.

This particular pipe comes from the first years of Herman Lane’s stewardship of the brand, between roughly 1961 and 1965 (after which the “MADE BY HAND” nomenclature was amended to include a mention of the City of London). It is a classic Charatan freehand design, taking the form of a large, paneled Dublin, with a long shank and Double Comfort mouthpiece. As one would imagine from its grade, the grain is spectacular, with almost absurdly tight, consistent straight grain around its bowl, along with bird’s-eye covering its rim and the full length of its underside. It is also indeed very large, with proportions that just about cross the line into a magnum stature, while remaining remarkably lightweight relative to its size.

The condition is very good. Very slight inner rim charring, minor finish fading, and a couple of very small scratches on the shank.

 

Details:

Length: 7.6″ / 193.0mm

Bowl Width: 1.03 / 26.16mm

Bowl Depth: 1.85″ / 46.99mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g