Charatan’s Make First Lane Era (c.1961-5) Executive Smooth Cavalier Dublin Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

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).

As far as English pipes go, Charatan was a true pioneer, and in more than one sense. Both Frederick Charatan and his son (and eventual sucessor) Reuben Charatan were early proponents of straight grained pipes as the pinnacle of the craft, and it was under Reuben’s tenure that Charatan opened up England’s first, dedicated freehand workshop at the end of the 1950s. When Herman Lane entered the picture, he took these aspects of the Charatan make and amplified them like never before, with Charatan pipes ultimately becoming some of the most prestigious (and expensive) briars in the world. Even more impressive is that Charatan was able to do this amidst a surge in demand for Danish pipes, especially the freehand variety.

This particular Charatan is an example both of of the make’s aforementioned straight grain pipes and its era-defining freehands. An Executive grade, it takes the form of a Dublin rendition in Charatan’s signature style, this time in a decidedly squat, wide guise, with a forward “leaping” movement conveyed by the pipe’s unusual posture. Based on the nomenclature, this pipe will have been made around 1961-5, during the “first Lane era.” Revered by collectors of Charatan pipes and high-end English pipes more generally, such works were integral in propelling Charatan into international pipe superstardom, and for good reason.

The condition is fair. Some rim charring, a few scratches around the bowl, and slightly faded (though legible) nomenclature.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 1.00 / 25.4mm

Bowl Depth: 1.68″ / 42.67mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g