Charatan’s Make (First Lane Era; c.1961-5) Executive Smooth Freehand Brandy (Estate)

About this pipe:

While there are a fair few historic British pipe brands, Charatan is not only older than most, 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 pipe is an example of one of Charatan’s famous straight grain grades, the Executive, and of one of its pioneering freehand pipes. Combining elements of the brandy, the cavalier, and a unique “folding” of its briar around the bowl’s base, it is plainly a masterful work of pipecraft. Based on the nomenclature, the pipe looks to have been made in the first years of the “Lane era,” between approximately 1961 and 1965, making it an artefact of Charatan’s much-deserved global ascent during that time.

The condition is good. Some minor inner rim charring, handling marks, a couple of slight scratches on the bowl, minor tooth marks, and some slight oxidation on the mouthpiece.

Details:

Length: 6.6″ / 167.6mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 2.04″ / 51.81mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 74g