Charatan’s Make (First Lane Era; c.1961-5) Supreme Extra Large Smooth Panel Shank Freehand (Estate)

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).

Charatan’s Supreme grade was introduced during the make’s Reuben era, i.e., the years between approximately 1910 and 1960, when Reuben Charatan owned and operated F. Charatan & Son. Supremes were, per midcentury catalogs, “first quality, perfectly grained specimens” as far was pipes went, to the point where (again, per Charatan), “Nothing finer can possibly be obtained.” The Supreme was the highest-grade a Charatan pipe could receive, and Reuben Charatan was so protective of these pipes that, until around the mid-1950s, he assigned himself the sole responsibility of turning bowls for them.

In the mid-1950s, Reuben loosened the restrictions somewhat as to who was allowed to turn Charatan’s finest straight grain pipes, the Supreme included, though not because his standards had dropped—quite the opposite, in fact. The later 1950s were a time when Charatan’s popularity exploded, due in no small part to Herman Lane becoming the make’s US distributor, and Lane’s approach to marketing did not shy from raising expectations. The later 1950s were also a time when F. Charatan & Son first discovered the advantages of “freehand” briar carving and, simultaneously, that Reuben’s apprentices (such as a young Barry Jones) had the potential to match their master’s art.

As the Lane years went by, Charatan’s grading system expanded considerably, though the Supreme remained within the upper end of the make’s output. Based on the nomenclature, this looks to be an example of a Supreme from the early Lane era, during the make’s meteoric ascent throughout the international smoking pipe scene. The design is a great mix of traditional and decidedly non-traditional elements, combining a broadly Dublin-shaped bowl, a faceted shank, and a plateau-style rim that almost looks wrapped—like a gifted bottle of one’s favorite tipple, or a candy from a box. As one should expect, the pipe’s bowl is lined with superfine straight grain, which runs right the way up the sides of its shank.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening, handling marks, and some slight oxidation on the mouthpiece where the pipe’s logo has been preserved.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.76″ / 44.70mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g