Charatan’s Make Lane Era Perfection 461DC Smooth “Huntsman” Zulu 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 (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 had used the tagline “Perfection in Pipes” long before the “Perfection” grade was introduced. But, funnily enough, when the Perfection was introduced, it was a little different to what one might imagine. It was not one of the make’s ultra-high-grade pipes, like the Supreme, the Achievement, or the Coronation, and, in fact, it wasn’t even a straight grain pipe, but one whose bowls were cross-cut to maximize bird’s-eye patterns. That’s not to say it was a low-grade pipe—more of a modest, mid-range smoker. So, why was it called the “Perfection”? It has been said that the name was perhaps something of a sly jab at Charatan’s competitors—what the kids these days would call a “flex”—expressing the sentiment that even the average Charatan was perfect, especially next to other makes.

This particular pipe comes from the legendary Lane era of Charatan, one that many a collector considers to be the height of the make’s perfection, though its basic shape is far older. It could be called a “Zulu” (as I have done here, for simplicity’s sake), or it might more accurately be considered a “yachtsman” as far as pipe parlance goes. But Reuben Charatan, who introduced the shape to Charatan’s catalog, called it the “Huntsman.” Whatever one wishes to term it, it remained a staple in Charatan’s catalog well beyond Reuben’s years, and even carried over into the various makes started by former Charatan employees in the late 20th century, such as James Upshall.

The condition is very good. Some minor rim darkening and slight, residual oxidation on the mouthpiece.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.69″ / 42.92mm

Weight: 1.2oz / 36g