Charatan’s Make Lane Era Special 291DC Smooth 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).

While Charatan remains famous for its straight grain pipes, there was still a place within the make’s grading schemes for other kinds of beautiful briar patterns. The Special was one such grade, which boasted “Perfection in graining in a natural finish” and, more specifically, “Premier quality pipes, cut in ‘cross grain’ or ‘bird’s eye’ graining.” This particular pipe is an example of the latter. A slightly stubby, group 2 rendition of the “Medium Small Dublin” shape created during the Reuben era (during which the Special was first introduced), this one happens to have come from the legendary Lane era that followed after Reuben’s passing. It is a gorgeous pipe, with bird’s-eye grain of a caliber that genuinely deserves the praise heaped on it by Lane’s characteristically bold marketing.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim darkening and slight residual stem oxidation.

Details:

Length: 5.5″ / 139.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.95 / 24.13mm

Bowl Depth: 1.79″ / 45.46mm

Weight: 1.0oz / 30g