Charatan’s Make Perfection 371DC Smooth Dublin 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, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall fame.

Speaking of Barnes and Jones, here we have an example of a Charatan pipe that served as a founding and enduring influence on James Upshall, once the two had left to form their own pipe company. The shaping is one of Charatan’s iconic, footed poker Dublin hybrids, known at one point as the Trafalgar, and which was the reference point for many an homage turned by Barry for the James Upshall output. The finish is again so thoroughly Charatan that Barnes and Jones ended up taking some of it with them as well. Known as the Perfection, it was, as seen here, a gorgeous, golden contrast finish, typically applied to bird’s-eye grain on Charatan’s standard shapes. Barnes and Jones liked it so much that, when the time came to think up their own finishes for the Upshall make, they emulated the contrast staining of the Perfection and applied it to straight grain instead (hence the “P grade” terminology). History and post-history aside, this is a lovely pipe just on its own merits, with a stummel whose patterning invites the eyes in and is stubborn to let them go.

The condition is very good. Some minor inner rim charring and a slightly over-reamed chamber, but nothing major.

 

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g