Charatan’s Make Supreme S 300 XL Smooth Freehand 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, Dan Tennison, Stan Haney, and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones of James Upshall fame.

During the early to mid-20th century, when Reuben Charatan owned F. Charatan & Son (referred today as the “Reuben era,” or “Reuben’s era), the highest grade a Charatan pipe could receive was the Supreme. Supreme grades were the pinnacle of the factory’s output, possessing some of the finest straight grain of any pipe during that time, and were so exacting in their standards that, for most of his tenure as owner, only Reuben Charatan himself would turn Charatan’s Straight Grain pipes, including its Supremes. Toward the end of Reuben’s tenure, however, a few very important things would occur.

First, Herman Lane entered the scene, acquiring exclusive distribution rights to Charatan pipes in the United States; soon after, Charatan’s freehand workshop would come into being, with several of Reuben’s apprentices (including Charatan’s first freehand carver, a young Barry Jones) showing themselves capable of crafting straight grain pipes to rival Reuben’s own; then, after Reuben’s passing in the early 1960s, Herman Lane would step in again, this time to acquire F. Charatan & Son wholesale. A combination of an increasingly competitive, international freehand scene, Lane’s incredible marketing prowess, and a team of specialized freehand carvers able to meet the demands imposed by either, resulted in an ever expanding grading scheme. The Charatan Supreme remained a very high-grade pipe, but there would soon be even greater highs, to a point that Reuben himself would have struggled to imagine. Above the Supreme was introduced the Supreme S. Above the Supreme S was the Supreme S 100, then the 150, 200, and so on. This one is a Supreme S 300 and, based on the grain, I wouldn’t disagree with that qualification. It’s also an Extra Large variation which, again, I have to agree with.

The condition is very good. Some minor inner rim darkening. I’m not 100% sure the stem is original, however. I’ve adjusted the price to reflect this uncertainty.

 

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 1.02 / 25.90mm

Bowl Depth: 1.58″ / 40.13mm

Weight: 2.4oz / 70g