GBD (1947) Smooth Billiard with Silver (Estate)

About this pipe:

GBD was one of several prominent examples of a French pipe brand that, due to certain circumstances, became a maker most associated with classic ‘British’ pipes. Founded in 1850 by the French trio Ganneval, Bondier & Donninger, the brand was bought by English company Oppenheimer at the beginning of the 20th century, who opened factories in London and Paris to meet an increasing demand for the make’s high-quality and highly desirable pipes. Partly owing to the make’s inventive, yet traditional shapes, and partly due to the high standards of their production, GBD pipes are particularly coveted by collectors, as well as those who simply appreciate classic, well-made smoking instruments.

It is hard to beat a good straight billiard. It many ways, it is the ur-shape of briar pipe manufacture, to the extent that the French sometimes refer to it as the néogène, or “new born.” And it is even harder to beat a good billiard from one of the all time great Anglo-French pipe companies, such as GBD. Based on the hallmarks on its sterling silver collar, this GBD billiard will have been made just a couple of years after the Second World War but, being such a timeless design, it could have been made at any point in the last 150 years. Simple, lightweight, elegant, beautifully bird’s-eye-grained, and with a dash of finery—as far as pipes go, there is little more that one could ask for.

The condition is good. Some rim darkening, minor handling marks, and a small dent in the silverware on the shank’s left side.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.86 / 21.84mm

Bowl Depth: 1.67″ / 42.41mm

Weight: 1.1oz / 34g