GBD Ebony 9664 Smooth Panel Zulu Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

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.

The Ebony appears to have been another relatively late addition to GBD’s catalog, though one that still made it in before the Cadogan Investments merger during the early 1980s. Defined by its contrasting hues of golden and dark brown, it was a modest, yet very elegant, design. This one is rendered in GBD’s shape 9664, one which, like so many GBD shapes, defined conventional Anglo-French categorizations. There are, for example, elements of the Zulu and the skater, as well as two panels on either side of the bowl. As mentioned, the Ebony was introduced before the 1980s, and indeed this one comes from the pre-Cadogan production of GBD pipes, based on the nomenclature and rondelle.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. There are a couple of small scratches and nicks on the bowl, though nothing beyond a few cosmetic imperfections.

Details:

Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm

Bowl Width: 0.79 / 20.06mm

Bowl Depth: 1.46″ / 37.08mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 46g