GBD Giant Rusticated Poker Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

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.

GBD’s Giant line was, as the name indicates, one of oversized pipes, not unlike the Conquest, Collector, and Colossus grades used to designate oversized pipes from other, specific, lines. Like the latter, the Giant was large, though still relative to traditional Anglo-French conventions, making for a big, yet very manageable pipe. This one is a hearty poker shape, dressed in an interesting rustication that looks like it may have been polished afterward, a little like another old GBD line, the Granitan. There’s more depth to the finishing on this one, however, with an aesthetic that almost looks like a combination of rustication and sandblasting.

The condition is very good. Minor inner rim darkening and a couple of small, superficial scratches on the underside of the shank.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.87 / 22.09mm

Bowl Depth: 1.66″ / 42.16mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 62g