GBD Granitan 9436 Sandblasted Billiard 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 Granitan was, not unlike the Rockroot, a name that was both something of a pun and a reference to a geological formation. The “tan” part of the name is intuitive: like the Dunhill Tanshell before it, the Granitan wore a light brown stain over a sandblast finish. The “Granit,” or rather, “Granite” part is a little more complex. The Granitan was sandblasted, but the roughness of the result was then reined in by sanding and polishing the stummel, resulting in a texture more like a slab of its namesake than, say, the more rugged Fossil line. This process gave the Granitan a distinctly weathered aesthetic, one that was quite different to other sandblasted pipes then and indeed since.
As regards dating, the nomenclature and brass “GBD” rondelle on this one indicate it to be a pre-1980s, pre-Cadogan Investments merger make.

The condition is good. Minor rim darkening, slight finish fading, and minor, residual oxidation on the stem.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.78″ / 45.21mm

Weight: 1.4oz / 42g