GBD Pre-1980s New Standard Conquest 9678 Smooth Dublin w/ Perspex 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.

There are certain symbols that have come to be associated with certain pipe brands, like a white spot and Dunhill pipes. There are certain shapes that have similarly come to be associated with certain pipe brands, like Stanwell and the Peewit. And, in some rare cases, there are certain materials that have come to be associated with certain pipe brands. In the latter example, one of the most famous is, strangely enough, perspex, and the brand it is associated with is GBD. Perspex is essentially a plastic developed in the early 20th century, with a whole variety of different applications. In the pipe world, however, it was something largely popularized by GBD, coming to define the aesthetic of their mid-century output.

Here we find the material used in tandem with the New Standard line, one distinguished by its superior briar and light, reddish-brown finish. The shape is one of GBD’s many hybrid designs, combining elements of the Dublin and the stack with a diamond shank more familiar to a bulldog, all of which is completed by a perspex saddle mouthpiece. Based on the nomenclature and mouthpiece inlay, this will be a pre-1980s, pre-Cadogan Investments merger make.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating (one largely flaked off by this point, but that’s by no means an issue). There are a couple of scratches on the pipe’s beveled rim, though I wouldn’t call them major.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 2.00″ / 50.8mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g