GBD Pre-1980s Straight Grain Colossus 9681 W Smooth Volcano 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.

The Straight Grain was one of the highest-grades accorded to GBD pipes, sitting just below the top-end Pedigree grades in GBD’s system. As one might expect, such pipes were distinguished by their exemplary vertical graining and only a light, smooth finish, so that said grain would be on full display. This one is certainly not lacking in that aspect, but it has a couple of extra things going for it that will, no doubt, have put it at an even higher premium back in the day.

For one, it’s an oversized GBD, and though it’s no magnum, it does, nonetheless, belong to the largest group of GBD’s oversized pipes, the Colossus (which exceeded both the Conquest and the Collector in stature). The pipe also features a mouthpiece made from a rather distinctive material, one that would become synonymous with GBD in the 20th century owing to its inclusion on certain select lines: perspex. A translucent synthetic, GBD made good use of perspex in the midcentury, pairing it variously with deep, dark sandblast finishes and light smooth ones to striking effect.

On a final note, this GBD also, as evinced by its nomenclature and brass stem inlay, looks to be a pre-1980s, “pre-Cadogan” production, i.e., having been manufactured before GBD, along with a litany of other significant Anglo-French makes, was consolidated by the Cadogan Investments group, during which production of those makes was moved under the same roof. While there were plenty of well made post-Cadogan GBDs, BBBs, Comoy’s, and so on, so called pre-Cadogan iterations are nonetheless held in far higher esteem, especially among collectors.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some light scuffs on the bowl, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 1.67″ / 42.41mm

Weight: 1.6oz / 60g