GBD Prehistoric 9436 Partially 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.

Like the Dunhill Shell Briar and the Barling’s Fossil, GBD had its own, era-defining sandblasted line, which was named the Prehistoric. Like its counterparts, the Prehistoric was defined by its dark, craggy relief finish and the lightness that the company’s sandblasting treatment imparted on such pipes, but unlike most of its contemporaries, GBD often left the rim of the pipe smooth and beveled, adding a little extra touch of class to the overall design. Such is the case with this quite sizeable billiard (especially by midcentury standards), with its brown-burgundy finish expressed in a two-tone of varying hues between the smooth and blasted sections of the bowl.

The condition is fair. Some rim charring, minor finish fading, and slight residual stem oxidation.

Details:

Length: 6″ / 152.4mm

Bowl Width: 0.90 / 22.86mm

Bowl Depth: 1.68″ / 42.67mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g