Irwin’s by GBD 9438 Smooth Bullmoose 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. Irwin’s was a GBD sub-brand.

Just like their contemporaries Comoy’s Sasieni, Charatan, and Dunhill, GBD had numerous sub-brands. Some of these were “seconds,” or at least pipes of a slightly lesser grade than the company’s main-brand pipes, but others were a little different. Irwin’s was a GBD sub-brand—the tireless work of Pipedia editors has that settled—but its relation to GBD’s “GBD” pipes is rather interesting. I hesitate to call these pipes a “seconds” brand—or even a sub-brand, for that matter—as they were advertised as GBD pipes with a twist. Excuse the pun, but the selling point for these pipes is that they were a) a GBD product and b) specially matured in a process that involved rum. The latter purportedly ensured that the pipe would offer a sweeter smoke from the very first bowl, which is certainly not unheard of. This particular Irwin’s is rendered in GBD’s unmistakable 9348 bullmoose, a Rhodesian rendition truly cemented in the annals of Anglo-French briars.

The condition is fair. Some inner rim darkening, a couple of slight scratches on the bowl, and some stem oxidation.

Details:

Length: 5.4″ / 137.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 1.30″ / 33.02mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g