James Upshall A Grade EXL Smooth Diamond Shank Canadian Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

Description

James Upshall was, along with Ferndown and Ashton, part of a new wave of British hand-made, high-grade pipes in the late 20th century, with their founders largely coming from previous positions in the factories of companies such as Dunhill and Charatan. James Upshall was founded in 1978 by Barry Jones and Ken Barnes, both of whom had previously worked for Charatan and who had worked their way up to being carvers Charatan’s higher-end, non-standard shapes. Jones and Barnes’ pipes quickly grew to being something of a status symbol, and were enjoyed by King Hussein of Jordan, Anwar Sadat, Bing Crosby, Yul Brynner, Robert Wagner and Tom Selleck. The company also made house-brand pipes for Astleys in London, along with many of the other major makes of the era. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

I know I talk about it a lot, but I’m always fascinated to see parts of Charatan that “lived on” (or, rather, “continued“) in James Upshall. Certain shapes, like the Newmarket, were carried over into the Tilshead workshop’s output, even retaining their Charatan names. Certain finishes, like the P, also emulated those of Charatan, with the “P” name being a nod to precisely what Barnes and Jones were emulating. At other times, it’s more subtle, with “Charatanesque” approaches to shaping and finishing being present without being acknowledged or alluded to. With this Extra Large-sized A grade, for example, there’s a little of the stacked Dublin shapes that Reuben Charatan liked so much; plenty of the unorthodox long shank motif that was par for the course for freehands under Herman Lane; and even the paneling found on numerous standard shapes while the Barnses and Jones were at F. Charatan & Son, such as the Outsize Lumberman and the Diamond Billiard. Though you won’t find a shape exactly like this one in Charatan’s output, standard or otherwise, you’ll certainly find plenty of pipes that are similar—after all, for many years, it was Ken and Barry making them.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. There are a few scratches on the shank, though they’re superficial and don’t further than below the finish. The price has been adjusted accordingly.

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.56mm

Bowl Width: 0.82 / 20.82mm

Bowl Depth: 1.86″ / 47.24mm

Weight: 1.3oz / 38g