James Upshall A Grade Group 6 Smooth “Large Semi-Bent” Billiard Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked

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. James Upshall pipes are no longer made, but their reputation as some of the finest hand-turned British pipes continues to endure.

Not unlike at Charatan, James Upshall’s grading system underwent a number of evolutions and expansion during the make’s lifetime. The latter’s “A” grade was introduced by Barry Jones in the 1990s, acting as an intermediate tier between the “S” and the “P.” A new finish was also introduced to mark the “A” grade; while the “S” had a deep, claret hue and the “P” wore a golden contrast stain, the “A” was dressed in a chestnut top-coat, one that was relatively reserved, yet still clear enough to let the briar’s grain patterns shine through.

This one is an example of the workshop’s “Large Semi-Bent” shape, a lengthier, heftier take on the traditional Anglo-French bent billiard, which shows off beautiful bird’s-eye and flame grain patterns beneath its chestnut finish.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some very minor handling marks.

Details:

Length: 6.5″ / 165.1mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 1.55″ / 39.37mm

Weight: 2.3oz / 66g