James Upshall (c.1979-84) Smooth Diamond Shank Bent Billiard (Unsmoked Estate)

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.

The original tagline for James Upshall pipes was “The Tradition Continues…”, which one could find adorning the boxes that these pipes came in. The line was a suggestion from the make’s US distributor, who believed that, owing to the Tilshead workshop’s historical connection to F. Charatan & Son and the quality and handicraft expressed by its pipes, James Upshall was the true heir to Charatan, especially given the uncertainty of the latter’s future after being acquired by Alfred Dunhill Ltd. One can extend this line of thinking further, however, when one looks at aspects of design common to the two, and the ways that James Upshall made references and allusions to Charatan’s aesthetics. Certain finishes utilized by the Tilshead workshop were, for example, modeled on those of Charatan, such as that of the “P” grade and the contrast stain found on Charatan’s “Perfection” line; grain consistency was also measured against that of Charatan when the time came to grade pipes, with James Upshall’s system being something of an analog to Charatan’s under Reuben Charatan and Herman Lane; and even a few Charatan shapes and shaping motifs found their way into James Upshall’s catalog, such as the stacked Liverpool “Newmarket,” which was first conceived at F. Charatan & Son.

This pipe looks to be an example of the latter, being highly reminiscent of a Lane era Charatan shape, the diamond-shanked “89.” Interestingly, the pipe also looks to have been made not long after Barnes & Jones departed F. Charatan & Son at the end of the 1970s. For one, the pipe lacks an indication as to its grade (the plum finish seen here would later be the standard dress for the “S” grade); more definitive, however, is the way the nomenclature that is present has been applied. The key difference is the method of application of the nomenclature that is present. James Upshall pipes after around 1984 had their nomenclature inscribed using a pantograph, which essentially “carved” such into the stummel, revealing naked briar and causing the nomenclature to stand out against the finish of the bowl. Prior to this the James Upshall nomenclature was stamped in a more conventional manner, as is the case on this one.

This pipe is completely unsmoked and comes with its original sleeve.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.78 / 19.81mm

Bowl Depth: 1.61″ / 40.89mm

Weight: 1.5oz / 44g