James Upshall (c.1980s) P Grade Smooth Billiard with Silver (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 “P” was the highest of James Upshall’s “Standard” grades, notable for its excellent grain patterns and two-tone contrast finish. Both aspects were connected in some way to Charatan; the finish was intended to emulate the one sported by Charatan’s “Perfection” line, which was also where the “P” grade got its name from; the quality of the graining, on the other hand, was intended to compete with the “Distinction” grades Ken and Barry had worked on back when they were employees of F. Charatan and Son.

Given its pantograph script nomenclature and lack of a size designation, this large “P” grade billiard looks to have been made around the 1980s, before Ken departed the Tilshead Pipe Company, and during the time that he was in charge of cutting and selecting briar blocks for James Upshall pipes. One other notable figure involved in the creation of this pipe, however, of L&JS Silverware, Ferndown, and, formerly, Dunhill. Les was good friends with both Barry and Ken, and was the go-to silversmith (and goldsmith) whenever a James Upshall pipe warranted a little extra finery.

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

Details:

Length: 6.4″ / 162.5mm

Bowl Width: 0.88 / 22.35mm

Bowl Depth: 2.01″ / 51.05mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 56g