James Upshall (c.1980s) P Grade Smooth Oom Paul Sitter Estate Briar Pipe, Unsmoked, 9mm

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.

The Oom Paul is not a shape typically associated with James Upshall, nor indeed with Charatan, out of which the former was ultimately born. Granted, both James Upshall and Charatan’s freehand workshop put out designs that were, more or less, subject to the whims of their respective workers than a fixed shape chart, but even then, Oom Paul renditions from either are especially uncommon. Then again, it’s not an especially easy shape to make, which makes this one all the more of an achievement. Stout and stacked, with proportions nearing that of a “house pipe,” it features a bowl that is absolutely covered in bird’s-eye patterns, which are made even more prominent by the pipe’s golden contrast finish.

What’s especially interesting regarding this pipe, however, is the nomenclature. The famous “James Upshall” script, for example, looks to have been stamped on the bowl. If you know James Upshall pipes, you’ll know that, for the most part, their nomenclature was etched on with a pantograph (exposing the raw briar underneath in a manner that made it stand out more prominently, as raw briar is a lighter hue than after it’s finished). But, by Ken Barnes’s recounting, the pantograph approach to James Upshall nomenclature did not start until around 1983, upon the suggestion of the brand’s American distributor. Given that this pipe also lacks any of the size or “FH” designations introduced around the end of the 1980s, it would look to be from that decade at the very least, and perhaps even an early 1980s make.

This pipe is completely unsmoked. Some slight handling marks around the shank and some very small scratches on the bowl. This pipe is chambered to accommodate 9mm filters if desired.

Details:

Length: 6.1″ / 154.9mm

Bowl Width: 0.96 / 24.38mm

Bowl Depth: 2.05″ / 52.07mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 74g