James Upshall P Grade EXL Smooth Panel Bent Billiard 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.

The “Ex.L,” or “Extra Large” was the second largest size designation accorded to James Upshall pipes, though it should be noted that the only James Upshall pipes that exceeded their stature were the very rare, magnum-sized Empire Series. One could think of the James Upshall Extra Large as comparable to a Charatan Extra Large freehand, for example, with the Empire Series being more like if there was a such thing as a Charatan Extra, Extra Large. This paneled bent billiard rendition, for example, is a towering piece, to the point where I’m a little stumped as to why it wasn’t upgraded to an Empire Series Old England. To continue the Charatan comparison, however, it’s also a “P” grade, the highest of James Upshall’s standard grades, and which was modeled two groups of Charatan pipes. The first was the latter’s Distinction grade, which the Tilshead workshop used as a benchmark for the quality expected of a “P” grade pipe; the second was the Perfection, a deep contrast finish that Barnes and Jones sought to emulate with the stain used to create “P” grade James Upshalls, and which was the grade’s namesake.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some slight scuffs and scratches on the shank, though nothing major.

Details:

Length: 8.1″ / 205.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.85 / 21.59mm

Bowl Depth: 2.00″ / 50.8mm

Weight: 2.6oz / 76g