James Upshall P Grade Group 6 Smooth Panel Shank Canadian 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.

“Long shank” shapes held a special place at the Tilshead Pipe Company. The Canadian, for example, was a firm favorite of co-founder Ken Barnes, and indeed some of the earliest James Upshall pipes were a run of Canadian renditions whose lengthwise dimensions were included in the nomenclature. And long shank shapes were also a means for the Barnses and Jones—all ex-Charatan—to express the influence of their former employer. Long shank shapes conceived by Reuben Charatan, such as the Newmarket, found a new home at James Upshall, as did many of the more subtle stylistic choices more common during Charatan’s Lane era. In terms of the latter, faceted shanks, such as those of Outsize Lumberman and Diamond Billiard (along with countless freehands), were also not uncommon in James Upshall pipes, as one can see on this unusually broad-bowled, panel-shank Canadian design.

Being a “P” grade, of course, the Charatan connection doesn’t stop there. The “P” was the highest of James Upshall’s “standard” grades, notable for its excellent grain patterns and its striking contrast finish. The latter was the “P”‘s namesake, as it was modeled after the finish used on the Charatan Perfection grade. On the other hand, while the Charatan Pefection was a relatively low grade, the James Upshall “P” was much higher in Barnes and Jones’s own system, being closer in quality to a Charatan Distinction, per Barnes.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating.

Details:

Length: 5.8″ / 147.3mm

Bowl Width: 0.84 / 21.33mm

Bowl Depth: 2.02″ / 51.30mm

Weight: 2.1oz / 60g