Kaywoodie Uncle Paul 235 R Sandblasted Oom Paul (Unsmoked Estate)

Kaywoodie pipes are as American as apple pie. Starting in 1919 as a pipe brand for KB&B, a pipe shop dating all the way back to 1851, Kaywoodie has since then been a staple of American-made pipes. In the present, many Kaywoodies are collectors’ items, in addition to being fantastic smokers.

The Uncle Paul was a rather unusual pipe within the history of Kaywoodie pipes. Rather than belonging to a specific line, such as the Super Grain, the Signet, or the Hand Made, it was a line unto its own, one that was comprised of just a single shape. That shape was, of course, the “235,” a full-bent billiard rendition with a tall, deep chamber, also known as an Oom Paul (“Uncle Paul” being an Anglicization of such).

Perhaps more unusual, however, is that the Uncle Paul was not made in America, where most Kaywoodies in the 20th century were manufactured. Instead, it was made in London, England, which has sparked a fair amount of debate among collectors as to which company might have been behind them. Britain’s Oppenheimer Group, for example, is purported to have handled the production of some English-made Kaywoodie pipes, but as Oppenheimer came to own a variety of English pipe companies and brands over the course of the 20th century, such as Comoy’s, GBD, and BBB, the question lingers as to what the precise circumstances of their manufacture were, including whether their designs came from pre-existing shapes in the catalogs of Oppenheimer’s extensive holdings.

What’s less contentious is that they have become, in the time since they were made, very rare, and are not a common sight, even for those of us who handle thousands of pipes from various points in history in a given year.

This pipe is completely unsmoked, with an original bowl coating. Some minor oxidation on the mouthpiece. This pipe also comes with its original (slightly time-worn) presentation case.

Details:

Length: 5.7″ / 144.7mm

Bowl Width: 0.81 / 20.57mm

Bowl Depth: 2.18″ / 55.37mm

Weight: 1.9oz / 54g