Charatan’s Make Lane Era (c.1965-76) Distinction Smooth Bulldog Estate Briar Pipe, English Estates

While Dunhill may be Britain’s most famous pipe brand, Charatan is not only older, but has the honor of being the first to have made its pipes entirely in-house. “Charatan’s Make” referred to the fact that, at a time when other pipe companies were sourcing stummels and stems carved from other companies before assembling them in their factories and workshops, Charatan made every part of their pipes on the Charatan premises. So began a legacy of high-quality pipe-making under the Charatan name, one whose employees, at one time or another, included Joel Sasieni (who went on to work at Dunhill, before leaving again to start the Sasieni make), Dennis Marshall (previously of Barling, later of Milville), Dan Tennison, Stan Haney (later of Ashby Hall), and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones (later of James Upshall). The “Distinction” was one of the grades awarded to straight grain pipes from Charatan’s freehand workshop. That is in part why these pipes were awarded such a lofty title. But there is another reason for choosing that word in particular: their finish. “Distinction” grade pipes were dressed in two distinct stains which gave the underlying grain an even more prominent appearance. One might consider it an early iteration of the “golden contrast” motif that features so prominently in artisan pipe making—and yet another instance of Charatan being far ahead of the curve in pipe design. This one looks will have been made during the “Lane era” of Charatan pipes, and specifically between 1966-76, based on the cursive “Made by Hand/ in/ City of London” nomenclature and Lane Ltd. “L” symbol on the shank’s underside. With that in mind, it’s an interesting pipe; one, because it was made by hand, rather than mass produced in line with Charatan’s catalog shapes; two, because despite that handicraft, the shaping is still strikingly traditional, and unlike most hand-turned pipes made during this period; and three, because it has a tapered vulcanite mouthpiece, rather than a proprietary Double Comfort cut, which was introduced as standard during Lane’s ownership. That’s what I’d call a distinct Distinction. The condition is good. Some rim darkening, small scratches on the bowl, and chamber slightly over-reamed.   Details: Length: 5.6″ / 142.2mm Bowl Width: 0.72 / 18.28mm Bowl Depth: 1.12″ / 28.44mm Weight: 1.4oz / 42g

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