Charatan’s Make Perfection 484DC Smooth Poker 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), Dan Tennison, Stan Haney (later of Ashby Hall), and Ken Barnes and Barry Jones (later of James Upshall). F. Charatan & Son had used the tagline “Perfection in Pipes” long before the “Perfection” grade was introduced. But, funnily enough, when the Perfection was introduced, it was a little different to what one might imagine. It was not one of the make’s ultra-high-grade pipes, like the Supreme, the Achievement, or the Coronation, and, in fact, it wasn’t even a straight grain pipe, but one whose bowls were cross-cut to maximize bird’s-eye patterns. That’s not to say it was a low-grade pipe—more of a modest, mid-range smoker. So, why was it called the “Perfection”? It has been said that the name was perhaps something of a sly jab at Charatan’s competitors—what the kids these days would call a “flex”—expressing the sentiment that even the “average” Charatan was perfect, especially next to other makes. The condition is very good. Some rim darkening, minor finish fading, and stem slightly over-buffed at the base.   Details: Length: 6″ / 152.4mm Bowl Width: 0.89 / 22.60mm Bowl Depth: 1.49″ / 37.84mm Weight: 1.8oz / 52g

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