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Comoy Defect Stamping?

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verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
A while back I bought a Comoy 296 Traditional Canadian at what seemed to be a good price new. I didn't have my glasses with me at the time, but the stamping appeared to be 296 or 298 and everything was what I expected it to be. Drilling looked good, no obvious blemishes or flaws, so I bought it.
After I got it home and inspected it closer it seemed like the stamping actually said 29D with the D being an over-stamping on the last digit. Hmmm.
I can see a (very) minor tooling mark on the top edge of the bowl on the outside of the rim, but honestly, I had to really look to see it and it certainly didn't seem like enough to warrant a defect stamp in my opinion. Had I not seen the "D" and started looking for any defects, I probably wouldn't have ever noticed it.
Meh, the pipe was about $40 less than it should have been and I was pleased to buy it regardless. But it does make me curious.
Anyone ever seen Comoy do this? Is my assumption correct that the "D" over-stamping a factory indication for a second or a defect?

 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
It was Doc. Bought from a B&M. I will try to get some photos, but I'm not sure if it will show up. I really had to look and even got out a magnifying glass because I was not entirely certain if the last digit was a 6 or an 8 and that's when I determined it was over-stamped with a "D". At least that's what I think it is. Hadn't ever seen or heard of such a thing from Comoy.
I had been looking at similar pipes in the $120 range so didn't hesitate to buy an $80 Comoy brand new in the box. Would make sense I guess if it really was a factory second.

 

verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
img_1913-600x450.jpg


 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
Off the top of my head I was thinking this was a 298 shape, but as I thought about it more it seemed like it should be 296 and that's when I started looking more closely at the stamping.
As you can see, it's not terribly obvious and if your vision is like mine you see what you expect to see - either a 6 or an 8 and so it took me a bit to realize what I was actually seeing on the stamping. At least, I think I'm seeing a "D" and the rest is just assumptions.
I will post a photo of what I believe the "defect" could be but again, I had to really hold the pipe in just the right way to get the light to catch anything. If there is a defect it's so minute that I wouldn't have noticed had the "D" not sparked my attention. Maybe others inspect a pipe more carefully, but for the money and for its intended use it just wasn't a thing for me to care about. I paid far better attention to the drilling and the fit of the stem and the interior of the bowl, etc. Had I noticed I doubt it would have mattered as pipes get small dings around the bowl over the decades anyway. There are no fills or other obvious flaws, so if the "D" is a symbol for a defect I don't see what else it could possibly be.
Picture to follow.

 
rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
It looks like an 8 to me. Maybe it was struck a little too hard and the stamp face made contact giving it that D shaped indention? Doesn’t really look like an overstamp from the photos.

 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
That's possible. It seems like it should be a standard 296 Canadian but I'm not 100% sure it's not a 298 with an over zealous stamping strike.
Anybody have a definitive comparison between a 296 and a 298?? At one point I was sure there was a difference but now I'm not sure at all.
The stamping certainly looks more like an 8 than a 6, but then I started to see a "D" stamped over something else.
Next I'll be seeing Hawaiian Yetis ... :lol:

 
rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
Looking at this chart, the 296 is a “Large Canadian” with a taper stem. The 298 is also a Canadian but with a saddle stem. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Comoy's Shape Chart
Hope this helps.

 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
That was my original thought too, which is why I thought the stamping should be a 6 as the pipe has the usual taper stem and not a saddle stem. But it really really did look like an 8 to me at first glance. And your thought that it is an 8 with a hard strike makes a lot of sense, but then the stem is wrong.
I dunno, maybe that's the "defect" - it was stamped for a saddle stem but actually had a taper and they tried to re-stamp it?
The mystery deepens

 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
I don't know.
It was purchased recently from a small B&M shop, but it could have been sitting there for ages I suppose. The grain was nice and the price was great and it checked all the boxes since I was in the market for a Canadian of just these proportions, so I didn't research it at all prior to buying it. Just checked the fit and finish generally, and focused on the drilling.
I think originally that I was under the impression that it was a 298 but then realized it was more similar to a 296 and then started really looking at the stamping to see if I had read the numbers correctly ... and the rest is in this thread.

 
rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
Definitely curious to find out. A lot of members here love this kind of challenge and I’d be willing to bet someone here will know something.
Oh and beautiful pipe by the way. I’m going through a Billiard and Canadian phase myself. A vast majority of my pipes are bent/curved but I’m starting to really like straight pipes. I would love to find a 268 with a saddle stem.

 
rdavid

rdavid

Part of the Furniture Now
Jun 30, 2018
648
9
Milton, FL
OK. Just found this on Smoking Pipes:
Just like the signature Comoy's Canadian of old, this modern-day "298" sports a shank distinct in its rather plump substance and very smooth contours. Oddly enough though, that makes it more of a match for the old "309" and "296" designs — past decades' 298 was, in fact, one of this brand's saddle-stemmed Billiards (albeit one that did also sport a similar, if shorter oval shank).
- Daniel Bumgardner

 
verporchting

verporchting

Lifer
Dec 30, 2018
2,889
8,961
That is definitely the pipe I have, albeit in the Traditional finish instead of the Pebble Grain.
Curiosity got me, so I went and dug out the most powerful magnifying glass I could find and under a halogen reading lamp I'm 99.9% sure the last digit is an 8 now, but I absolutely cannot tell if there is a "D" over-stamped or whether it is just a particularly hard strike on the 8 where the edges or face of the stamp might have also left an imprint.
Hadn't really considered that possibility, and it could certainly be the case, which would make a lot of sense, because it would be the simplest answer. The very minor tool marks on the bowl just seemed like an odd thing to over-stamp a pipe for. It could certainly have been made less obvious with even the most minor application of sandpaper prior to finishing the pipe, but I guess it might have gone unnoticed until the end and over-stamped then? Don't know.
The mystery still remains, and I'm hoping a Comoy's expert might chime in, but the theory of an over zealous or overly hard strike that made a mark from the face of the die is a pretty solid explanation and would make a lot of sense to me.

 
doctorbob

doctorbob

Part of the Furniture Now
Mar 18, 2014
772
1,158
Grand Ledge, Michigan
I'm no expert, but I've probably had 400 comoy pipes pass through my hands at this point. Almost all pre Cadogan, none of the new French production (nothing against the new pipes, but ya gotta set limits on your interests at some point). Never saw a D stamp that meant anything.
You appear you have a new 298, you appear to have received a bargain price. Enjoy it
Doc

 
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