Elliot Nachwalter Pipe Question

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Yesterday i won a briar works Elliot Nachwalter danish design pipe off ebay. It looks to be in pretty good condition and says "made for david p. ehrlich" on the side of the shank under Briar workshop. I think i got it for a good price but wanted to know if anyone here could tell me anything more about the pipe and its connection to david p. ehrlich. I'd like to know roughly the period in which it was made as well. I'm going to email Elliot about it as well and see if he can shed some light on it and remember any details about it. It's not a huge deal to me, but i am just genuinely curious about its origins and connection to the tobacco legend and shop that is david p. ehrlich. Thanks y'all!
Link to Ebay listing:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/ELLIOT-NACHWALTER-THE-BRIAR-WORKSHOP-DANISH-DESIGN-PIPE-NO-RESERVE-/121289012018?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&nma=true&si=8Ror19VayO7Jlg%252BtTk%252FIR%252FDiCas%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Just got done typing him an email on his website, we shall see what he has to say about it. I pasted the link in the email to him as well so he can see all the pics that the seller posted, as i do not yet have the pipe. My guess is that Ehrlich's was a retailer of his pipes, but i mainly want to know the time period in which the pipe was made.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
As a Nachwalter collector, I was tempted by this one. Great score.
You can see that it also has Jorg Jamelka's stamped signature on it, so it's pre-1980 most likely. Some 80's pipes labeled Briar Workshop only have Elliott Nachwalter's name on them: "Made By Hand / Elliott Nachwalter". Also, the snowflake changed slightly between the Stowe era and the post-1980 era, whether those be Pipeworks, Briar Workshop with no place name, or post-1980 Elliott Nachwalter (Vermont) pipes. This looks like the slightly larger Stowe-era snowflake to me. I assume a stamp was lost along the way somewhere and thus the snowflake changed a bit.
So... it certainly looks like a 1970s pipe to me. But this is the first Ehrlich pipe I've seen. Don't know anything else about that connection.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
pitchfork, thanks a ton for your insight, i appreciate it. So is the Jorg Jamelka signature the one that they show on the shank, opposite the briar workshop side? If this is true, where is elliott's signature? This leads me to believe it might not even have been shaped by him, but by Jorg. I'm confused, lol.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
If you look at the third picture, you can see Nachwalter's sig fairly clearly. If you look at the third to last picture, you can see Jamelka's signature very clearly. Nachwalter's is always right above it. As far as I know, all Briar Workshop pipes had both signatures as they were the main partners/owners of the label. It was also a workshop, so Burns (Elliott's wife) did a lot of the finishing and polishing and stemwork, too, I believe. Pohlmann did a fair amount of staining and developed new stains for them (according to Pohlmann himself). As far as who made which pipes in terms of shaping the actual bowl, etc. it seems that both partners did a good amount of the shaping and drilling on most pipes. Also, Finn Meyan Andersen made a bunch of the pipes himself. Whether Pohlmann and Cooke made pipes from start to finish or completed most of the shaping and drilling on a particular pipe, I don't know.
But in any case, the stamps are just stamps or nomenclature for the label -- they don't really tell you who designed, shaped or drilled any particular pipe. Sometimes Burns (who runs Pipeworks and Wilke tobacco and estate pipes) will indicate that Andersen, for example, made a particular Briar Workshop pipe. Other than having one of those folks tell you, it's really hard to know.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Wow, you are very knowledgeable on the subject! Thanks again for the response. It is not all that important as to who shaped it, they are all great shapers, i just have an interest in finding out the history of the pipe. The whole ehrlich thing just kind of threw me off too. Like i said above, i emailed elliott so we will see what he says and if he has any rememberance and information regarding the pipe.
It does look like a very nice pipe and i am very anxious to get ahold of it and give it a whirl. It's also cool that it could be a 40 year old pipe and hopefully, it will smoke that much sweeter as the briar will have had decades to age! I thought $100 bucks wasn't a bad price at all considering the craftsmanship and prestige in the names of the shapers involved.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Pitchfork, did you also noticed the stamped "1" to the right of the Briar Workshop stamping in the second to last picture? Any insight as to what that nomenclature means?

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
As for numbers, like the "1", I'm really at a loss there. Pipes marked "1" are usually very nice -- nice grain, no fills, but I haven't figured out much rhyme or reason on that point. You definitely paid a fair price for the pipe. If I had been bidding, you would have paid more. :mrgreen: It's a unique shape, with a unique history and with lovely flame grain. I bet it will be a good smoker.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
Hahahahahahaha, nice pitchfork, nothing wrong with a little bidding World War III, lol. Thanks for being so kind and "letting me have it" for the reasonable price i got it for. I honestly did not think i would get it at all and did what i usually do the smart way and set my auto bid (which wasn't much higher than i paid) and didn't look at my phone again until the bidding was over. I couldn't believe no one sniped me at the end, as is usually the case, so again thank you!
Also, thanks for the insight on the "1", i had no idea that is what it might mean, although that makes sense if it is. Appreciate the compliments on the pipe as well, i am very stoked on getting it and it being a great smoker. I'm also happy that i got it for a good price and didn't have to resort to trench warfare on the ebay battlefields. From a Nachwalter collector and connesseur such as yourself, your insight i'm sure is worth its weight in gold, lol.

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
The real expert on these pipes is dmcmtk (Dave). He may be able to tell you more about the Ehrlich connection, for instance.

 

fishingandpipes

Part of the Furniture Now
Aug 24, 2013
654
48
I know nothing about an Ehrlich connection, but very very cool. If I had seen it I may have given you a run for your money.
I'm sure you know that Ehrlich was a shop in Boston. They had a carver named George Bushee that put out some pipes, of which I own one. I also have an Ehrlich meerschaum, but I suspect it wasn't made in the shop. The Ehrlich shop is now gone for good though you can get their blends at Leavitt & Pierce in Harvard Square.
Bit of Boston history there.

 

dmcmtk

Lifer
Aug 23, 2013
3,672
1,685
Ok, I will chime in. David P. Ehrlich was in Boston (I used to order tobacco from them by the pound), Briar Workshop was in Vermont, as far as New Englanders are concerned, that's "local". I could easily see Nachwalter proposing to make some pipes for Ehrlich, or the other way around. During that time period, Ehrlich's was a big deal, it would be good business for both parties. I tend to agree with pitchfork, the pipe looks like it was made in the late '70's prior to the short period in Florida, and then the move to NYC in 1980-81. I've never actually asked Carole Burns if the Briar Workshop name was used during the NYC period for wholesale work.

The pipe itself is beautifully shaped, great grain, and a very nice cut of the stem and button. I noticed the listing also, you did very well. At this point I must have at least three dozen Nachwalter pipes, every one a very good smoker. You are going to enjoy that one!
Dave
PS If Eliott answers your email, I would be very curious to hear what he has to say.

 

layinpipe

Lifer
Feb 28, 2014
1,025
8
fishingandpipes and dmcmtk, thank you so much for your input, it is much appreciated. Pitchfork,

you too for that matter, sorry to sound like a broken record but I really do value all the input youve provided. This forum is a great place.
Anyways, I did the research on ehrlich so I knew who he was and yes that is very cool history. Dmcmtk that is awesome information and sounds extremely plausible given the facts. We'll see what Elliott says; I will surely post his response if/when he responds. Thanks for your assessment on the pipe, I am confident I got a good deal and along with yall's knowledge am sure it will prove to be a great smoker!

 
Status
Not open for further replies.