Did Hesson-Jr Pipes exist as a unique pipe line or were they always owned by WDC? Are they good smokers? Quality builds? I cannot find anything on the Jr designation.
Hesson-Jr Pipes And Wdc Question
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The Hesson Brand was developed by Ferdinand Feuerbach while he was under the employ of WDC.
https://pipedia.org/wiki/William_Demuth_Company
https://pipedia.org/wiki/William_Demuth_Company
Hesson was independent before WDC bought them. And they did offer their pipe in two grades, the Hesson at $7.50, and the Hesson, jr. at $3.75. I’m not sure if WDC carried over the production of the jr after the acquisition; I doubt it. I gather they bought the company for its patent which allowed them to utilize the Hesson guard on their own pipes. My guess is yours is a pre-sale pipe, dating to the mid twenties.
Thanks for the info. Would you say that the quality for that time period was up there with the other big dogs of the time?
Depends on who you consider the big dogs. The big British names? No, not comparable. The big Americans? Yeah, probably comparable.
Dunhill, Barling's, Comoys, and Sasieni didn't put out cosmetically blemished pipes, and maintained very high finishing standards until very late in their respective histories. Anything considered not of the best was turned into seconds or just destroyed.
American mass production makers as a rule were less obsessed about quality. I've got a four digit Kaywoodie Supergrain with fills and extraordinarily washed out grain, as an example.
Hesson was of that tradition. They weren't trying to market high end pipes, they were trying to market their apparatus. They aren't bad pipes, but they don't tend to be great pipes either. At least in my opinion.
Doc
Dunhill, Barling's, Comoys, and Sasieni didn't put out cosmetically blemished pipes, and maintained very high finishing standards until very late in their respective histories. Anything considered not of the best was turned into seconds or just destroyed.
American mass production makers as a rule were less obsessed about quality. I've got a four digit Kaywoodie Supergrain with fills and extraordinarily washed out grain, as an example.
Hesson was of that tradition. They weren't trying to market high end pipes, they were trying to market their apparatus. They aren't bad pipes, but they don't tend to be great pipes either. At least in my opinion.
Doc
I guess it depends on what you consider a moderate price.
the prices jguss quotes above would have made those pipes somewhat costly for the time frame of the mid twenties. but you were paying the premium for the apparatus, not the briar.
doc
the prices jguss quotes above would have made those pipes somewhat costly for the time frame of the mid twenties. but you were paying the premium for the apparatus, not the briar.
doc
if the mechanism is intact, and the stem hasn't been chewed, it might be an interesting purchase.
doc
doc
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