James Upshall pipes

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irish

Lifer
Aug 12, 2011
1,121
6
Texas
Anyone here have any James Upshall pipes ? Can anyone tell me anything about these pipes ? I always here about Dunhill's and see them a lot but don't here much about James Upshall . I am thinking about purchasing one but would love some information from actual owners and smokers .

 

boudreaux

Part of the Furniture Now
Apr 7, 2013
676
1
Hi irish -
If my memory serves me well, I think you might PM Mod ssjones here. I think he owns some Upshalls. :puffy:

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
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Yep, I'm "upshallfan" on the Reborn Pipes blog. I have six Upshalls, mostly P's (one S, one B and one ungraded). I was just talking to a pipe friend who was looking at my pipe case this past weekend. He saw all the British pipes and asked why I don't own any Dunhills. (I've owned two) I told him I'd rather own two Upshalls for the cost of one Dunhill.
The wood on a P is excellent, always without blemishes. I like the stem work and button, they aren't wide open, ala Castello but a touch less (which I find to be perfect). They always pass a cleaner.
Downsides: Sometimes the vulcanite can oxidize quickly (I restore my own pipes, so that isn't an issue). Most of the P grades are large, 70 grams plus. My S is like a Group 4 as is my B grade Silver Spigot. I have a couple of monsters, that are over 80 grams. A lot of times P-grades go under the radar. B or G grades, no matter the condition bring big bucks.
This G grade ended today, it need a lot of work, still sold high:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/James-Upshall-Tobacco-Pipe-/200975041843?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ecb0bc533
$125, excellent pipe:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/JAMES-UPSHALL-P-GRADED-PIPE-WITH-STRAIGHT-GRAIN-AND-BOX-SOCK-PIPESTUD-/390675330234?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5af61074ba
$111, I don't need another Large P grade, but that is a lot of pipe for the money.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCELLENT-James-Upshall-P-GRADE-LARGE-CLASSIC-3-4-BENT-APPLE-ENGLISH-Estate-Pipe-/400585815663?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5d44c6766f
A grade pipes are below a P (their grading system makes no sense..), this is pricey for an A, but in an rare shape that I wish was on my rack. I love tapered stem Rhodesians.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXCELLENT-James-Upshall-A-GRADE-3-4-BENT-RHODESIAN-FREEHAND-ENGLISH-Estate-Pipe-/400565793978?hash=item5d4394f4ba
"Tilshead" pipes are also great values - they are pipes with some flaw. I don't own a Tilshead, but know guys who do and they smoke as well as a graded Upshall (Upshalls have "JU" on the stem, Tilshead pipes don't)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-Refurb-Tilshead-James-Upshall-Made-By-Hand-Estate-Tobacco-Smoking-Pipes-/321222724378?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4aca5dcb1a
Grade for Upshalls is:


I've seen a few sandblasts, but didn't care much for their stems, they didn't look handcut to me.

I've never seen a "Dress" grade.

S grades are usually in a red stain

P's are usually excellent grained pipes

B, G and E grade grains are terrific.

I've never seen an X!

 

flakyjakey

Lifer
Aug 21, 2013
1,117
7
@Irish, I have 5 James Upshall's and I love them all - an ungraded rusticated, bowl size 4, straight billiard (which I use for my dark flakes), a P-grade extra-long Canadian with a small bowl (which I use for my strong tobaccos - G&H Dark Flake and brown ropes), a G-grade straight pot (which I reserve for SG BBF because I think it is the perfect bowl for that tobacco), a G-grade 'cherry wood' shape pipe (which I use for FVF) and an XL E-grade plateau pipe (which cost me $$$ and is a 'Sunday pipe'). The latter three pipes all have stunning, tight, straight-grains with a wonderful 'handfeel'. All 5 are faultless smokers.
IMO the P-grades represent the best value and can be picked up at very reasonable prices, perhaps influenced by the recent 'Made for Astley (owned by Upshall)' issues which have been extensively aired in this forum.

 

irish

Lifer
Aug 12, 2011
1,121
6
Texas
Thanks to all of you gentlemen. I really appreciate the advise and information. Looks like I will be trying to aquire the Upshall I have been looking at, it is P-grade billiard that I fell in love with the first day I saw it, just didn't know about the maker and the price tag, although not outrageous is still more than I have paid for most of my pipes. Thanks again gentlemen.

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I have owned probably 6-7 Upshalls over the years and still have one in my collection. I have always found them to be better smokers and have more comfortable stems than any Dunhill I have owned, and price wise they are tough to beat on the estate market. They are the closest thing to an artisan pipe for a British made pipe as from what I hear, Barry Jones does most of the work himself.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,909
Ssjones sez,""Tilshead" pipes are also great values - they are pipes with some flaw. I don't own a Tilshead, but know guys who do and they smoke as well as a graded Upshall (Upshalls have "JU" on the stem, Tilshead pipes don't)"
How about this pipe of mine? On one side of the shank, it's stamped "James Upshall" in a straight line inside an oblong rounded rectangle. Next to the name is a "P". On the other side, it's stamped "Tilshead England Made By Hand". There is a "JU" in a circle on the stem. This is a straight, smooth billiard and smokes great, but the JU stamp contradicts your statement.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
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How about this pipe of mine? On one side of the shank, it's stamped "James Upshall" in a straight line inside an oblong rounded rectangle. Next to the name is a "P". On the other side, it's stamped "Tilshead England Made By Hand". There is a "JU" in a circle on the stem. This is a straight, smooth billiard and smokes great, but the JU stamp contradicts your statement.

That is a James Upshall graded pipe, a P.
But, it appears Tilshead pipes do have the JU (I have seen some on the web that did not). James Upshall graded pipes have the James Upshall stamp in a oblong oval. Tilshead pipes are simply stamped "Tilshead".
DCP00835.jpg


my_pip36.jpg

This is from the pipephil page, showing Tilshead nomenclature, the stem does indeed have the JU logo.

I'm sorry for any confusion!
Here's a nice ungraded bulldog at Micheal Lindners site. He says it is probably an S grade, for $119.
http://www.thepiperack.com/estate-pipe-james-upshall-hand-made-smooth-red-longshank-bulldog/

 

irish

Lifer
Aug 12, 2011
1,121
6
Texas
Jiminks your pipe that you described is identical to a JU on Smoking pipes .com. A beautiful billiard with the same nomenclature as yours . They want 180 for it which is out of my price range right now as I am hoping to purchase a 68 Dunhill which is my birth year. After I get it bought though JU is in my future for sure , and if I can swing it without the wife finding out I may buy the bulldog that Ssjones posted here.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,909
I'd like to make sure I understand this. Even though "Tilshead" is stamped on one side, I have an Upshall, and not a Tilshead? If that is correct, when is a Tilshead not an official Upshall pipe?

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
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I'd like to make sure I understand this. Even though "Tilshead" is stamped on one side, I have an Upshall, and not a Tilshead? If that is correct, when is a Tilshead not an official Upshall pipe?
Upshall stamping is a confusing lot! Graded pipes have "James Upshall" in the oblong circle. Mosthave grade stamps as well (P, S, A, etc.) but not all, some of the early pipes were not graded. This is the stamping on one of my P grades:




 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,909
That's a very nice pipe, and the stamping matches mine. So you would consider mine to be an Upshall, judging by your comments. Am I correct?

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
If it says "James Upshall," then it's an Upshall. Tilshead pipes don't mention JU on the shank.

 

JimInks

Sultan of Smoke
Aug 31, 2012
60,855
553,909
Thank you, Pitchfork. I know I was slow in understanding this. I had always thought a Tilshead stamp had meant it was a lesser grade, so I wondered why both names were on it. I do know one thing: I paid $70 for it in perfect condition back in 2003, and have never regretted it, even though it's a big pipe and I can't smoke it and work at the same time. A great smoker!

 

pitchfork

Lifer
May 25, 2012
4,030
605
Sounds like a great deal, jiminks. I think the P-grade Upshalls are one of the best deals on the estate market (G, E, and B grades are beautiful, but fairly priced). That said, I sold my last P-grade and kept my one Tilshead (a lovat). As long as it's genuine (ahem...), you can't go wrong with P-grades or Tilshead "seconds."

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,074
Maryland
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If it says "James Upshall," then it's an Upshall. Tilshead pipes don't mention JU on the shank.
Yes on the Upshall.
No on the JU stem stamp, it appears some Tilshead pipes do have the JU stamp on the stem, as shown in in the photo I posted earlier from the Tilshead section picture of pipephil. I have seen Tilshead pipes online, without the JU and I don't know if the JU was started and then discontinued or it was used during a certain period etc.
My first James Upshall, this S-grade bulldog (they call it a Rhodesian) was my first "ah-ha" pipe. To this point, I had smoked lower grade Stanwells, Petersons and Boswell pipes. While they provided a satisfactory experience, lighting up that Upshall for the first time put a big smile on my face, which led to numerous other Upshalls. (see the "show us your James Upshall's" thread for pix of my pipes) I'd love to add additional, smaller B or G grade pipes. P's tend to run quite large and I have enough large pipes.

 
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