Who Knows About Bertram Pipes?

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cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
I have been thinking I really need to add one of his pipes to my No American artisan collection as the man was a legend. I have read about him on pipedia but would like more info on his grading system. Also what are his stems like and are they comfortable. Any info would be appreciated.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,010
Southwest Louisiana
Harris they are decent pipes. I have about 10, 4 of them are above Grade 100, highest one is 150, lower number lesser grade. Got those 4 from a Doctors Daughter after he passed, Stems are decent, most are on the smaller side. Stalin smoked one and for a time they were highly touted. He employed a lot of WWII Vets in his shop.my best is a Odom Paul Grade 150, good grain, natural finish. They used to go for a decent price on the Bay and then prices climbed upwards but still good deals . Look around and you can still find good ones.

 

jollyroger

Starting to Get Obsessed
Oct 10, 2015
105
0
Am I the only one who's disappointed at the lack of Batman's pipes here?

 

cigrmaster

Lifer
May 26, 2012
20,249
57,280
66
Sarasota Florida
doc, a pot is one of the shapes I never buy. Hate the looks plus their inside bowl diameter are mostly 1 inch which is too big. Thanks for asking though.
Bradley, thanks for the info. I was looking at a grade 80 on ebay and I kind of figured it was not that highly graded because of the lack of grain. Does a 120-150 smoke any better than an 80?

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
Here is a brochure: http://pipepages.com/bertram1.htm
The Bertrams I have all look to be handmade stummels with pre-molded stems. Don't bother trying to determine whether a Bertram has its original stem. Most would score low in the beauty department, but they are great smokers. I have a large bore Bertram Prince of Wales that makes Black House sing like no other pipe I own.

 

tbradsim1

Lifer
Jan 14, 2012
9,093
11,010
Southwest Louisiana
It's been my experience that Grade does not reveal if a pipe will sing. They are good smokers, I gave Roth one and he said it was one of his best smokers, believe it was a 40 Billard.

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,070
Carmel Valley, CA
I have a medium bent bulldog, a "Strategrain" where the grain isn't straight. But a fine smoker and a good looker. The closest in the above catalog is The one pictured here. But it has the bulldog squared shank. Will post pic later.
Could this mean I have something rare?

 

jpmcwjr

Moderator
Staff member
May 12, 2015
24,568
27,070
Carmel Valley, CA
The larger pipe is the Bertram, next to a Wilke bent I got in NYC 50 years ago.
bertramwilkeside-600x450.jpg

I happily pay little attention to stem fit, so I can't give a useful opinion. Bertram stem is on right.
bertramstemview-600x450.jpg

Sorry the upside-down photo.

 

ssjones

Moderator
Staff member
May 11, 2011
18,317
11,070
Maryland
postimg.cc
Bertrams was one of two, no gone, pipe shops in Washington DC. I find a lot of them in the estate drawers at JB Hayes, which is just outside the district. The lower priced ones (below 50) are a bit crude and have lots of fills. The stems are often not finished very well. He employed war vets to finish the pipes, with reportedly little training. They do polish up nicely with a little work.
Here's a little history on the shop and man:

http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html

 

fnord

Lifer
Dec 28, 2011
2,746
8
Topeka, KS
Great article, Al. Thank you for a good read.
Harris, I have two fine smoking Bertrams, both under the 100 range and neither get the attention they should these days. I still like seeing them on my racks so I can remember when our country made very good factory made burners with a lot of hand finishing.
My first mentor taught me to look for brands like Weber, Ehrlich and Jost. It was pretty easy to add Bertram to that short list.
Fnord

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
Here's a little history on the shop and man:

http://www.streetsofwashington.com/2012/01/bertrams-pipe-shop-on-14th-street.html
A great article indeed. I have been meaning to contact the author. If you are lucky enough to get a cased Bertram, the details of the address change can be key to dating.

 
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