Might the Crosby "Golf Course" Pipes Be Merchant Service Products?

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greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
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I hadn't been particularly aware of Bing Crosby's preference for Merchant Service pipes. I learned a little more after following the information that was posted just today regarding the "new" Merchant Service pipes [1]. I was aware that there was a particular style of pipe Crosby enjoyed, and that the style was nicknamed after him, however I never knew that Merchant Service specifically commissioned this style of pipe for Bing Crosby.

I searched for more specific information regarding the original Merchant Service brand, which is very scarce indeed, in particular with regard to any makes and models manufactured by the company. The most specific information I could find was offered by member hobbes [2], purportedly from an interview of Mr. Headley, of Headley and French, Ltd., the company that sold Merchant Service pipes, and a portion of which I'll quote below:

"In about 1938 Bing Crosby was playing golf at St. Andrews in Scotland with Mr. Herbert Merchant, who was smoking a long, slim and finely balanced briar; Bing liked the pipe and asked Merchant to make him one, to which he agreed, and the pipes were thus supplied throughout the war and after."

There are obviously many "Bing-style" pipes that were manufactured after their popularization by the eponymous Hollywood star. There happens to be a particular one, however, with the classic elegant features of the Bing pipe, including the pencil-thin shank and beveled rim. The nomenclature of these pipes is always "Crosby" followed by the name of a famous UK golf links. For example, there is a "Crosby / St. Andrews," a "Crosby / Royal St. George," and a "Crosby / Glen Eagles." There may perhaps be others. There is also a "MADE IN LONDON / ENGLAND" stamp on these pipes, which is a common enough stamp and certainly not exclusive to the Merchant Service brand, although they did in fact use it.

I wonder if these "Crosby" pipes are a Merchant Service product. It seems there's quite a lack of material out there to document whether these "Crosby" pipes were a product or sub-brand of Merchant Service, and certainly (even according to Headley's own words) there was no lack of imitations. But something about the meeting between Crosby and Merchant at St. Andrews links (in Fife, Scotland) makes me wonder if the pipe isn't somehow commemorative of that meeting. My guess is that in the absence of documentation the origin of this pipe will remain shrouded in mystery.

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[1] Pipes Magazine Radio Show Episode 375 - http://pipesmagazine.com/blog/radio-talk-show/pipes-magazine-radio-show-episode-375
[2] Merchant Service :: British Pipes - http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/threads/merchant-service.65674/post-35853121
 
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