Another "What Is This Hallmark?" Post

[tuold]

I've come into the possession of an estate pipe with a sterling silver band. (I'm always a sucker for those) I've been looking at pages and pages of hallmarks trying to match them with what's on the this pipe band. It's possible this is a repair band, though I can't see any sign of damage inside the shank. The pipe itself is unstamped save for "Imported Briar".
It looks like an American made pipe by the shape and carving style so it's possible this is just an ornamental hallmark. (?)
Any opinions welcome.

 

[ashdigger]

Two of them, the anchor means Birmingham and the Lion is for England. The letter is a modern date

 

[agnosticpipe]

This is the same thing I have on the silver band of a pipe stamped Pickwick, Imported Briar. I posted it recently with the same question, but no general conclusion came out of it. Near as I can figure, it dates the pipe to 1993. Check the link and compare, same symbols, but different cartouches.

pickwick

 

[dmcmtk]

Just like Orley's pipe linked above, I'm going to say the band is hallmarked from the Birmingham Assay office 1943. With the war going on, perhaps some sterling (for whatever obscure reason) made it to the United States to be used...? Orley, look very closely at the 1993 T, notice both the tail at the top, and that it is also slightly aslant within the cartouche. The T on these pipes is perpendicular. Again, the fact that we are seeing these sterling bands on what seems to be pipes made in America leads me to believe it had something to do with WWII...

 

[tuold]

Orley, those marks are suspiciously similar! The differences in the cartouches are noted and make me lean towards the theory that marks are ornamental since it would seem our pipes were probably not manufactured at the same time. Still not sure though.
I went through my collection and found that I had two very similar pipes. The one in the middle is also a four panel and has the exact same dimensions as my pipe with the silver ring. The pipes on the top and bottom are Tom Howards and are similar in style. I believe Tom Howard pipes were made by the Weber Pipe Co. Link ---> Weber Pipe Co at Pipedia

 

[dmcmtk]

Tom Howard from pipedia,

He made pipes in his workshop outside his home in Red Bank, NJ. starting about 1939, and looks like into the late 1940's or later.

The dates would fit with my theory above...

 

[tuold]

dmcmtk,
I think the Pipedia article about Tom Howard may be mistaken. He did make pipes on an amateur basis but I can't find any evidence that he formed a company to sell them. I think it was just a hobby for him. Maybe somebody can find evidence to the contrary. My source for the Weber Pipe Co origin is from a post by Dave Whitney in the Dr Grabow forums. According to Pipedea, Weber made some very similar looking pipes for Rogers.
I do like the 1943 date. A lot of companies were imitating the Custombilt line of pipes all the way into the 50s and 60s. I'm not sure anyone was making a pipe like this in the 90's. Styles had changed a lot by then.
I have to admit, I'm just guessing about all of this =) It is interesting though.

 

[agnosticpipe]

I agree, this is all very interesting. I don't know what to think here, yeah the T on my and tuold's pipe is pretty straight, although the font of the 1943 T is different. Also the cartouche is different on the 1943, but similar to the 1993, which is different from tuold's pipe. I know next to nothing about hallmarks, so I don't know if the cartouche is an important identifier or not. I'd like to think it's 1943 rather than 1993, but it still seems to be made in the US, only why the British hallmarks?
Sheesh, I need a drink.... :crazy: