BBB Made By L&H Stern Co?

Log in

SmokingPipes.com Updates

New Cigars




PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Drucquers Banner

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

PipesMagazine Approved Sponsor

Status
Not open for further replies.
Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
Here is a BBB that was possibly made by LHS. I hope the BBB collectors chime in with any information. There are too many similarities to just be coincidence. Besides the fact that LHS pipes are great burners, the scarce information and mystery surrounding L&H Stern piques my curiosity of this extinct American pipe maker.
Pipe Is stamped BBB Surperfine shape #32
51ZtRc4l.jpg

Besides having the look and feel of an LHS, It is stamped Superfine, also the name of an LHS model. It has a stinger identical to LHS pipes of this era. They both have the two piece aluminum fittings in the stem/shank connection. The stem has a pale blue dot surrounded by a silver circle, the same as an LHS Warwick. The model number stamping is the same font used on LHS from the 1920's through the 1940's.
bPKKlAul.jpg

QZ0STuIl.jpg

5v8KYTZl.jpg

xlg2i5kl.jpg

From top to bottom: BBB Superfine, LHS Certified Purex, LHS Silver Circle.
The patent number on my Silver Circle dates to 1924.
4wn5dfCl.jpg

Ludwig Stern moved his pipe factory to Brooklyn,NY in 1920. Louis Blumfeld opens an American branch in New York around 1914 according to Pipedia. These two pipe makers were practically neighbors in the 1920's.
2GuNj7nl.jpg

Zlzcyxvl.jpg


 

bungee

Can't Leave
Oct 31, 2015
372
5
Beautiful pipe Dave! I also like the last one, the bulldog, a lot.
Cheers,
J

 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
Cool sleuthing work! LHS may well have made BBB pipes, probably for the US market. WDC once made BBB pipes for the American market. In my opinion some of the best, if not THE best, pipes WDC ever made bore the BBB logo. Here is an ad dating to the late 1920s.
dsc_0001-100x150.jpg

dsc_00021-150x100.jpg

As Pipedia has it, S.M. Frank bought out WDC in or around 1937. If WDC was still making BBB pipes by that time, the buyout may have ended the relationship. Should that be the case LHS may have taken over the work of making BBB pipes to be marketed in the US.

 

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
I too am seeking info..... This is my most recent PAD. A good smoker for sure. A BBB Own Make Thorneycroft 698(?)
bbb-600x450.jpg


 

buroak

Lifer
Jul 29, 2014
1,867
14
More pictures would help, but even with all the pictures in the world BBBs can be hard to pin down.

 

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
Dave G - This thread may have some links to better info. From what I see, pitchfork may know a thing or two. I know there are more informative threads and members on this site, because I've read them. I'll do some looking tomorrow, its past my bedtime.
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/bbb-pipe-shapes
Buroak - "More pics please" will be inscribed on my tombstone. :lol: Will post tomorrow for sure.

 

mayfair70

Lifer
Sep 14, 2015
1,968
2
Dave G- I am truly sorry. I had not thought to hijack your post. I will continue my posting for info on another thread.
I found a snippet on pipephil where BBB and LHS used the same manufacturer/supplier for stem material. While not a concrete lead, it lends to your documentation a bit.
"Some pipe brands having used Redmanol stems:

BBB, LHS (Redmanol line), Peterson (see broken Redmanol mouthpiece & replacement)."
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-r3.html

 
Mar 30, 2014
2,853
78
wv
No worries mayfair. Thanks for the info and links. From what I've read, Stern made vulcanite, Bakelite, and Redmanol stems in house, but they could have been buying the raw materials from the same supplier. He had everything made at the factory never farming out any work for quality control purposes, and ultimately that may have been the downfall of the company.

 

snagstangl

Lifer
Jul 1, 2013
1,606
768
Iowa, United States
BBB ultonia were made in the US after WWI, the factory was in College Point Long Island. Maybe someone else can follow up on this. Im thinking the american hard rubber company

 
Status
Not open for further replies.