Charatan Select with 4 metal discs inlaid in shank?

[danno]

I saw a Charatan Select today. It had 4 discs, 1 on each side, and one on top and bottom. I had never seen it before, and was wondering if it is a repair, or if Charatan actually made any pipes like that. Anybody have any ideas?

 

[johninkc]

I've not heard of that much decoration on a Charatan before, but that doesn't mean someone did not custom-order such a pipe. It'd help to have a picture or two...

 

[hobie1dog]

 

[cajunguy]

Hoc loco non sine tabulis

:crazy: :puffpipe: :twisted:
Had to edit the original post... I wrote "This site is useless without pictures." I think Kevin would have banned me.

 

[ssjones]

If it was a Charatan stem, it would have CP stamped on it. But, it sounds like a repair.

 

[lazydog]

Ist pipe with magnetic therapy discs embedded to relieve the pain of PAD & TAD...Will not cure, just relieves the pain.....

 

[danno]

Ist pipe with magnetic therapy discs embedded to relieve the pain of PAD & TAD...Will not cure, just relieves the pain.....

Ha! I'll buy it and see if they work! :clap:

 

[danno]

 

[danno]

OK! there is the pipe, above. Any ideas?

 

[docwatson]

Cant tell exactly but it looks like a spliced shank to me. Anyone else?

 

[john218]

The dark circle around the shank looks like a glue joint. I had a shank repaired on a GBD Canadian years ago. They had to replace part of the shank with new wood and they glued a metal tube inside the repaired shank for reinforcement. I wonder if the plugs were to replace missing wood. Maybe some of the repair experts on the forum have some ideas. At any rate, someone thought enough of the pipe to have the repair done. Where did you see the pipe danno?

 

[ssjones]

One: that is a great looking pipe!
It does look like a repair of sorts, and completed nicely. If the price was right, I'd buy that one.

 

[sjpipesmoker]

Can it be!!!! CROP CIRCLES on a pipe????
Never seen that before??
Could it of been a previous owner trying to burn a design on it???

 

[sixmp]

Hmm i'm not sure. You should send it to me so i can "inspect" it :nana:

 

[cigrmaster]

It is definitely not an original Charatan Double Comfort stem, don't have any idea what those circles are.

 

[danno]

The ring around the shank is the same material as the discs. I did as good a comparison of the wood on both sides of the ring and disc adornment, and I am pretty convinced it is from the same block of briar. The pipe dates from between 1958 and 1965. I verified that with a pretty respected pipe expert. I do not think the stem is original, but there is no way for me to say for sure as it seems Charatan did not always stamp everything they were supposed to. I suspect a real expert could tell by some other features.
I got it in a few days ago. It IS fairly LARGE at about 2 to 2-1/8 inches in diameter at the base, and about 2-1/8 in tall. I can't see into the shank well enough to tell if there is a metal tube in there. Probing around inside with a wire, I cannot feel any edges of a tube, nor a seam, in which case the same wire sends tactile feedback from the outer "seam". There is a 4 stamped under the bottom of the shank. I was told it was significant, but the seller couldn't remember what he was told. It has a Lakeland ghost, which I will start working to eliminate. All in all, a real nice piece of Briar.