Dating Charatan?

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dPero

Part of the Furniture Now
Jan 15, 2022
970
11,272
39
Stafilic
I have this pipe and like how it smokes. But not shure which era is. So if some can help would be greatIMG_1132.jpegIMG_1134.jpegIMG_1135.jpegIMG_1136.jpegIMG_1137.jpeg
 
Dec 10, 2013
2,618
3,364
Nijmegen, the Netherlands
i don't think it is Reuben era, it should be much younger..and the shape number (11) exist but it is a smooth, not sandblasted : from 1951 catalog :
View attachment 307461
most likely dunhill era.

View attachment 307459
It is not a FH, just a quite common bent shape 11. Same shapes could be both smooth and sandblasted.
I own a few with the similar kind of blast, according to Barry Jones it was a typical blast from the fifties.
Rather deep and craggy, in particular on the birdseyes.
 

KwangPan

Lurker
Apr 11, 2021
4
2
Please help me to check year of my pipe. It's pretty small pipe (same as group 2 Dunhill): 177mm x 48mm (outside diameter) and 18mm x 44mm (inside diameter).

I follow the guide of Pipedia Dating of Charatans - Pipedia - https://pipedia.org/wiki/Dating_of_Charatans and I could belive it belongs Frederick's era.
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Identification of a first era pipe (Frederick's era, 1863-1910)

I immediately point out that pipes of this era are very rare and it is very unlikely to come across a pipe from this time.
Moreover these pipes are indiscernible from those of the second era, the only clue is that pipes of this era are, in 99% of the cases, are quite small in size.
1) Pipes are no larger than a Dunhill group 1 or max group 2
2) Saddle or tapered mouthpiece
3) No double comfort stems
4) The CP logo is engraved so that the C enters the P (not always present)
5) Absence of £ on the pipe shank
6) Absence of the letter X on the pipe shape code engraved on the shank (for ex. 2502 and not 2502X)
7) Absence of letters DC after the shape number (for ex. 2502 and not 2505DC)
8) Absence of the engraving “MADE BY HAND” on the shank
9) Presence of the writing “CHARATAN'S MAKE LONDON ENGLAND” on 2 lines
10) The CP logo is finer than in following eras
11) The stems are usually made by different material than ebonite (mostly amber, if they have not been replaced)


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jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,686
7,394
I don’t have much to add; it’s yet another reason (if we needed one) to lament the loss of Ken Barnes.

I know the Special grade existed by 1949, and perhaps earlier. My personal guess is it emerged after the industry lurched back to life in the wake of reconversion following WW2. The model owned by the OP is called the Artist and was one among many shown in the 1951 and several subsequent catalogs:

IMG_2373.jpeg

It definitely feels like a Reuben era pipe to me and I agree 1950s is a good guess. Certainly it looks pre-Lane if we define that to mean the period before Herman bought Charatan from Reuben’s widow Esther after her husband died in 1962.
 

greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
2,273
12,633
Charatan had a strange affinity for sharp curves in the stems rather than very gradual, smooth curvature. The shape 11 has a similar thing going on. I find it a bit odd looking, or perhaps the obsessive-compulsive in me does.
 
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jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,686
7,394
Charatan had a strange affinity for sharp curves in the stems rather than very gradual, smooth curvature. The shape 11 has a similar thing going on. I find it a bit odd looking, or perhaps the obsessive-compulsive in me does.

I agree it’s a bit odd but like a bloody car wreck you can’t look away. And honestly the more I look the more I like it (the pipe, not fatal automobile accidents).
 

OzPiper

Lifer
Nov 30, 2020
6,866
37,095
72
Sydney, Australia
Charatan had a strange affinity for sharp curves in the stems rather than very gradual, smooth curvature. The shape 11 has a similar thing going on. I find it a bit odd looking, or perhaps the obsessive-compulsive in me does.
I do agree with your thoughts regarding the stem curvature.
Thankfully my Shape 56 has a more gentle curve, whereas the 2nd (no shape number) has a straight stem (note the differently shaped foot)
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