Great Charatan's Supreme was on eBay

[oldgeezersmoker]

This ad from Pinteresthas to be from before July, 1963, as it is from before the introduction of zip codes. Note that Charatan's were then priced from $15-100. The pictured pipe was a shape known as a Newmarket. I saw, back in the 1980's and 1990's, at least two of these, and the ones I recall were Specials, and strong for the grade, but not the quality of the grain of the pipe in the ad. I am sure that I tried to buy one at a show. I think a man named Phil Bradford, a wonderful gentleman in every way, had it but it was not for sale (I never let that stop me from trying)
Last week, this pipe appeared on eBay. I have a strange memory, but I knew immediately that a pipe very close to that had appeared in an old Lane ad. It only took a few minutes of googling to find the ad I remembered. The pipes are very close. The pipe is not a freehand, as described, it is a shape # 53, which is stamped on the pipe. As noted, it is un-smoked.
Someone paid $1,025 for that pipe. I have no idea if they knew what they were doing or not. If I currently had the means, they would have been the underbidder. Back in the day when I collected Charatan's I owned two Coronations and one Achievement. The Achievement won an award for best pipe (maybe second place, but it did get a ribbon) at an Indiana Briar Friars show. The one auctioned off this weekend is the equal of any of them,grainwise.So many times, I scratch my head wondering what in the world people are doing paying large $ for stuff that i know for an absolute fact is not at all rare or what it is advertised as being. Not in this case. Congrats to the winner.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

I have no idea why the contrast on the two hyperlinks is so weak, but there is a link in each of the first two paragraphs

 

[ssjones]

Good eye, I missed that one.

Truly amazing grain, that would define flame grain!

 

[pagan]

Great find

 

[kenbarnes]

My instinct is that the pouch did not come with this pipe. When people say 'Lane era' I am imagining that they know that Lane started importing Charatan pipes in 1955. I have a 1951 Charatan catalogue which says that the highest quality that they were producing at the time (and through the 1950s) was the 'Supreme'. Reuben says (in this catalogue) that these pipes were "orthodox shapes in straight grain". Although I cannot see the stamping in detail, I think that this one dates from between 1958-1961. The '58' shape stamp is stamped quite closely to the fit which is quite typical of this period. Unsmoked, I think that the price for this Newmarket is an absolute 'steal'- I would have thought the price would have been much higher.

 

[jensen]

I got mine in the early 90ties from a small tobacconist selling out the pipes.I always thought it is a 1950 piece.

It is stamped Charatans Make over London.England and 58 close to the stem.

Charatan has never been much around here in Danmark.The first and only agent came in the med 70ties.
I have not the heart to smoke it but sometimes I look at it.

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Ken, there was a time when I could have paid way more than what the new owner of that pipe got it for, and I would have gladly done so. I no longer have my literature collection, so I can't say with 100% certainly, but I feel sure I have seen that shape illustrated in at least one shape chart, but none of the charts I have seen online have it. The two Specials that I saw back in the 1980's at shows were themselves memorable pieces.

 

[pipestud]

That pipe was actually won by one of my customers from China who is a major collector of Charatan pipes. When he gets one from a seller who does not ship overseas he has them send what he wins to me for later shipping. Not sure the guy would have been an under bidder against you oldgeezersmoker, but it sure would have been fun to see the final price if the two of you had gotten into it. :wink:

 

[wyfbane]

Ah to have pockets that deep...

 

[kenbarnes]

oldgeezersmoker: I have enclosed some pics from that 1951 catalogue which you may find interesting.

 

[kenbarnes]

pipestud: I have two 'holy grail' Charatans from the Frderick Charatan era (around 1904 I think) which your guy from China may be really interested in. These two pipes, in my opinion, are the rarest Charatans I have ever seen and for that matter have never seen on any of the online secialist sites! I will be listing them on ebay in January or February 2017.

 

[pipestud]

:P

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

Pipestud, I would have made a nuke bid at the end of the auction using my handy dandy snipe program. Not sure what would have happened, of course, but that pipe is worth a lot more than your customer paid for it. If someone had had deep pockets and asked me what the pipe was worth, I would have felt comfortable saying 3k. But, like my friend Hagley, I enjoy spending other people's money. That as as nice a Charatan's as I have ever seen on eBay. I wish I knew who the consignor was.
Ken, thanks for posting that shape chart. I had one from the late 50's when Lane was the importer and that shape was shown, though I don't recall the small version. Funny I can remember pipes from decades ago, but not sure where I laid my pipe tool this morning! Would you consider scanning that and sharing it on drop box or something?
To say that I expect those two Charatan's you plan on selling to do well is an understatement. Look forward to seeing them.

 

[dmcmtk]

All this talk about the Newmarket shape got me thinking. So I had a look in the box of ye olde unrestored English pipes; Lane era shape 58 sand blast,

 

[kenbarnes]

Duke Street Irregular. This one is a 'Reuben Special'! What a beautiful craggy blast. As I have mentioned before, Barry recalls the words of Mr Charatan to Johnny Mahoney (the sand blaster in the 50s) "Mr Mahoney, heavy on the bowl and light on the shank". Lovely example.

 

[wyfbane]

Damn that is a gorgeous pipe! I would kill for a 55 though. I had never seen one before this and I think I am in love.

 

[georged]

As long as we're on the subject, Carl Ehwa's The Illustrated Book of Pipes and Tobaccos has a wonderful layout of some higher grade Charatans from the 60's / early 70's (the book came out in '74)

 

[oldgeezersmoker]

George D, some of the pipes in the Ehwa book were, I am told, from the collection of William Conrad, the late actor. I remember that spread well. I think there may have been a picture of him in the book as well. To me, the very picture you posted was the absolute best pipe porn ever before the days of videos from vendors like Al Pascia.
Ken, I am sure I saw other Newmarkets in the time I was looking at Charlatan's, but the two Specials I remember were exceptional pieces, having all the indications of a 1950's or early 1960's pipe that American collectors knew to look for back in the mid 1980's. (Knowledge that has actually held up fairly well.) One had a poorly done (coke bottled) replacement stem, the other one was smoked but mint. I offered the late Phil Bradford $250 cash for that pipe, at a time when you could walk into a store and buy a new run of the mill Special for no more than $125. He turned me down, without a counter offer. He did thank about it though, and I believe that pipe was likely part of his estate (I was out of pipe collecting at that time.) Most of his Charatan's came from Smokers Haven in Columbus, Ohio, a shop famous for their selection of GBD's, though they may well have also been the largest Charatan's dealer in the US. (Though I have been told that a shop in Beverly Hills may have sold more high grades, and the original Tinderbox in Santa Monica also had a large Charatan's trade)
All of this brings back lots of pleasant memories. We had lots of fun in those days looking at each other's pipes and chasing down old literature.
BTW, there is an older thread out there concerning the mystery of the Charatan's Authentic grade, and whether it was "Lane Era" or not. Sine then, at least two Authentics have appeared on eBay bearing the Lane florid L.

 

[kenbarnes]

Oooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhh - lovely 'centrefold'. I have never seen this collection before. I will definitely show Barry these when I next see him.
Yes oldgeezersmoker, Ed Kolpin senior and Junior sold some of the real high grade Charatans in the original Tinderbox store (their brainchild)in Santa Monica.

 

[kenbarnes]

georged, what grades are these? Supremes/ achievements/coronations?