Hardcastle Camden Approximate Date.

[Bax Burley]

Hi all,

I got this Hardcastle Camden from Paul's Pipe Shop. Am I correct that this "British Made" stamp is sometime pre-Parker, '50s-1967?

This is a fantastic smoker. It has some chips and dents, but it's got major character. I got it brand new and unsmoked. It's also an Opera, which I'd never had before.

 

[CoffeeAndBourbon]

Nice pipe!

 

[Bax Burley]

Nice pipe!

Thanks! It's a champ. Smokes and feels great.

 

[kcghost]

The opera shape is a little unusual in the pipe world. Most folks would prefer it to be a little longer and circular in shape.

 

[mso489]

Hardcastle is owned by the White Spot (former Dunhill) company, not to be confused with seconds, of which there aren't any of White Spots. At one point, Iwan Ries had four or five shapes of Hardcastle pipes with copper bands for forty bucks. This was about twelve years ago. They weren't elegant pipes, but I nearly bought one, for its sturdy resolute looks. There could still be one or two rattling around the Iwan Ries inventory of approximately 15,000 pipes. The opera style with the oval bowls were supposed to lie flat in your tux pocket when attending the opera. Though I have gone to operas, I've never done so in a tux, and I've never taken a pipe with me, but it is a fanciful notion. I'm glad to hear yours is a good sturdy smoker, which is what I wanted to hear about the brand.

 

[telescopes]

I have a Hardcastle Camden pre 1967 that I pulled out of mothball today. I have been smoking some 8 state Burley in it all day. I must say, this pipe is excellent and is a great example of a Bulldog without a bead line and one with a saddle stem. Nicely sandblasted and colored. It smokes like a.....dare I say......Dunhill.