Hardcastle Natural - Vintage Market Find

[brassmonkey]

I bought this pipe from a vintage market for the very good price of $8. It looked a little unusual with the natural finish and barely used to boot. Just a clean and a little beeswax polish to get it looking good again.. Nice grain with no obvious flaws. Would I be right in calling this an apple?

 

[newbroom]

Looks nice! Maybe it has been topped?

 

[mso489]

An apple or a prince, though I guess a prince would usually have a slightly bent stem.

 

[Chasing Embers]

I guess a prince would usually have a slightly bent stem.

Not always. I would call it a prince.

 

[jzbdano]

That is a great buy, nice looking pipe. I hope it smoke well for you.

 

[mso489]

Yes, for eight dollars, it would be a shame not to buy it. I like my prince shape pipes, roomy bowls and comfortable to clench. For some reason, my area does not have many tobacco pipes at antique stores, flea markets, yard sales, etc. I guess this is/was a cigarette smoking area, and despite an incoming tide of people from elsewhere, there just aren't pipes brought in. Other areas, other regions, I've found them quite often. Upstate New York seemed to have pipes in every antique store in a town.

 

[Civil War]

Nice Pipe.

 

[saltedplug]

I have a Jost prince with a straight stem.

 

[craiginthecorn]

I just refurbished a Hardcastle Special Quality 1/4 bent Rhodesian that was a throw-in in a lot I bought some time ago. The stem was as badly oxidized as I've seen -- completely brown. It turned out great. Handsome pipe, even if the briar doesn't have great straight grain nor birdseye. Smokes very well, too.
The problem I'm having of that I have a ton of these solid refurbished pipes, but have acquired enough higher quality pipes that I don't smoke these pipes much. I really need to thin the herd, but I hate letting go of these pipes that I worked hard to acquire and refurbish. It's a little like pushing your children from the nest. Hard, but necessary.

 

[brassmonkey]

Close-up of the stamping. I've not seen any reference to the 'Natural' model, does anyone have other examples, or know what period it may be from?

 

[craiginthecorn]

Can't say that I know what period it's from, but natural finish pipes are generally from better quality briar, because you cannot hide any flaws.