Hardcastle

[billypm]

I have two older Hardcastles-- a "Jack O' London" and a "Special Quality". I don't own any pipes that smoke any better.

 

[vlodko]

I've restored. smoked and sold a number of Hardcastles made in 1940-1970. Everyone was a great smoker! Undoubtedly: all Hardcastles made before 1977 are recommended.

 

[darwin]

I just picked up this Hardcastle "Executive". Pipe is in near perfect condition but is of unknown age and provenance. Whistle clean. It's profile is reminiscent of a pot shape but it's actually a medium sized billiard with bowl walls almost 5/16ths of an inch thick. Only a couple of bowls through it but so far so good. Nice fat little hunk of heat absorbing briar.

 

[mso489]

darwin, that's a great, sturdy, handsome pipe and really nice briar. How do you discern a billiard from a pot in that pipe? I could call it either way. Does the manufacturer call it a billiard? My wife gave me a large Johs semi-rusticated pipe one Christmas which I immediately identified as a brandy, but I later came across the invoice which showed that Mogan Johansen called it an apple, so I took his word for it. My wife spent her working life in and around NYC, so I call it my Big Apple.

 

[darwin]

Well the shape of the bowl is a bit squat when viewed from the side but the size and shape of the tobacco chamber are of more typical medium billiard dimensions due to the very thick bowl walls. I haven't a clue what the manufacturer called it.

 

[saltedplug]

I bought a Hardcastle LB a few months ago and love how it smokes; paid about $65.00 for it. But it has so many fills that it looks much less than the pipe it is; which the seller did not include in his write-up. But that's commerce!

 

[darwin]

I lucked out then. Mine has zero visible fills and I paid about the same for it. When I got it it appeared to have had about half a bowl smoked in it, and that's it. Someone must have lit up and recoiled from it badly. Seems fine to me.

 

[seanv]

I just picked up a nice smooth Hardcastle “ Special Quality” for $70 Canadian. It has a great feel in the hand and it is very light for its size, it is a huge hunk of briar. I’ll post a picture of it tomorrow. Does anyone have any info on the potential age of the “Special Quality” line?

 

[seanv]

Images posted

 

[pipebuddy]

For anyone interested, Hardcastle is now under the Ben Wade family and they are produced in England. I have been asking questions recently to Simon Jackson, owner of My Smoking Shop UK, about the Hardcastle brand, as I am interested in acquiring a few. And this is what he told me.

 

[mso489]

I have a great Britannia pipe I bought years ago, double bore stem smooth Dublin slightly bent. It doesn't look anything like any of the White Spot brand pipes, but it is a good one, possibly a better smoker than some of the less "successful" Dunhills. As I recall, it was $60, comparable to about $90 now.