How Old Would You Say This Grabow is?

[mikethompson]

I just picked up this Dr. Grabow Golden Duke to try my hand at refinishing and was wondering if anyone can shed some light on its approximate age.
Thanks all!

 

[lawdogspipes]

Mid 1960's era.

 

[scloyd]

Nice pipe Mike. Looking forward to seeing your "hand"y work. Get it?

 

[mikethompson]

Oh boy Scott, I thought someone might post some pun, but didn't think it would be you haha!
Sometime in the 60s was my guess too, but I don't know what I was basing it on.

 

[cortezattic]

We can know this much...

From Pipedia.org.

1946, January 25th. David P. Lavietes files for AJUSTOMATIC patent stem to shank threading system, later Patent #2461905. (DRB)

 

[mikethompson]

Thanks Cortez, I couldn't make out what the script was. Adjustomatic sounds very 50s or 60s to me. I also have no idea what a Golden Duke is in relation to their product line. Pipedia mentions a Golden Duke being available in 1969, but I have a hunch this pipe is older than that.
Either way, it's nice to know a little more of the backstory of it.

 

[theloniousmonkfish]

Nice score. The Golden Duke line started in '64, probably continued into the mid/late 80's or early 90's. Yours has a Vulcanite stem so it would guess it was made by the 80's when the factory started switching to ABS plastic stems.

 

[mikethompson]

Thanks, I'm looking forward to my first project. There's a lot to learn, but I'd like to try to bring this pipe back to life.

 

[didimauw]

It's dirty but beautiful. I can't wait to see the finished project.

 

[twiggy]

I'm interested in seeing what it looks like after the refinishing as well.