Interesting Completed Ebay Auctions--19th Century Lancel

[guylesss]

I know almost nothing about 19th century pipes or premium French-made brands-- beyond a vague sense of their importance to 20th century British brands. But even if last weekend's rather lovely "unsmoked" cased, silver-mounted, circa-1880s Lancel soared out of my own reach with a sniping duel that topped $400, it seemed to me in every way intriguing.

Not least of which because the very same pipe's prior history evidently included what looks to have been quite a meticulous recent restoration by a Russian restorer before finding its way to Carthage, North Carolina.

A. LANCEL PARIS CASED AMBER STEM PIPE UNSMOKED | eBay

MARKED: A. LANCEL PARIS. CONDITION: UNSMOKED. 1 PIPE OR ENTIRE COLLECTIONS. MAKE SURE TO SUPER SIZE THE PHOTOS FOR A BETTER VIEW.

www.ebay.com

A. Lancel cased dublin from the 1880-1900 years (unsmoked) - BRB pipes

Трубка компании A. Lancel, сделанная в Париже в интервале между 1884 и 1900 годами. Некуренная, полностью восстановленная и готовая к работе!

brbpipe.ru

Thoughts?

 

[sablebrush52]

I know almost nothing about 19th century pipes or premium French-made brands-- beyond a vague sense of their importance to 20th century British brands. But even if last weekend's rather lovely "unsmoked" cased, silver-mounted, circa-1880s Lancel soared out of my own reach with a sniping duel that topped $400, it seemed to me in every way intriguing.

Not least of which because the very same pipe's prior history evidently included what looks to have been quite a meticulous recent restoration by a Russian restorer before finding its way to Carthage, North Carolina.

A. LANCEL PARIS CASED AMBER STEM PIPE UNSMOKED | eBay

MARKED: A. LANCEL PARIS. CONDITION: UNSMOKED. 1 PIPE OR ENTIRE COLLECTIONS. MAKE SURE TO SUPER SIZE THE PHOTOS FOR A BETTER VIEW.

www.ebay.com

A. Lancel cased dublin from the 1880-1900 years (unsmoked) - BRB pipes

Трубка компании A. Lancel, сделанная в Париже в интервале между 1884 и 1900 годами. Некуренная, полностью восстановленная и готовая к работе!

brbpipe.ru

Thoughts?

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Unless there's a bunch of unsmoked circa 1880's Lancel pipes running around, this pipe was available on eBay prior to the current auction. I don't remember if it was also Rodrigo at that point in time, a month or so ago.

$415 doesn't seem totally out of line for a beautifully made piece like this, though it's more than one might expect for a pipe made by a relatively unknown maker. The marque plays an important role in determining price, often more so than the condition or quality.

The bidding history follows a very familiar pattern, two high rolling snipers collide WAY above any other bids. The price jumps almost 300% in the last second. It's a repeatedly failed strategy for getting a steal deal that's widely embraced despite being a repeatedly failed strategy for getting a steal deal.

Both bidders seem to be serious since neither of them has a history of making bid retractions. As is often the case with this particular subset of pipe auctions, one of the final bidders also has an interest in silver work and other vintage items in addition to collecting pipes. This is often the case with a bidder who will go all out to obtain a specific item for his collection.

If the buyer plans to smoke this pipe, I hope that he gets it checked out and the chamber coated before he fires it up. Really old briar pieces are delicate and the bowl can crack on the first smoke.

 

[mso489]

Interesting. About half what a new Dunhill of that size would cost. Do you smoke such an item? Maybe not. Nice metal work, amber work, shaping, stain and grain. Carthage is a little town down toward the Sandhills, golf course and horse country, so perhaps a well-off retiree collector. From a photo, this looks like a fair price, not a driven bargain, not a giveaway at all.

 

[cshubhra]

This is a beautiful piece for sure! Even if this may not be highly desirable in the collector market, it may just mean history has forgotten the maker.

Even the presentation makes it seem it’s a premium product.

 

[mso489]

As I note from time to time, France gave us the commercial briar pipe, and most of the much admired English pipe shapes come from the French. France has maintained a tight pipe making community, competitive and proud, and as I often say, their pipes often exceed their price point in quality. That would give me some confidence with this particular pipe.

 

[sablebrush52]

so perhaps a well-off retiree collector

Carthage is where the eBay dealer is located.

 

[mso489]

Ah, an eBay dealer headquarters. Not much going on in Carthage otherwise, a few small-place tourist cafes and boutiques.

 

[Kottan]

I wonder what the reserve could have been for this limited edition?

Pipe Pipa Pipe Charatan's Make London England, Limited Edition 33 of 300 | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Pipe Pipa Pipe Charatan's Make London England, Limited Edition 33 of 300 at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

 

[mikethompson]

I'm a sucker for a nice looking stem, which that pipe has. Very nice.

Sniping is one thing, but bludgeoning each other with bids is another. I've never done that myself, but I have been lucky enough to be on the 'selling' end of that. When the dust settles, its the seller who wins.

 

[kcghost]

It is a nice looking pipe.

 

[Kottan]

I'm a sucker for a nice looking stem, which that pipe has. Very nice.

Sniping is one thing, but bludgeoning each other with bids is another. I've never done that myself, but I have been lucky enough to be on the 'selling' end of that. When the dust settles, its the seller who wins.

That would be nice if all bidders would act like you, but ebay (in their help articles) give them a precise clue how they can enhance their chances to win by sniping. In case of the linked auction "bludgeoning" didn't matter because no bidder met the reserve. So the seller got nothing. I would be surprised if this rare Charatan (aka Countryman) was sold for the highest bid in this auction. On other sites I saw Countryman estates for more money and lower quality.

Sorry for posting in the wrong thread of course this Charatan is not from the 19th century.

 

[jpmcwjr]

That's the ugliest Charatan I've ever seen. Looks like the owner held it by the stem only.

 

[Kottan]

That's the ugliest Charatan I've ever seen. Looks like the owner held it by the stem only.

You've linked the higher resolution of this pic hence the CP-logo is clearly visible. I think this encircled (inlaid) logo wasn't used by Charatan before the Dunhill takeover. I guess, this pipe was made after 1988 when J.B. Russell owned Charatan.
Below is a photo of Al's Countryman, which he posted some years ago in another thread. It has the old CP-logo (as far as I can see). Hope, you like it. ☺

BTW We should ask @kenbarnes when or if at all Charatan made a limited edition of the CM. Always the same question ...Charatan, Dunhill, Russell or Dunhill?

 

[orlandofurioso]

Al's countryman is an absolute stunner.
There are three of mine in the refurbishing proccess now, when finished I will grant them
their own thread. One is a countryman deluxe selected and it is drop-dead gorgeous.
Not many were carved and the ones that matter were made in the very early fifties.
The one posted is a much later Dunhill one, carved up in Saint- Claude France .
Lanzola pipes has one for sale now, claims it is a 1988 one .
I think they are butt ugly ( tough I've seen quite some mighty nice butts over the years ; never
appreciated the phrasing ) .
As to my knowledge Charatan never made a limited edition of the CM.
For two or so years ( time flies irrepairable ) I purchased two CM pipes from Karen Ezrati, they were not stamped and looked hideous in every aspect
Cumberland plastic stems and hideous red stain. Drilling was off.
We were on very good terms; I returned the pipes for a full refund.

 

[orlandofurioso]

Charatan's Countryman - 1988

www.pipeshop-lanzola.it

It looks somewhat agreeable . Humph.

 

[Kottan]

Hi Orlando, I also think that Al's Countryman is an original Charatan before Dunhill bought the company from Lane. Somewhere in the forums @kenbarne talks about the difficulties of its making by Barry Jones and Dan Tennison. The 'Limited Edition' with 300 pcs. was a marketing move by JB Russell (?), an attampt to enhance the declining Charatan brand again.

Btw. We are in the wrong thead again?

 

[orlandofurioso]

Hi Kottan,

" In 1988 Dunhill sold the rights to the Charatan name, trademark and shape chart - there was hardly more left over to sell - to James B. Russell Inc. (Upper Saddle River, NJ). Russell had made his Charatan pipes in Saint-Claude, France. Butz-Choquin is said to be the manufacturer. Now, Saint-Claude made pipes are surely not bad per axiom, but these Charatans were woefully poor counterfeits of the "real" ones and quite a flop in sale.

When J.B. Russell went out of business in 2002 Dunhill re-purchased Charatan and called on Colin Fromm of Invicta Briars and Castleford fame to produce Charatan freehands now. Since Colin Fromm and his foreman Colin Leeson, both belonging to the small number of English pipe artisans skilled in making high-end freehand shapes, had already been making exquisite freehands for Dunhill for a couple of years in Chatham, Kent.

To say the least, these Colin Fromm made Dunhill Charatans show impeccable craftsmanship and feature great smoking characteristics at very reasonable prices. "

Why are we in the wrong thread ?
This is a bout a Charatan pipe sold on Ebay.
Maybe, it's me, have not had coffee and breakfast yet

 

[Kottan]

Yeah Orlando I know the Charatan history so far. It is said that Colin Leeson and Colin Fromm (who was trained by Leeson) made the Freehands (high-end pipes) after Dunhill repurchased Charatan, but who made or make the catalog shapes one can buy today? BTW Colin Leeson sadly died in early 2012.

PS. This time It was me who posted in the wrong thread. This one is for 19th century ebeasts.?

 

[orlandofurioso]

Yeah Orlando I know the Charatan history so far. It is said that Colin Leeson and Colin Fromm (who was trained by Leeson) made the Freehands (high-end pipes) after Dunhill repurchased Charatan, but who made or make the catalog shapes one can buy today? BTW Colin Leeson sadly died in early 2012.

PS. This time It was me who posted in the wrong thread. This one is for 19th century ebeasts.?

No idea, have to figure it out Kottan.
This very Butz-Choquin made countryman is again ( since 3 days ) offered for sale ; first bid $ 500,00 placed !