Well, I fell prey to yet another James Upshall P grade pipe. Last week I stopped by the John B. Hayes shop in Alexandria, a gem of a little shop, to pick up a few tins of tobacco. They usually have some nice estate pipes in a case at the back of the shop. I really wasn't looking for another large pipe, but this silver-banded James Upshall P Bent Apple caught my eye and I couldn't put it back in the estate drawer. I asked them to hold the pipe and picked it up on Monday. King was working the shop last week and had just returned from the KC show. He had not yet looked at new estate arrivals or he said that one would have been his. (wonderful gentleman)
Most Upshall banded pipes have larger, flat bands. I'm not a big stem adornment fan period. But, this thin, tobacco leaf engraved band looked so elegant, I couldn't pass it up.
The shop owner, John Hayes said it came from the estate of a Washington DC collector and he sold the pipe to the previous owner in the late 80's. John works the shop on Mondays and is a real delight to speak to, he always has some knowledge to share and some interesting stories. This one has become one of my favorite shops.
I lifted a few handling marks, polished the sterling ring and stem. The bowl was so clean, I didn't feel it need a salt/Everclear soak. I smoked a bowl of EMP in it this evening and it smoked wonderfully, no ghosts and cool (as I expected with those thick walls). It has some nice grain and birdseye on the bowl top. The shape really reminds me of a Charatan Shape 44.
I was looking for a small travel pipe, but ended up with a big porch pipe and another interesting James Upshall piece.
For comparison, here is a Charatan Shape 44 that I restored for forum member dweezil (Dave).
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Most Upshall banded pipes have larger, flat bands. I'm not a big stem adornment fan period. But, this thin, tobacco leaf engraved band looked so elegant, I couldn't pass it up.
The shop owner, John Hayes said it came from the estate of a Washington DC collector and he sold the pipe to the previous owner in the late 80's. John works the shop on Mondays and is a real delight to speak to, he always has some knowledge to share and some interesting stories. This one has become one of my favorite shops.
I lifted a few handling marks, polished the sterling ring and stem. The bowl was so clean, I didn't feel it need a salt/Everclear soak. I smoked a bowl of EMP in it this evening and it smoked wonderfully, no ghosts and cool (as I expected with those thick walls). It has some nice grain and birdseye on the bowl top. The shape really reminds me of a Charatan Shape 44.
I was looking for a small travel pipe, but ended up with a big porch pipe and another interesting James Upshall piece.
For comparison, here is a Charatan Shape 44 that I restored for forum member dweezil (Dave).
