Mystery Pipes - Can You Identify these Pipes?

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glenn_thorpe

Lurker
Sep 8, 2019
20
48
Toronto
I picked up a couple pipes while antiquing. I'm not sure how to identify them.
One has a nice big monogram type emblem in the case and stamped in the briar, with a crown and the letters C N O (not sure of order). The silver band has three hallmarks 1) "L", 2) a lion, and 3) a bear or wildcat's face. It also has "WR" in a diamond over the three hallmarks. The three hallmarks have a double notch on the bottom, so it seems that the L means 1926, the lion means 925 Sterling Silver, and the cat/bear face means London. But I may be wrong. The case says 'Genuine Amber', aside from that there are no other markings anywhere. I would love some help in identifying this!tempImageHWfQcJ.jpg
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The other pipe is a small pipe, with a carved man's face and a silver band with different hallmarks.
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jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,852
7,853
I can’t be sure but I think the first pipe may have been sold by Con Jones (1869-1929), a colorful tobacconist, operator of pool halls, and major local sports promoter in Vancouver BC from the time of his immigration from Australia in about 1903 until his death some 26 years later. Jones was especially well known for his slogan “DON’T ARGUE! Con Jones Sells Fresh Tobacco”, accompanied by an image of one man cheerfully shoving another in the face.

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The reasons I suspect the pipe was sold by Jones are first the dating of the hallmark is consistent with the period he was active, second he was utilizing the word “Con” as his brand for pipes at that time per the 1922 and 1927 Fancy Goods brand directories,

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and finally the logo on the pipe of course can be read as Con.

Just out of curiosity, where did you find the pipe? Could it have been originally sold in Canada?
 

glenn_thorpe

Lurker
Sep 8, 2019
20
48
Toronto
I can’t be sure but I think the first pipe may have been sold by Con Jones (1869-1929), a colorful tobacconist, operator of pool halls, and major local sports promoter in Vancouver BC from the time of his immigration from Australia in about 1903 until his death some 26 years later. Jones was especially well known for his slogan “DON’T ARGUE! Con Jones Sells Fresh Tobacco”, accompanied by an image of one man cheerfully shoving another in the face.

View attachment 70712

The reasons I suspect the pipe was sold by Jones are first the dating of the hallmark is consistent with the period he was active, second he was utilizing the word “Con” as his brand for pipes at that time per the 1922 and 1927 Fancy Goods brand directories,

View attachment 70714

and finally the logo on the pipe of course can be read as Con.

Just out of curiosity, where did you find the pipe? Could it have been originally sold in Canada?
Very interesting jguss! I reside, and did buy this at an antique barn in Canada. I will do more research into this Con Jones and see if I can find any matches on the emblem / monogram.... and or the pipe work itself. It’s interesting that there is not a country stamped on the pipe itself, or the case. If he was a retailer / salesman he may have contracted a pipe manufacturer elsewhere and asked them NOT to stamp this on the pipe. At that time, Canada was a territory of the British Commonwealth. I’ll be following this lead! Thank you.
 

glenn_thorpe

Lurker
Sep 8, 2019
20
48
Toronto
It looks like there are markings on the shank of the cased pipe. Can you tell us what they are?
The only thing stamped on the amber stem pipe is the matching logo seen on the case, and the silver hallmarks on the silver band.
The carved head has nothing except the silver hallmarks.
 

sablebrush52

The Bard Of Barlings
Jun 15, 2013
22,235
55,038
Southern Oregon
jrs457.wixsite.com
No joy on the sterling makers mark. Several London based WR stamps, but none encased in a diamond. The stamping on the shank is for the dealer who sold the pipe, assuming Jon is correct, which he is about 99.999999999999% of the time.
 

greeneyes

Lifer
Jun 5, 2018
2,460
13,091
William Rest is my best guess, though he didn't register his mark in a diamond.
IMG_20210315_181827.jpgIMG_20210315_182327.jpg
The two mounters whose marks are inside diamonds are Walter Arthur Reeves and Walter Raymond (aka. Walter Russell), however their monographs did not mention affiliation to pipes or tobacconists, which is entirely possible. Another less likely* possibility is William Edward Rogers (*his mark included his middle initial).
 

jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,852
7,853
William Rest, born in Holland about 1833, died sometime between 1905 when he still appeared in a London directory and 1911 when his wife Charlotte is listed as a widow in the census of that year. Not sure if his hallmark would have been used on a pipe some twenty years after his death (assuming the 1926 attribution is correct). Incidentally two of William’s sons, Albert and James, were also silversmiths and at least periodically listed as pipe mounters. If they had registered makers marks of their own a casual search didn’t uncover them.
 
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jguss

Lifer
Jul 7, 2013
2,852
7,853
...and see if I can find any matches on the emblem / monogram....

I agree, this would move the attribution from “good candidate” to certain. Unfortunately the preservation and digitization of Canadian trademark records (one place to look) is spotty. Even known trademarks are frequently missing from the government website. Vancouver city directories, another place worth investigating, have no advertisements from Con Jones that I was able to find, although I only bothered to check a sampling from the teens and twenties. A complete run can be found accessible for free on the Vancouver public library website. A third place to look would be through digital copies of historical BC newspapers. This would require either a paid membership in one or more sites specializing in this service, or a Vancouver public library membership card. Finally I briefly scanned Worthpoint looking for prior sales of similar pipes. I found nothing, but frankly didn’t have the time to look very hard. I’m sure a diligent search would yield many other places (eg Canadian tobacco trade publications) to look.

It’s interesting that there is not a country stamped on the pipe itself, or the case. If he was a retailer / salesman he may have contracted a pipe manufacturer elsewhere and asked them NOT to stamp this on the pipe.

The omission of a county of origin stamp suggests to me that the pipe was made in France, since the high value of the “Made in London” brand existing at that time in virtually every part of the world would have made its presence a huge plus for marketing purposes. I’m skeptical that any 1920s tobacconist selling English pipes made for him on an oem basis would ask (or allow) the com stamp to be omitted. As you probably know strong ties of commerce and blood linked the French and English briar pipe industries, and a brand listed in English sources (such as the Fancy Goods directories) would in all probability have been produced if not in England than in St Claude. French pipes lacked the same cachet as English ones, however, and the absence of a com stamp would trouble me less.
 

mawnansmiff

Lifer
Oct 14, 2015
7,901
8,928
Sunny Cornwall, UK.
"At that time, Canada was a territory of the British Commonwealth."

It still is.

"In 1982, it adopted its own constitution and became a completely independent country. Although it's still part of the British Commonwealth."

Regards,

Jay.
 
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