Need Help with GBD Special

[hoppes]

Don't have any GBD pipes in the collection. Just got this from England as a vintage GBD. Don't have any knowledge of GBD pipes other than what I can glean from the internet. Not enough info to tell what era this is from. There is one picture on Pipedia of a GBD with the London Made stamping but no indication of age. The pipe is marked on the bpttom: GBD, Special, London Made. There are no other markings on the pipe. The mouthpiece has a silver inlaid GBD. It appears to be vulcanite. The rustification is quite heavy but very regular ?? It looks almost like plastic??Yes, the pipe is very dirty. I know the history of GBD is extensive and dating quite difficult. I don't even know if this might be a fake GBD.?? Any experts want to weigh in? Any comments more than welcome. And any GBD history would be welcomed!! Thanks, Hoppes

 

[cortezattic]

Here's a start: https://pipedia.org/wiki/GBD
Oh! I see you've been there already.

 

[scrooge]

Well you've come to the right place. A lot of GBD collectors here. Give them time they'll chime in. The one thing that pops out at me is. The stem fitment is quit a bit off. Could just be rounded off. But wait for the pro's.

 

[sablebrush52]

Here are some articles that might be helpful:
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-gbd.html
https://rebornpipes.com/tag/gbd-pipe-history/
https://www.glpease.com/Pipes/Collection/gbd.html
http://pipesmagazine.com/forums/topic/the-gbd-collectors-thread

 

[ssjones]

GBD had several revivals after 1981. Some include a brass rondell on the stem. I suspect your pipe is from an era made between 1982 and the early 1990's. Those flat, full width stems were used after '81, at least that's what several older collectors have told me. (Mike Hagley always asserted this) Virtually nothing is written about that era, its all anecdotal, so that is just a guess.
That looks to be in very good shape and an easy restoration.

 

[doctorbob]

Is this an oversized pipe?
Also, I have never seen a fake GBD. It just isn't a line that would be profitable to counterfeit, so your pipe is most likely genuine.
Doc

 

[hoppes]

Doc: The pipe is fairly large. Measures 6 inches long. The bowl is 2 inches high. Stem is 3/4 inches across.

Thanks to all for the information. Hoppes

 

[ssjones]

Yes, I don't think that I've ever seen a counterfeit GBD.

 

[gloucesterman]

I suspect Scrooge is correct. That stem is so badly fitted it would never left the factory and the angled rondell would not have gone unnoticed either. Al is correct regarding post merger GBDs, the stem is very telling and because yours looks to be a replacement it makes it even more difficult to date with any certainty. The shape itself appears to match the #864 Medium Dublin as shown in the dealer catalogue (1968) shape chart. How long that shape was produced I can't say with any authority but in the post-Codogan Era, GBD pipes often retained their style numbers but utilized similar Comoy shapes because they were produced in the same factory. If I were to hazard a guess I say you have a pre merger pipe that has been re-stemmed, probably produced sometime between the mid sixties and 1981 but Al often makes the valid point that there was a post merger period where Codogan used up stock that already existed so the transition dates for pipes are not as solid as the official paperwork dates. Sorry I couldn't contribute more.

 

[ssjones]

It just dawned on me that it has no shape number, that is odd.

 

[gloucesterman]

That might have something with the "Special" designation. It could well be those pipes were a clean out of old stummels. If so it would have been made pre-merger but came to market after 1981. This would make sense if they were already marketing the old style number on a Comoy shape. Exact dating of any non- Hall Marked GBD is almost impossible even under the best conditions and this one has enough quirks to really complicate an already murky task.