I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with information regarding a pipe I saw recently. It's a bent brandy sitter unlike anything I've seen before in terms of both markings and design.
Rather than the usual "Charatan's Make" stamp on the shank, the bottom of the bowl is stamped "LONDON ENGLAND" in a straight line, below which is "CHARATAN" arching upward and "SELECTED" arching downward to make a football shape. There's a Lane "L" logo to the right of that and "MADE BY HAND" below everything. The stamps seem to be a bit haphazard - none of them is centered or aligned with any of the others or the bowl of the pipe.
The shank is relatively short (the briar portion is too short for the standard stamping, which may explain why it's on the bottom of the bowl) and flattened on the bottom. About half of it is fitted with a wide ebonite band stamped "Custom Model" in two lines of cursive. The stem is slightly bent with a tapered bit, and it has a couple sets of saw teeth (I don't know what else to call them) carved into its sides. The "CP" logo is faded, but it looks like the "C" penetrates the "P."
The "L" logo incicates this pipe was made post-1961, but not necessarily in the Lane era - apparently Dunhill continued to use it through the 1970s and maybe until Russell acquired the brand in 1988 But the "CP" logo indicates it was made in 1980 or before. But the absence of the "Charatan's Make" stamp has me scratching my head, as does the unusual stem. The "Selected" grade has me interested, though. Does anybody have any thoughts as to age, history, or anything else? Thanks in advance for your insights.
Rather than the usual "Charatan's Make" stamp on the shank, the bottom of the bowl is stamped "LONDON ENGLAND" in a straight line, below which is "CHARATAN" arching upward and "SELECTED" arching downward to make a football shape. There's a Lane "L" logo to the right of that and "MADE BY HAND" below everything. The stamps seem to be a bit haphazard - none of them is centered or aligned with any of the others or the bowl of the pipe.
The shank is relatively short (the briar portion is too short for the standard stamping, which may explain why it's on the bottom of the bowl) and flattened on the bottom. About half of it is fitted with a wide ebonite band stamped "Custom Model" in two lines of cursive. The stem is slightly bent with a tapered bit, and it has a couple sets of saw teeth (I don't know what else to call them) carved into its sides. The "CP" logo is faded, but it looks like the "C" penetrates the "P."
The "L" logo incicates this pipe was made post-1961, but not necessarily in the Lane era - apparently Dunhill continued to use it through the 1970s and maybe until Russell acquired the brand in 1988 But the "CP" logo indicates it was made in 1980 or before. But the absence of the "Charatan's Make" stamp has me scratching my head, as does the unusual stem. The "Selected" grade has me interested, though. Does anybody have any thoughts as to age, history, or anything else? Thanks in advance for your insights.
