Where are all the original Ben Wade pipes?

[hoppes]

Just joined this forum. Have smoked a pipe since 1964 but have had to give up most smoking now for medical reasons.

I just sold off my 42 pipe collection of the past 35 years.Now getting in to restoring old pipes.Found an interesting Ben Wade pipe supposedly from the 1920's.It is marked on the stem with an oval containing B.W. and the Model underneath, "County". The silver band is marked with BW, the London Lion Assay mark, the Chester Assay office mark and the stylized S denoting the year 1943. This is a very light, dainty pipe that has no fills or other defects. I can find very little information about early Ben Wade pipes.Where are they ?? There is a set of County pipes(unsmoked)from the 20'S on EBay that have very similar markings.Hope someone here can fill in some history about the earlier pipes and if this one is collectable. Thanks so much, Hoppes
Edit: I fixed your pictures - in Photobucket, you simply copy the IMG link on the right and paste it directly into the thread.

 

[sablebrush52]

Hello Hoppes,
Welcome to the forum!
Here are a couple of links that you might find helpful:
https://pipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Wade
http://www.pipephil.eu/logos/en/logo-benwade.html

 

[hoppes]

Thanks Sablebrush. Those sites are quite old and don't have much about the original pipes. I've tried to load the photos off Photobucket twice now without success. The forum needs a better process for uploading pictures directly !! Hoppes.

 

[simong]

hoppes, it took me forever to finally post photos here. You need a photobucket account '&' a separate photobucket app. Pass the photos from your account to the app & they'll post here straight away. Well that's the only way it works for me, on an iPad.
Regards the Ben wade question, I've thought it strange there's so few about as well. Perhaps the majority being discarded years before they became favoured/sought after. Did the original factory in Leeds get bombed during the war? Welcome to the forum.

 

[ssjones]

Photo links are fixed, see my comment on posting using Photobucket (do not use the IMG function here, as you are doubling what Photobucket already does for you).
Welcome to the forum! Ben Wade original British pipes don't get much action here. Your photos should certainly whet the appetite, that is a beauty and in magnificent shape.

 

[toobfreak]

I have long wondered why you see many of the Preben Holm "Wades" around but so rarely see an English original.

 

[hoppes]

Thanks ssjones for redoing the pictures. I have a Photobucket account and thought I copied the right IMG function. Will do better in the future. I've spent a great deal of time on the internet searching for early Ben Wade info. Hopefully members can add some more. Thanks to all for your interest. Hoppes

 

[fluffie666]

That's a beautiful pipe. I never got into the original Ben Wades but that's because I've never seen one before. I've been stuck on studying Preben Holm freehands so I might be able to pin out the Ben Wade pipes he actually carved. I'll do some digging on your pipe though. My beak is certainly wet.

 

[jensen]

Where are all the original Ben Wade pipes ?

I have two but they are almost smoked up.
I also have an unsmoked one. On the box: George - a crown - Elizabeth over Coronation Briar

On the shank: BWL over Coronation, the other side: Made in Leeds England 3W.Also a crown in the stem.

It is a medium billiard

 

[dmcmtk]

Hope someone here can fill in some history about the earlier pipes and if this one is collectable.

I would answer the question as, yes. Production of all British pipe manufacturers was limited because of the war. Ben Wade very specifically. From the pipedia article,

In the second World War the factory was destroyed by German air raids on Leeds. But the Ben Wade family decided to re-build it immediately after the war and pipe production was re-started soon and successfully linked to the fame from the pre-war years.

Pet peeve on the cased set; I wish sellers would post a clear picture of any Sterling marks.

 

[jensen]

By the way, Jacques Cole writes in his " The Pipe Makers 1850- 1994":
The company gained a respected reputation in the Midlands and the North which were its main areas of operation.

 

[hoppes]

The factory was destroyed during WW2 which makes the marking on this pipe even more mysterious. The silver S stands for the year 1943--so the factory was either destroyed after that date or the company used the silver bands they salvaged from the wreck on pipes made after they rebuilt ?? Very interesting !! Hoppes