Who makes the unfinished "FRENCH BRIAR" stummels?

[SBC]

I just picked up this unfinished bulldog at an antique shop. It is simply marked "FRENCH BRIAR."

I see that on ebay there are a number of similarly unfinished billiards marked French Briar. Is this made by the same factory?

Who makes these unfinished and otherwise unmarked "FRENCH BRIAR"s?

 

[cosmicfolklore]

If memory serves there have been quite a few come and go French briar companies. La Croix was one, but there have been a few others. I don't know exactly which one made the pipe you have in question though.

There are several types of pipes that come unfinished like this.
1. the company made the unfished briars to be shipped off to be finished by another company or store or event, or whatever. And, some boxes remain unsold or lost in transit.
2. Practice stummels, where the pipemaker was training someone to work a fraise on the line. Maybe some might be good in a batch like that, but it's a gamble.
3. stummels made to be sold as unfinfished.

 

[sablebrush52]

I doubt that it's one factory. Probably turned and possibly finished, in one of St Claude's pipe factories. The shaping suggests that it's quite old, so the factory that turned could be long out of existence. Likely made for the American market since it's stamped "French Briar" rather than Bruyere Garantie.

 

[SBC]

Thanks, cosmicfolklore and sablebrush52 - very helpful answers!

 

[anotherbob]

I would say your best bet is to just assume it's the name of an American or British carver.